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Cowboys found pressure (6 sacks) the best way to slow down Joe Burrow: Dan Quinn Report
By Bob Sturm
Sep 21, 2022
Sunday did not feel like a complete defensive beat-down when watching it live. I assume it feels that way because many of us were expecting the Bengals to have too much offensively to possibly consider a scenario where Dallas suffocates them. But, the more we study the game, the more we see that this is what happened.
Dallas dominated the Bengals’ offense.
How do we define that?
The Bengals had no production: 254 yards and 3.8 yards per play are putrid numbers.
The Bengals had no explosive plays with all of those playmakers — only one play of 20-plus yards and that was due to a personal foul on a 12-yard Joe Burrow run.
The Cowboys sacked Burrow six times. At times, Cincinnati had no answer for the Dallas pass rush.
Do you know the Cowboys’ all-time record when they sack an opponent six times or more and allow less than 260 yards?
34-2.
Since you know me as a top-shelf sports nerd, allow me to tell you about those other two games when the defense did all it could, but it wasn’t enough and the Cowboys lost.
• Sept. 8, 2002: Houston 19, Dallas 10. The Cowboys to David Carr six times and the Texans total 210 yards of offense in the first game in franchise history. It was not a very good day. The other game on the list is an even bigger deal.
• Dec. 31, 1967: Green Bay 21, Dallas 17. This is the Ice Bowl. It is minus-13 degrees in Green Bay in one of — if not the most memorable game in NFL history. Bart Starr is sacked eight times and the Packers are held to 195 yards of offense. … and still win the NFL Championship Game that season.
The 34-2 all-time record is a pretty decisive trend. This was something pretty special. A defense that we could argue has been sliding backward over the last little while has stepped it up to a point when they can take Burrow’s offense and beat them straight up. No fluke turnovers that turned the game happened. That is what should really get people excited. The Cowboys won a game when their defense played a Super Bowl offense straight up and won.
Now, we will admit that the Bengals are not great at protection and before we throw too many roses at the feet of the deep and talented Dallas front, we should probably wait to see this more often and against other opponents. But, what we saw Sunday was a wonderful example of complementary football that should be the hopes and goals of every fan of this team. If the offense is going to take a while to get fully up to speed, perhaps it is this defense — with one of the best players in the sport and a cast of well-thought-of characters — that can secure a few results with its dominating play.
Dallas was not going to win a shootout Sunday, but if it could keep the Bengals from going up and down the field at will with big plays and weapons that have no solution, then maybe the Cowboys could get to 20 points somehow. The defense would have to lead them. And it did.
Six sacks often lead to a few takeaways. It did not Sunday, but that is the recipe. Hit the QB that many times and you will see the ball loose as a result most weeks. Keep following that recipe and it will all be fine.
The Bengals had 10 drives and got into the Dallas red zone once. That is magnificent, especially on a day of zero turnovers.
We speak of complementary football because this is where the offense and special teams can make a huge difference. If you want the defense to give you a chance, then you have to make sure those 10 drives are starting deep. The 22-yard line is solid and what “hidden yardage” is all about.
What better way to capitalize on giving the Bengals just 254 yards than knowing that you also have them on their own end?
It’s a great recipe for winning.
Weekly data box: Week 2
Just look at all the green numbers. I am telling you holding a team to less than four yards a play and less than four yards an attempt is something that almost never happens. This was a beautiful performance by the Dallas defense.
Here is what we like the most: Dallas is not using the blitz to supplement its pass rush much at all. In fact, the Cowboys are ranked 26th in blitz rate.
Here is what it looked like Sunday:
The Cowboys were able to get five of their six sacks with four pass rushers. Do you want to know what an elite defense looks like? Buffalo and San Francisco are also low in blitz rates and high in sacks.
When you rush only four and get results, then you drop seven into coverage. When you can do that, there aren’t many places to go with the ball.
Next Gen throw chart: Joe Burrow
This is just beautiful — 36 attempts and 42 passing plays (when you bake in the six sacks) and Burrow didn’t get to 200 yards? Sign up Dan Quinn and literally everyone for that every day of the week. Magnificent job.
Next Gen run chart: Joe Mixon
As we look at Joe Mixon’s 3.0 yards per carry, we are happy to report the linebackers had a much better game. If Dallas is going to move Micah Parsons to edge as a regular thing — we have every reason to believe that has already happened — then it is vital for Anthony Barr and Leighton Vander Esch to be much better than Week 1. They were.
Splash plays: Week 2
Raise your hand if you expected Dante Fowler to lead the team in splash plays this week on only 21 snaps. That is definitely something worth discussing — and we will in the film study.
First, here is where we keep the season-long leaderboard for splash plays. The defending champion is up top again. Expect that to continue.
2022 - Cowboys Splash Play Leaderboard
Here is one of our rules at the Dan Quinn report: If the team gets a win because it had six sacks, we will look at those sacks in the film study.
Film study
NOTE: Anthony Brown’s (3) player tracking did not work Sunday, so the Bengals will always look like Ja’Marr Chase was wide open. Do not be alarmed. It is a glitch in the dots.
First quarter, (4:35) – second-and-11 – (Shotgun) J.Burrow sacked at DAL 31 for -3 yards (M.Parsons).
Sack No. 1 was an impressive job where Dorance Armstrong (92) is standing up at right defensive end and doing so that he can easily stunt inside Neville Gallimore (96). On the other side, we have Parsons toying with La’el Collins (71) and this is where we see how he can torment almost any tackle with his ridiculous power and speed combo. Parsons pushes past Burrow and has the ability to turn on the fly and ends the play on the back of Burrow riding him to the turf. What a player.
First quarter, (:17) – first-and-10 – J.Burrow sacked at CIN 19 for -6 yards (D.Armstrong).
This second sack is what we wanted to see. If Parsons has just worked over the right tackle, then expect to see the opponent give him help by a “slide right” protection. If that happens, which it does here, then it is imperative that the other edge (Armstrong again) obliterates the tight end supposed to protect against him. Drew Sample (89) is that guy and Armstrong makes quick work of him and is on Burrow’s back before he has a chance to do anything. Armstrong has leveled up.
Second quarter, (1:32) – second-and-6 – J.Burrow sacked at CIN 30 for -3 yards (D.Fowler). FUMBLES (D.Fowler) [D.Fowler], recovered by CIN-J.Mixon at CIN 30.
This is the back-to-back play sequence I love. This first one features the top four threats together. One thing we know in the modern NFL is that in situations like the 2-minute drill, teams need to get their best four pass rushers on the field and go kick some tail. It doesn’t matter which are tackles and which are edges. Just get your four best destroyers together and if they are going to try five- or six-man protections, you should be able to take them out. Here we get Parsons, Armstrong, Fowler and DeMarcus Lawrence and it is pure chaos. Burrow steps up and Fowler and Parsons are easily going to catch him. Fowler causes the fumble and Parsons almost gets on it. Outstanding. The Banana Stand is open on this one.
Second quarter, (1:13) – third-and-9 – (Shotgun) J.Burrow sacked at CIN 19 for -11 yards (D.Armstrong).
This one is even better as the Cowboys now know that their four-man pass rush is so good that bluffing linebackers and safeties will only add to the chaos. They are still just rushing four, but if you are Burrow, are you sure which four? And are you sure it is just four? You are not and you must account for all of them. Here the ends stunt inside and the amount of athletic movement and chaos is delightful. Fowler and Armstrong will get there at the end and the mighty Bengals offense has no chance.
If you can get there with four and bring a timely blitz, well, this could be a really good defense.
Third quarter, (13:21) – first-and-15 – (Shotgun) J.Burrow sacked at CIN 34 for -7 yards (M.Parsons).
This one doesn’t take long. Four-man rush and Parsons vs. LT Jonah Williams (73) is a massive mismatch. I cannot express how dominant Parsons is and he made both, well-regarded starting tackles look like practice squad guys. He is on a different level and more from the Banana Stand.
Third quarter, (4:54) – third-and-4 – (Shotgun) J.Burrow sacked at DAL 28 for -4 yards (L.Vander Esch).
I believe they called this a five-man pressure (blitz), but I see it more as a four-man with a linebacker spying in Vander Esch (55). We see the value of Lawrence taking two blockers because it allows Armstrong to swoop inside and cause all sorts of havoc. Vander Esch is waiting to cover Mixon in a pass route, but when Mixon stays in, he is spying Burrow and at the moment Burrow steps up, Vander Esch seizes the chance to end the play. Sack No. 6 and the Bengals’ O-line is frustrated.
This is such a good sign. Great pass rush with four guys who are issues and decent depth. If Fowler is your best pass rusher, you are probably not very good, but what if he is your third or fourth and Lawrence, Parsons and Armstrong are already winning?
That could be pretty special and a nice way to show us losing Randy Gregory may not be a complete disaster if the Cowboys can keep this cooking. At New York against the Giants on Monday will tell us more. But, for now, very good and encouraging stuff to see.
By Bob Sturm
Sep 21, 2022
Sunday did not feel like a complete defensive beat-down when watching it live. I assume it feels that way because many of us were expecting the Bengals to have too much offensively to possibly consider a scenario where Dallas suffocates them. But, the more we study the game, the more we see that this is what happened.
Dallas dominated the Bengals’ offense.
How do we define that?
The Bengals had no production: 254 yards and 3.8 yards per play are putrid numbers.
The Bengals had no explosive plays with all of those playmakers — only one play of 20-plus yards and that was due to a personal foul on a 12-yard Joe Burrow run.
The Cowboys sacked Burrow six times. At times, Cincinnati had no answer for the Dallas pass rush.
Do you know the Cowboys’ all-time record when they sack an opponent six times or more and allow less than 260 yards?
34-2.
Since you know me as a top-shelf sports nerd, allow me to tell you about those other two games when the defense did all it could, but it wasn’t enough and the Cowboys lost.
• Sept. 8, 2002: Houston 19, Dallas 10. The Cowboys to David Carr six times and the Texans total 210 yards of offense in the first game in franchise history. It was not a very good day. The other game on the list is an even bigger deal.
• Dec. 31, 1967: Green Bay 21, Dallas 17. This is the Ice Bowl. It is minus-13 degrees in Green Bay in one of — if not the most memorable game in NFL history. Bart Starr is sacked eight times and the Packers are held to 195 yards of offense. … and still win the NFL Championship Game that season.
The 34-2 all-time record is a pretty decisive trend. This was something pretty special. A defense that we could argue has been sliding backward over the last little while has stepped it up to a point when they can take Burrow’s offense and beat them straight up. No fluke turnovers that turned the game happened. That is what should really get people excited. The Cowboys won a game when their defense played a Super Bowl offense straight up and won.
Now, we will admit that the Bengals are not great at protection and before we throw too many roses at the feet of the deep and talented Dallas front, we should probably wait to see this more often and against other opponents. But, what we saw Sunday was a wonderful example of complementary football that should be the hopes and goals of every fan of this team. If the offense is going to take a while to get fully up to speed, perhaps it is this defense — with one of the best players in the sport and a cast of well-thought-of characters — that can secure a few results with its dominating play.
Dallas was not going to win a shootout Sunday, but if it could keep the Bengals from going up and down the field at will with big plays and weapons that have no solution, then maybe the Cowboys could get to 20 points somehow. The defense would have to lead them. And it did.
Six sacks often lead to a few takeaways. It did not Sunday, but that is the recipe. Hit the QB that many times and you will see the ball loose as a result most weeks. Keep following that recipe and it will all be fine.
The Bengals had 10 drives and got into the Dallas red zone once. That is magnificent, especially on a day of zero turnovers.
We speak of complementary football because this is where the offense and special teams can make a huge difference. If you want the defense to give you a chance, then you have to make sure those 10 drives are starting deep. The 22-yard line is solid and what “hidden yardage” is all about.
What better way to capitalize on giving the Bengals just 254 yards than knowing that you also have them on their own end?
It’s a great recipe for winning.
Weekly data box: Week 2
Just look at all the green numbers. I am telling you holding a team to less than four yards a play and less than four yards an attempt is something that almost never happens. This was a beautiful performance by the Dallas defense.
Here is what we like the most: Dallas is not using the blitz to supplement its pass rush much at all. In fact, the Cowboys are ranked 26th in blitz rate.
Here is what it looked like Sunday:
The Cowboys were able to get five of their six sacks with four pass rushers. Do you want to know what an elite defense looks like? Buffalo and San Francisco are also low in blitz rates and high in sacks.
When you rush only four and get results, then you drop seven into coverage. When you can do that, there aren’t many places to go with the ball.
Next Gen throw chart: Joe Burrow
This is just beautiful — 36 attempts and 42 passing plays (when you bake in the six sacks) and Burrow didn’t get to 200 yards? Sign up Dan Quinn and literally everyone for that every day of the week. Magnificent job.
Next Gen run chart: Joe Mixon
As we look at Joe Mixon’s 3.0 yards per carry, we are happy to report the linebackers had a much better game. If Dallas is going to move Micah Parsons to edge as a regular thing — we have every reason to believe that has already happened — then it is vital for Anthony Barr and Leighton Vander Esch to be much better than Week 1. They were.
Splash plays: Week 2
Raise your hand if you expected Dante Fowler to lead the team in splash plays this week on only 21 snaps. That is definitely something worth discussing — and we will in the film study.
First, here is where we keep the season-long leaderboard for splash plays. The defending champion is up top again. Expect that to continue.
2022 - Cowboys Splash Play Leaderboard
| PLAYER | SNAPS | TOTAL SPLASH PLAYS |
|---|---|---|
 Micah Parsons | 118 | 5 |
 Donovan Wilson | 118 | 5 |
 Dante Fowler | 31 | 4 |
 Leighton Vander Esch | 113 | 4 |
 Trevon Diggs | 129 | 4 |
 Dorance Armstrong | 56 | 3 |
 Osa Odighizuwa | 71 | 3 |
 DeMarcus Lawrence | 82 | 3 |
 Anthony Brown | 93 | 2 |
 Anthony Barr | 93 | 2 |
| Sam Williams | 16 | 1 |
 Trysten Hill | 29 | 1 |
 Jourdan Lewis | 107 | 1 |
 Malik Hooker | 115 | 1 |
Here is one of our rules at the Dan Quinn report: If the team gets a win because it had six sacks, we will look at those sacks in the film study.
Film study
NOTE: Anthony Brown’s (3) player tracking did not work Sunday, so the Bengals will always look like Ja’Marr Chase was wide open. Do not be alarmed. It is a glitch in the dots.
First quarter, (4:35) – second-and-11 – (Shotgun) J.Burrow sacked at DAL 31 for -3 yards (M.Parsons).
Sack No. 1 was an impressive job where Dorance Armstrong (92) is standing up at right defensive end and doing so that he can easily stunt inside Neville Gallimore (96). On the other side, we have Parsons toying with La’el Collins (71) and this is where we see how he can torment almost any tackle with his ridiculous power and speed combo. Parsons pushes past Burrow and has the ability to turn on the fly and ends the play on the back of Burrow riding him to the turf. What a player.
First quarter, (:17) – first-and-10 – J.Burrow sacked at CIN 19 for -6 yards (D.Armstrong).
This second sack is what we wanted to see. If Parsons has just worked over the right tackle, then expect to see the opponent give him help by a “slide right” protection. If that happens, which it does here, then it is imperative that the other edge (Armstrong again) obliterates the tight end supposed to protect against him. Drew Sample (89) is that guy and Armstrong makes quick work of him and is on Burrow’s back before he has a chance to do anything. Armstrong has leveled up.
Second quarter, (1:32) – second-and-6 – J.Burrow sacked at CIN 30 for -3 yards (D.Fowler). FUMBLES (D.Fowler) [D.Fowler], recovered by CIN-J.Mixon at CIN 30.
This is the back-to-back play sequence I love. This first one features the top four threats together. One thing we know in the modern NFL is that in situations like the 2-minute drill, teams need to get their best four pass rushers on the field and go kick some tail. It doesn’t matter which are tackles and which are edges. Just get your four best destroyers together and if they are going to try five- or six-man protections, you should be able to take them out. Here we get Parsons, Armstrong, Fowler and DeMarcus Lawrence and it is pure chaos. Burrow steps up and Fowler and Parsons are easily going to catch him. Fowler causes the fumble and Parsons almost gets on it. Outstanding. The Banana Stand is open on this one.
Second quarter, (1:13) – third-and-9 – (Shotgun) J.Burrow sacked at CIN 19 for -11 yards (D.Armstrong).
This one is even better as the Cowboys now know that their four-man pass rush is so good that bluffing linebackers and safeties will only add to the chaos. They are still just rushing four, but if you are Burrow, are you sure which four? And are you sure it is just four? You are not and you must account for all of them. Here the ends stunt inside and the amount of athletic movement and chaos is delightful. Fowler and Armstrong will get there at the end and the mighty Bengals offense has no chance.
If you can get there with four and bring a timely blitz, well, this could be a really good defense.
Third quarter, (13:21) – first-and-15 – (Shotgun) J.Burrow sacked at CIN 34 for -7 yards (M.Parsons).
This one doesn’t take long. Four-man rush and Parsons vs. LT Jonah Williams (73) is a massive mismatch. I cannot express how dominant Parsons is and he made both, well-regarded starting tackles look like practice squad guys. He is on a different level and more from the Banana Stand.
Third quarter, (4:54) – third-and-4 – (Shotgun) J.Burrow sacked at DAL 28 for -4 yards (L.Vander Esch).
I believe they called this a five-man pressure (blitz), but I see it more as a four-man with a linebacker spying in Vander Esch (55). We see the value of Lawrence taking two blockers because it allows Armstrong to swoop inside and cause all sorts of havoc. Vander Esch is waiting to cover Mixon in a pass route, but when Mixon stays in, he is spying Burrow and at the moment Burrow steps up, Vander Esch seizes the chance to end the play. Sack No. 6 and the Bengals’ O-line is frustrated.
This is such a good sign. Great pass rush with four guys who are issues and decent depth. If Fowler is your best pass rusher, you are probably not very good, but what if he is your third or fourth and Lawrence, Parsons and Armstrong are already winning?
That could be pretty special and a nice way to show us losing Randy Gregory may not be a complete disaster if the Cowboys can keep this cooking. At New York against the Giants on Monday will tell us more. But, for now, very good and encouraging stuff to see.
