Capital ship is an often strained term in scifi and is even applied to fleet escorts. An FF or a DD is really only getting the upper hand on a Covenant battlecruiser if their actions is extremely swift and violent, such as the Keyes Loop.

: Yeah, I know. I just miss the years when Covenant warships were something to
: be feared and point defense systems actually existed.

Anyone who doesn't fear Covenant warships by specs alone is a damned fool. That being said, I think a lot of naval officers in the post-war years are beginning to see a lot of those advantages in Covenant ship design now as a drawback and even as a failure to stand the test of time and a changing galaxy. In Shadow of Intent, a CRS nearly bested a CAS, a warship some 15 times its size, by exploiting its logistical and personnel incapacities, as well as environmental factors.

Don't get too down on point defense systems being underestimated. It's a scifi staple that integrated air defense networks are knocked out due to the shock that an enemy fighter could ever penetrate their engagement area.