FRISCO -- Not much came from last season other than the knowledge that the Cowboys can't win without Tony Romo.

So while anticipation was high entering this season, expectations weren't. Forget what club officials said publicly. The overriding sense was that this team would again struggle until its veteran quarterback returned.

Imagine their surprise now that the Cowboys carry a 3-1 record into the second weekend of October.

"I didn't expect it,'' owner Jerry Jones conceded after the Cowboys beat San Francisco for their third consecutive victory. "I really didn't expect it.''

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Romo isn't the only Pro Bowl player left behind in this fast start. Left tackle Tyron Smith has missed the last two games. Receiver Dez Bryant sat out the win over the 49ers and could be missing again against Cincinnati with a hairline fracture of his tibial plateau.

Orlando Scandrick has never been to a Pro Bowl, but he was the team's best cornerback before missing the 2015 season with a torn ACL. He's been absent the last two games with a pair of hamstring strains.

The Cowboys have overcome these and other setbacks with the performance of Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott, the shot of adrenaline that comes when young players make an immediate impact at key positions and strong coaching.

"We've got a bunch of young guys out there,'' Jones said. "We know that we have some guys who will be coming back, but now to some degree we know we can win if they're not back on time.

"This is a competitive league. I didn't expect to do it without Dez, without our left tackle, without key players like Scandrick. It says a lot about our depth. It says a lot about Jason [Garrett] and our coaching.

"I'm really proud of those guys. They are doing a really good job. They are not looking back. They are lining up with literally who we have at game time. We warm them up out there. If they can go or if they can't, we find out at warmup. That's who is going to play.''

Garrett didn't have a lot to say in Monday's news conference. He was unusually subdued for having won three consecutive games for the first time since December 2014. Garrett answered 35 questions in less than 13 minutes, which is only a couple of minutes longer than the Cowboys held onto the ball in the fourth quarter of Sunday's victory.

Elliott leads the league in rushing with 412 yards. Prescott still hasn't thrown an interception and has won three games. Denver's Trevor Siemian is the only quarterback with more victories, and he plays for the defending champion Broncos.

He was also forced to leave Sunday's victory over Tampa Bay with a shoulder injury.

Prescott and Elliott have energized this team with their performance and attitude. Elliott took the field to encourage the defense in the final moments of the team's win over San Francisco and performed an entertaining dance after his third-quarter touchdown run.

"That's just having fun,'' Elliott said. "We have fun. That's one of my favorite things about this team is every day we go to work but we have fun doing it.

"That's why we're so close. That's why we have such a great chemistry.''

The grind of the NFL is impossible to escape. Young players who go through it for the first time can help lighten the load and bring a joy to the every day, mundane aspects of the job.

Their enthusiasm can be infectious and help form chemistry.

"This team has great chemistry, and guys who hang off the field away from the facilities really come together,'' Prescott said. "We all have the same goal. We want to do whatever it takes to win.''

Prescott made these comments a few hours before he and Elliott went to hang at a club where Snoop Dogg was the guest.

Elliott impresses teammates with his power and edge.

Prescott astonishes teammates with his preparation and poise.

"Ah, man, it's crazy how calm he is,'' left guard Ronald Leary said. "I've seen some rookie quarterbacks, even some older quarterbacks, who haven't been as cool and collected as Dak.

"It shocked me the first time I saw him and Zeke. They're young, they play around in the locker room and stuff, but when they're on the field it's about business.''

Business is better than expected to open this season.

Catch David Moore on The Ticket (KTCK-AM 1310 and 96.7 FM) with The Musers at 9:35 a.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday and with The Hardline at 4:10 p.m. every Tuesday and Friday during the regular season.