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By Bob Sturm
2h ago
157 games.
If you want to know the last time the Cowboys produced five takeaways in a game, there is your answer.
On Sept. 8, 2013, the Cowboys protected their home turf against the New York Giants in a 36-31 thriller in which the defense created six turnovers and still somehow gave up 31 points.
But, that was nearly a decade ago — four takeaways were the most since then, a number the Cowboys reached a dozen times since with the most recent one in New York last December.
But, five? Yes. Not just five, mind you. Five after halftime.
In a season when the defense has been excellent in almost every regard, it was at just seven takeaways entering Sunday’s action. That is better than none, but it also is a pace of about 20 takeaways. Given that the league average is around 22 and the Cowboys last year had 34, it just didn’t seem like nearly enough to match the quality of a defense that is starting to chase away any doubters with week-after-week excellence.
Dallas went to halftime with a small and relatively harmless deficit against Detroit, trailing 6-3. The entire half was a frustrating exhibition from both sides, but Detroit had to feel very good about its position as it had almost none of its first-choice skill-position players on the field. The Lions were a depleted side that has some gaudy offensive stats this year, but when Amon-Ra St. Brown exited early, they were down to their fine starting tight end and a bunch of spare parts.
But the Dallas defense apparently had quite enough of this upstart Lions group. Detroit scored zero points in the second half in six drives. Not only did the Cowboys have five takeaways, but they also had five sacks. Four of those sacks were in the second half and a few of them were plays where they got the ball. I know everyone wants to break down every single throw from the return of Dak Prescott and juxtapose it with similar spots with Cooper Rush in the past month, but if you get five takeaways in a half while pitching a shutout and getting a bunch of sacks in the process, you get the lead in the Morning After. Those are the clear rules and I make no apologies.
The show the defense continues to put on is well worth our attention and the over-analysis of the offense can wait just a bit.
Detroit took the second-half kickoff and quickly reached midfield after two plays. They then move to second-and-short and this is a classic “take-a-shot” play on play-action. There was no pressure whatsoever on Jared Goff as he had Josh Reynolds deep against Trevon Diggs. The ball is underthrown and that allows Diggs to again convert over to wide receiver and make a diving play on the ball. We can debate whether or not he actually caught the ball and then debate what the heck the league is doing not slowing it down and at least assuring us that they contemplated it properly. But, perhaps they wanted to get this game over with because there was no real clear review of a play that probably required it. Regardless, it is the third interception for Diggs in 2022 and the 17th of his career in an absurd 35 career games. He tied Ron Fellows (who played 86 games) for 16th on the franchise list and Kevin Smith and Roy Williams are next with 19. Again, these are all-time Cowboys interception leaders and Diggs was drafted in the spring of 2020. In other words, the pace he is on is something we have not seen before.
Dallas drove 82 yards and took the lead, 10-6, after that interception in the third quarter. Who knew that this would be all the points they would need?
The Lions’ second drive of the second half (seventh of the game) ended with a garden-variety punt after a single first down. Why did that drive stall? Well, Sam Williams, the rookie edge from Ole Miss got his first NFL sack and his second would not be far behind. It definitely feels like Dallas knows how to shop for defensive linemen all of the sudden with almost every sack they have this season — a total that leads the league — being homegrown. Dante Fowler has three and that is the only exception for their 29 sacks. The ensuing punt allow the special teams some fun as KaVontae Turpin returned it 52 yards and set up the Cowboys with another wonderful opportunity.
Dallas did not take advantage offensively, but the real fun was straight ahead.
Detroit’s third effort was a fantastic 12-play drive. Even with two holding penalties — normally sure drive killers — the Lions kept marching down the field. It was a potential game-changing sequence when Dallas just could not get a stop. Run play after run play was gaining yardage and frustration was growing by all involved. Into the fourth quarter, the march continued and Goff worked in the passing game a few times.
On second-and-5 from the Dallas 18, the Lions caught the Cowboys with a perfect play call: a tight end screen to Brock Wright behind the rush of Micah Parsons. He let Parsons go, and then Goff set him off with a pass into the flat with nobody there. It appeared to be a sure touchdown as there were blockers in front of Wright. But, Parsons is different. And despite being a clear five yards behind the ball, he has never seemed to give up on a single play and it wasn’t going to start here. He put it into high gear in a hurry and ran down the play in a Banana Stand Hall of Fame moment. With all due respect to however many sacks he will get, this has a chance to be the play of the year and Detroit elected not to challenge the spot. I am guessing Dan Campbell will do it differently next time.
And because the football gods seem to smile on moments of sheer determination and hustle, the very next play went exactly as you would want the scriptwriters to pen it if you are a Dallas enthusiast. First-and-goal from the 1-yard line and Jamaal Williams, who had been excellent all day, is hit hard by DeMarcus Lawrence and Williams fumbles for the first time in his six-year NFL career right into the waiting arms of Anthony Barr. A 79-yard drive that actually had to go 99 yards could not get the last few feet into the end zone and put Detriot into the lead. Instead, the Cowboys buck back and get the biggest takeaway of the proceedings.
But, wait, that is only two takeaways. There would be three more.
The Lions’ ninth drive began with 9:52 to play and they were still trailing just 10-6. That’s plenty of time to steal a win on the road, which is something they have yet to do under Campbell. This drive also got near midfield with a quick pass to that same second tight end (Wright). He got lost in the zone and the Lions are out to the 44. On the next play, Williams is at it again with a body-slam tackle on Justin Jackson. On the next play, Parsons nearly gets home for a sack vs. Taylor Decker. That brings up third-and-12 and here comes the heat. Dallas’ five-man rush forced a rushed throw from Goff in the middle of the field and that is where Jourdan Lewis picked it off on the Star emblem. Lewis badly twisted his foot on the play in a situation that might be the end of Lewis’ year with a serious injury. But the third takeaway is secured.
Jourdan Lewis picks off Jared Goff in the fourth quarter. (Kevin Jairaj / USA Today)
Dallas put the game away with an 11-play drive that ate up almost six of the remaining eight minutes and Ezekiel Elliott punched it in for a touchdown to make it 17-6.
Detroit is in full desperation mode and this is where sacks happen because the ears are pinned back. The 10th drive shows Williams with yet another great play as he blows by Penei Sewell and not only sacks Goff, but steals the ball right out of his arms. Just a dynamic swipe and with two sacks, a body slam and a fumble, Williams has announced his arrival into the primary mix of pass rushers. Very nice for the rookie second-rounder. Dallas will punch that one in and it’s 24-6.
The final drive was pure cosmetics, but again, it shows what this team is all about. Parsons looked like he had the sack with 1:29 to go on a play where he steamrolled Decker and got Goff down. The sack was given to Dorance Armstrong, but I believe it was clearly Parsons. We shall see if that is reversed. Three snaps later, Parsons did it again. He beat Decker, stripped the ball loose and the Cowboys recover again. Decker is a very nice left tackle, but Parsons has a list of victims that is getting longer all the time. Even without the sack that he wasn’t credited for, he is tied for the league lead with Nick Bosa at seven. I bet he will have eight later Monday when the league reviews those stats and that would give him the lead.
So, five takeaways, five sacks, and zero points in the second half. The offense was not in its best mode by any stretch, but it played a relatively clean game — Noah Brown’s fumble late in the first half was the blemish. Prescott’s return was mixed, with nice numbers but some poor decisions when he seemed to miss the safeties on two plays that could have been interceptions. He was antsy to turn a game that was stuck in neutral in the first half and impatience is a quarterback’s nightmare. He had waited six weeks to get the offense going and to flush the feeling of that Tampa Bay effort, so you can understand his anxieties.
Overall, it puts the Cowboys at 5-2. And as goofy as the NFC appears to be, there is nothing wrong with that spot. They may not be the class of the conference, but we can argue they must be included in any conversations about the playoff contenders. I like this team because its defense is going to destroy a bunch of passing games with relentless pressure on a QB who will be fighting the urge to get the ball out lest he gets crunched again.
Is it a team that has no faults? No. There are faults and concerns. But, to get Prescott back and to see the Cowboys easily control the second half because of their defense was a thing of beauty. We’ll continue to expect the offense to find solutions and continuity, but the Bears and the bye week are the next few weeks so it seems a good time to be working through issues before the stretch drive arrives.
And about those takeaways? With 12 now, the Cowboys are only two off the league lead again. Philadelphia and Baltimore both sit at 14. Perhaps by next week, Dallas will have reeled them in. Dallas has an elite superstar leading its defense, but we can see the strength of the defense is because the Cowboys have plenty more than just him. I think it is safe to assume that nobody wants to deal with that side of the ball moving forward. When the offense starts clicking, this might be the team to beat in this conference.
It is a distinct possibility the way things are going.
