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DQ Report, Week 6 - Getting the Big Stop Late
The Cowboys defense needed to answer the challenge and they did just that
BOB STURM
OCT 20, 2023
I believe statistics tell us plenty, but they also only tell us so much. It is great to know that the Cowboys right now are a team highly ranked in almost all of our “Big 10” stats:
As you can see, through six weeks, there is lots of blue stats – top 25% of the league – and no red for the bottom 25%. They are right up there in all of those “big picture” statistics and that is great.
But, does it tell the story about making that play at that moment?
On Monday, despite the performances of Dak Prescott and the offense, the defense had to put the final touches on a win by getting a “save” in a tribute to the baseball playoffs.
In baseball, we know the bullpens are vital and can close out a great game. I always wondered why the NFL doesn’t do something similar in football for defenses. Stats are used to compare teams to by painting wide strokes that tell a story. But, in my estimation, a defense has to be able to nail down a game at times and we saw that the Cowboys rose to that occasion.
Since the NFL doesn’t keep this stat, I thought I would try to do it. In my opinion, a “save” opportunity is the last drive of a game when you must get a stop because you have a lead or are tied. If the defense can get a stop, they get credit. If they can’t get a stop, knowing the stakes, then we must debit it. On Monday, the Cowboys kicked the potential game-winning FG, but had to kick it back to the Chargers with a 20-17 lead. So either the defense gets a stop, or, they are forced to overtime with a field goal or lose outright with a touchdown.
They knew their assignment and for the first time in 2023 were asked to get a save as the Chargers took the ball at their 25-yard line with 2:19 to go in the game.
And, as you know, they got it done.
The drive started with a Micah Parsons offside penalty, to allow the Chargers a first and 5. Justin Herbert ran for 3 yards and we hit the 2:00 warning with LA ready for a second and 2 from their 33-yard line.
Let’s look at the two plays that got the save:
4Q - 2:00 - 2nd and 2 - LA 33 - J.Herbert sacked at LAC 25 for -8 yards (M.Parsons).
This is the first play out of the two-minute warning so you know Kellen Moore and Justin Herbert picked out something they like for a perfect 2nd and 2 opportunity. They go 2x2 and draw Cover 1 from the Cowboys with a blitz from the free safety. We could break down the routes, but it won’t matter. All we need to do is show you the pass rush video below.
Its pretty crazy that Micah Parsons is an elite edge rusher, but what about the fact that he can rush as a defensive tackle at his size, line up against a giant guard, and still run through him like a hot knife through butter? You see the idea here, he wants to occupy the right guard and right tackle which will allow 99-Chauncey Golston to go under him and get a free run with 1-Jayron Kearse coming around the outside.
Instead, the guard tries to pick up Golston – but leaves Parsons to do it. When he does, the QB must be screaming because Micah now has a clear path and pounces on him and just slams him with violence. The Cowboys had only one sack on Monday and this was it. You could not dial up a bigger moment and that is what superstars do as they rise to the occasion yet again.
Loss of eight yards, but the job isn’t over.
4Q - 1:29 - 3rd and 10 - LA 25 - J.Herbert pass short right intended for Q.Johnston INTERCEPTED by S.Gilmore [D.Clark] at LAC 33.
Third and 10, but they have two downs to get it since they will not be punting here. That is what makes the save situation unique. It is do-or-die. The Chargers go 3x1 to the left and are facing Cover-1 again (but they appear to be in 2-man as it looks to me that the Cowboys have a blown coverage as Ekeler leaks out and has nobody on him). Regardless, the Cowboys send a 5th man again as 33-Damone Clark delays his blitz and likely is playing a green dog technique – he only rushes if his man stays in. I believe this is probably the explanation for Ekeler running free. Let’s look below.
Parsons is holding his edge and Lawrence is on the other side keeping Herbert in the well. That leaves 99-Golston and 97-Odighizuwa crossing and you can see big Osa getting Herbert off his spot. When he does, Herbert has to slide right into the path of 33-Clark and now he has to unload it but cannot get any zip on it. He throws it to TCU’s Quentin Johnston off his back foot and Stephon Gilmore does what he does, which is hawk the ball for a game-clinching interception.
They get the ball and celebrate a save secured.
Since I just invented the stat, I thought I would show you my research as I went back to the hiring of Dan Quinn to find the 11 times Dallas has had a save opportunity and how each one has gone.
They are 6-5 in these do-or-die drives. I have no idea how that compares to the rest of the league, but I thought you might be interested in my research and stat creations. Let me know if you see any issues or any games I might have missed.
Back to the Chargers games, let’s take a look at some items. First, the drive chart shows us that Kellen Moore had a nice opening script and some good ideas, but after that first drive, it was not much the rest of the night.
Quinn vs Moore goes to DQ
The only real damage after that first drive was a drive of 20 yards after the fumbled punt that almost allowed the Chargers to steal the game.
Very impressive job as you look above. You go on the road against a playoff team and limit them to 17 points and 272 yards? Very nice work.
JUSTIN HERBERT NEXT GEN THROW CHART
The theme for the Chargers this offseason was to get Herbert throwing more vertically. As you can see, he missed some big throws but mostly was getting the ball out as he was under severe pressure. The sack numbers will not verify it, but like so many Cowboys opponents, they don’t even try to protect for deep routes. The Cowboys scare a lot of these teams out of their offense. Its wild to see every week, but I wonder how many fans realize it is happening.
SPLASH PLAYS
We might need to have a Markquese Bell conversation now that he had six splash plays in the game. I have had some real concerns about life without Leighton Vander Esch. They are putting a ton on young Markquese, who is probably the only 205-lb linebacker in the NFL.
DQ loves getting smaller and smaller on his defense and Bell is at the outer limits of sanity on this front. Will he be able to hold up against the Eagles and Lions? Maybe not, but against the Chargers and their light running game, he did great against Austin Ekeler.
It was clear Kellen Moore wanted to screen the heck out of the Cowboys and the first one worked like a charm:
1Q - 12:15 - J.Herbert pass short left to A.Ekeler to DAL 4 for 28 yards
Watch the movement here and watch how 14-Bell tried to make a play on this first screen, but was badly out-numbered. To his credit, he kept chasing, but the damage was done. Round 1 to Ekeler and Kellen.
But, the story did not end there.
2Q - 8:49 - A.Ekeler up the middle to LAC 35 for no gain (M.Bell).
Watch Bell here. Boy is he fast to beat blocks. He sees it and shoots it. That speed is uncommon for a linebacker to pounce like that. This is how he wins. Too quick.
2Q - 2:23 - J.Herbert pass incomplete short right to A.Ekeler (M.Bell).
Right before the half, Kellen starts a drive with another screen. I think Markquese was ready for this one. Look at him sort the traffic, direct his safety, and then seek and destroy. Wow! Impressive work for a backup LB.
3Q - 9:30 - J.Herbert pass short right to A.Ekeler to DAL 16 for no gain (M.Bell)
Now, in the red zone, they try a play-action pass where Herbert is avoiding a blitzing Jayron Kearse to get it to Ekeler in the flat. Bell is on him way too fast to avoid. Again, you can – as Arizona showed – run right at Markquese. But, not sure you can run away from him.
4Q - 7:54 - J.Herbert pass short right to A.Ekeler to DAL 1 for 2 yards (M.Bell).
This is a sneaky way to free Ekeler up from the 3-yard line as they try to lose Bell in traffic. Look at the plan here as they are tired of Bell being in his lap. Well, guess what. Bell still got there and then got Ekeler to the ground short of the goal line.
The side view will show it even better. That tight end has no other goal but to block Bell as you can see.
What a performance from the kid. Good stuff.
This defense has been pushed after San Francisco and the prospect of playing without Leighton Vander Esch was very disconcerting. Could they shut down a Chargers offense who has a highly touted QB and an offensive coordinator who would want to make them look silly in a very big spot?
Credit where credit is due. They showed up big. The sack totals were down but the pressure numbers were incredible:
52.6 pressure rate! They had to send the blitzes a lot more than normal, but overall, the results speak volumes. They had Herbert spooked.
Big performance in a big spot. Well done.
Plenty of work ahead, but that is the response you want from Quinn’s men coming off a real humiliation.
The Cowboys defense needed to answer the challenge and they did just that
BOB STURM
OCT 20, 2023
I believe statistics tell us plenty, but they also only tell us so much. It is great to know that the Cowboys right now are a team highly ranked in almost all of our “Big 10” stats:
As you can see, through six weeks, there is lots of blue stats – top 25% of the league – and no red for the bottom 25%. They are right up there in all of those “big picture” statistics and that is great.
But, does it tell the story about making that play at that moment?
On Monday, despite the performances of Dak Prescott and the offense, the defense had to put the final touches on a win by getting a “save” in a tribute to the baseball playoffs.
In baseball, we know the bullpens are vital and can close out a great game. I always wondered why the NFL doesn’t do something similar in football for defenses. Stats are used to compare teams to by painting wide strokes that tell a story. But, in my estimation, a defense has to be able to nail down a game at times and we saw that the Cowboys rose to that occasion.
Since the NFL doesn’t keep this stat, I thought I would try to do it. In my opinion, a “save” opportunity is the last drive of a game when you must get a stop because you have a lead or are tied. If the defense can get a stop, they get credit. If they can’t get a stop, knowing the stakes, then we must debit it. On Monday, the Cowboys kicked the potential game-winning FG, but had to kick it back to the Chargers with a 20-17 lead. So either the defense gets a stop, or, they are forced to overtime with a field goal or lose outright with a touchdown.
They knew their assignment and for the first time in 2023 were asked to get a save as the Chargers took the ball at their 25-yard line with 2:19 to go in the game.
And, as you know, they got it done.
The drive started with a Micah Parsons offside penalty, to allow the Chargers a first and 5. Justin Herbert ran for 3 yards and we hit the 2:00 warning with LA ready for a second and 2 from their 33-yard line.
Let’s look at the two plays that got the save:
4Q - 2:00 - 2nd and 2 - LA 33 - J.Herbert sacked at LAC 25 for -8 yards (M.Parsons).
This is the first play out of the two-minute warning so you know Kellen Moore and Justin Herbert picked out something they like for a perfect 2nd and 2 opportunity. They go 2x2 and draw Cover 1 from the Cowboys with a blitz from the free safety. We could break down the routes, but it won’t matter. All we need to do is show you the pass rush video below.
Its pretty crazy that Micah Parsons is an elite edge rusher, but what about the fact that he can rush as a defensive tackle at his size, line up against a giant guard, and still run through him like a hot knife through butter? You see the idea here, he wants to occupy the right guard and right tackle which will allow 99-Chauncey Golston to go under him and get a free run with 1-Jayron Kearse coming around the outside.
Instead, the guard tries to pick up Golston – but leaves Parsons to do it. When he does, the QB must be screaming because Micah now has a clear path and pounces on him and just slams him with violence. The Cowboys had only one sack on Monday and this was it. You could not dial up a bigger moment and that is what superstars do as they rise to the occasion yet again.
Loss of eight yards, but the job isn’t over.
4Q - 1:29 - 3rd and 10 - LA 25 - J.Herbert pass short right intended for Q.Johnston INTERCEPTED by S.Gilmore [D.Clark] at LAC 33.
Third and 10, but they have two downs to get it since they will not be punting here. That is what makes the save situation unique. It is do-or-die. The Chargers go 3x1 to the left and are facing Cover-1 again (but they appear to be in 2-man as it looks to me that the Cowboys have a blown coverage as Ekeler leaks out and has nobody on him). Regardless, the Cowboys send a 5th man again as 33-Damone Clark delays his blitz and likely is playing a green dog technique – he only rushes if his man stays in. I believe this is probably the explanation for Ekeler running free. Let’s look below.
Parsons is holding his edge and Lawrence is on the other side keeping Herbert in the well. That leaves 99-Golston and 97-Odighizuwa crossing and you can see big Osa getting Herbert off his spot. When he does, Herbert has to slide right into the path of 33-Clark and now he has to unload it but cannot get any zip on it. He throws it to TCU’s Quentin Johnston off his back foot and Stephon Gilmore does what he does, which is hawk the ball for a game-clinching interception.
They get the ball and celebrate a save secured.
Since I just invented the stat, I thought I would show you my research as I went back to the hiring of Dan Quinn to find the 11 times Dallas has had a save opportunity and how each one has gone.
They are 6-5 in these do-or-die drives. I have no idea how that compares to the rest of the league, but I thought you might be interested in my research and stat creations. Let me know if you see any issues or any games I might have missed.
Back to the Chargers games, let’s take a look at some items. First, the drive chart shows us that Kellen Moore had a nice opening script and some good ideas, but after that first drive, it was not much the rest of the night.
Quinn vs Moore goes to DQ
The only real damage after that first drive was a drive of 20 yards after the fumbled punt that almost allowed the Chargers to steal the game.
Very impressive job as you look above. You go on the road against a playoff team and limit them to 17 points and 272 yards? Very nice work.
JUSTIN HERBERT NEXT GEN THROW CHART
The theme for the Chargers this offseason was to get Herbert throwing more vertically. As you can see, he missed some big throws but mostly was getting the ball out as he was under severe pressure. The sack numbers will not verify it, but like so many Cowboys opponents, they don’t even try to protect for deep routes. The Cowboys scare a lot of these teams out of their offense. Its wild to see every week, but I wonder how many fans realize it is happening.
SPLASH PLAYS
We might need to have a Markquese Bell conversation now that he had six splash plays in the game. I have had some real concerns about life without Leighton Vander Esch. They are putting a ton on young Markquese, who is probably the only 205-lb linebacker in the NFL.
DQ loves getting smaller and smaller on his defense and Bell is at the outer limits of sanity on this front. Will he be able to hold up against the Eagles and Lions? Maybe not, but against the Chargers and their light running game, he did great against Austin Ekeler.
It was clear Kellen Moore wanted to screen the heck out of the Cowboys and the first one worked like a charm:
1Q - 12:15 - J.Herbert pass short left to A.Ekeler to DAL 4 for 28 yards
Watch the movement here and watch how 14-Bell tried to make a play on this first screen, but was badly out-numbered. To his credit, he kept chasing, but the damage was done. Round 1 to Ekeler and Kellen.
But, the story did not end there.
2Q - 8:49 - A.Ekeler up the middle to LAC 35 for no gain (M.Bell).
Watch Bell here. Boy is he fast to beat blocks. He sees it and shoots it. That speed is uncommon for a linebacker to pounce like that. This is how he wins. Too quick.
2Q - 2:23 - J.Herbert pass incomplete short right to A.Ekeler (M.Bell).
Right before the half, Kellen starts a drive with another screen. I think Markquese was ready for this one. Look at him sort the traffic, direct his safety, and then seek and destroy. Wow! Impressive work for a backup LB.
3Q - 9:30 - J.Herbert pass short right to A.Ekeler to DAL 16 for no gain (M.Bell)
Now, in the red zone, they try a play-action pass where Herbert is avoiding a blitzing Jayron Kearse to get it to Ekeler in the flat. Bell is on him way too fast to avoid. Again, you can – as Arizona showed – run right at Markquese. But, not sure you can run away from him.
4Q - 7:54 - J.Herbert pass short right to A.Ekeler to DAL 1 for 2 yards (M.Bell).
This is a sneaky way to free Ekeler up from the 3-yard line as they try to lose Bell in traffic. Look at the plan here as they are tired of Bell being in his lap. Well, guess what. Bell still got there and then got Ekeler to the ground short of the goal line.
The side view will show it even better. That tight end has no other goal but to block Bell as you can see.
What a performance from the kid. Good stuff.
This defense has been pushed after San Francisco and the prospect of playing without Leighton Vander Esch was very disconcerting. Could they shut down a Chargers offense who has a highly touted QB and an offensive coordinator who would want to make them look silly in a very big spot?
Credit where credit is due. They showed up big. The sack totals were down but the pressure numbers were incredible:
52.6 pressure rate! They had to send the blitzes a lot more than normal, but overall, the results speak volumes. They had Herbert spooked.
Big performance in a big spot. Well done.
Plenty of work ahead, but that is the response you want from Quinn’s men coming off a real humiliation.