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The DQ Report, Week 18 - Dispatching Washington
Dallas received another big play from a veteran player that is often unappreciated
BOB STURM
JAN 10, 2024
266 yards rushing.
The number should not be forgotten. It was embarrassing and it had the entire league laughing at the Dallas Cowboys defense.
It told a story about the effort, the resolve, and the personal pride of the Cowboys that disappointing day in Buffalo. It also revealed a blue-print for all future opponents.
If you want to demoralize the Cowboys and take away their pass rush, just keep handing the ball to your version of James Cook. Repeat. Watch the profits roll in.
The prevailing theory after Week 15 in Buffalo was obvious for all. Imagine what Miami might do on the ground. What about Detroit after that, too. This could get really ugly.
So what happened?
266 yards rushing happened.
There were 91 against Miami, 125 versus Detroit, and 50 more on Sunday against Washington. Add those three numbers together and you hit 266 again. But, this time, it took 74 attempts over the course of three games and less than 3.6 yards per carry.
I won’t attempt to convince you that the rush defense is cured and that Aaron Jones is not a major concern on Sunday. That would be wrong. But, we must nod in approval that effort, resolve, and pride appear to be positioned back in a good spot. Dallas doesn’t believe that will happen again and rather than being torn to shreds over and over down the stretch, they arched their backs and refused to be labeled soft.
That speaks to their leadership to get something addressed immediately. Yes, Dan Quinn is at the tip of that defensive spear and then last week we talked about the veteran influence of DeMarcus Lawrence.
All true and two deserved and respected men.
But, we should not forget the impact and voice of Jourdan Lewis.
Jourdan Lewis is one of those guys on every roster where you don’t understand his true value until you talk to his teammates. The film suggests he brings something, but also not enough that you consider him essential.
I am definitely guilty of this. I have made the mistake of fixating on what a player can’t do and in the process I lose sight of what he can do. Guilty as charged and I put my hand up to accept my foul.
I have always made the statement that as a cover corner, he does everything well but cover. Obviously, there is some praise in there, but that is mostly an insult. Surely, you need any cornerback to be able to cover someone, but that isn’t really what he does. He is probably below average as a cover player, especially on routes that go vertically down the field.
Yet, all the other things you need from a corner – tackling, taking on blocks, filling, blitzing, and most importantly, finding big plays in the form of takeaways – Lewis has always been a dude.
Do we value this properly? Do we fixate on matchup issues if someone attacks him with a slot receiver or do we understand the total mosaic?
And then, do we place some value on what his mates say about his influence in the room, as the second-longest tenured player on the defense behind Tank Lawrence himself. He is, now in his seventh season, a trusted vet who sets the tone in practice, in the locker room, and on the field. He has become a guy you don’t want to leave because of how he rubs off on the young pups in the secondary. If Jourdan brings it like this, I better, too.
I suspect this year has really shown his value and together when you add Stephon Gilmore to this secondary, it has no longer felt like a spot to attack the Cowboys. After losing Trevon Diggs, the Cowboys had a potential soft spot to attack repeatedly and Lewis has been a decent part of the solution.
Coverage is still an issue and teams still go after him. His coverage grades are the worst part of his game, but the more we watch him, the more we refuse to lose sight of moments in these games where he is looking for that one moment to become a hero.
One happened on Sunday and it probably should get talked about more.
This is early in the game when Dallas wanted to snuff out the Commanders life force early on. Dallas is up 7-0 and on this play Lewis tackles Brian Robinson while wrestling the football away. No. 2-Lewis takes this guy on and somehow finds the ball. Again. Takeaway for the Cowboys and we don’t talk about it much because the subsequent series stalled and the field goal was blocked. But, he made a huge play.
Which reminded us of the one he had last week vs the Lions.
We showed you this one last week, but again, veteran savvy and the timing to go make a play to try to turn the game. He sees a screen materializing and he seizes the moment and tries to make that one play that wins the entire night.
And here is what I like most about Jourdan Lewis. When the situations are the most physical and dire, he shows up. Remember the debacle in San Francisco?
Well, remember that Jourdan Lewis tried to save that game.
How?
He wrestled the ball away from Christian McCaffrey the same way he did against Robinson last Sunday.
Same thing. Take on the runner in the hole, tackle him, while taking the ball away. I don’t know how he has done this twice, but he obviously has a trick or two and it is all about getting takeaway.
How important is getting the takeaways? Let’s quickly review.
RECORD BASED ON TAKEAWAYS, DALLAS, 2021-2023, 37-17:
When getting 0 takeaways, 3-8, 27%
When getting 1 takeaway, 10-5, 67%
When getting 2+ takeaways, 24-4, 86%
I think this is probably self-explanatory, but think about that. The above stats has nothing to do with the offense at all. This is purely based on how many times the defense or special teams takes the ball away.
If they just do it one time, they have 34 wins and 9 losses. 79% win rate!
And two takeaways push them to nearly 90%.
Then, we look at the turnover differential numbers below.
TURNOVER MARGIN RECORDS, DALLAS, 2021-2023:
When +1 or better: 25-2, 93%
When Even: 6-4, 60%
When -1 or worse: 6-11, 35%
It is pretty clear, folks, the key to Cowboys football right now is turnovers.
So, yes, as a master of getting the ball, I feel like I am finally coming to terms with Jourdan Lewis and his play. I have always looked for his replacement and have always found his coverage to be subpar (so much so that he blocked me on Twitter for pointing it out once and I probably deserved it). But, here, years later, I get it and am focusing more on what he can do versus what he cannot. He wins games.
He is a key member of this defense who is making key plays as Dallas stands its ground and did not let Buffalo become a trend. Trusted veterans make that possible and let’s not undersell the old men on this defense, Tank Lawrence and Jourdan Lewis. They both are the kind of player that is invaluable when the battles get a ugly.
As far as this actual game goes, allow me just to say that the Dallas defense was about as good as could be on Sunday. Playing Washington absolutely helped, but they still have some very nice players who can hurt you. Dallas earned nearly a perfect report card for the work to give Washington next to nothing.
Not one single explosive play? Three takeaways and four sacks? The only thing that keeps it from being a near perfect outing would be to see Lewis and Gilmore getting banged up physically.
Otherwise, it was about as clean a defensive effort as you will see. Enjoy it, because from here on in, the tests for this defense will get increasingly more difficult. There are no Commanders and no Sam Howells that make the tournament.
NEXT GEN - SAM HOWELL THROW CHART
There were 19 completions and I count just three that were actually beyond five yards downfield. Almost every green dot is behind the line of scrimmage. They don’t trust their QB anymore and that is one reason why Washington is about to re-boot the whole thing, again.
SPLASH PLAYS, WEEK 18:
So there you have it, Micah’s big day gives him another season title. I still need to add in the holding penalties (I am behind!), but I can tell that won’t help Micah’s number due to the conversations I see online.
UNOFFICIAL SEASON SPLASH TOTALS -
So look at that top four: Parsons, Tank, DaRon Bland, and Jourdan Lewis.
Obviously, in camp, when we thought Lewis might be a guy the Cowboys consider releasing to save his cap charge as a backup, we did not expect him to have such an impact.
Take a bow, Jourdan. It has been a fine year for sure. I know he will never see this, but I do think it is important to own our bad takes and I have been wrong about what he brings to the table.
Ok, to finish, a look at a fair number of plays from Sunday. I will save the Packers preview for the pre-game piece, and trust me, we will make it longer as we hit the playoffs.
FILM STUDY:
1Q - 12:58 - 3rd and 1 - WAS 49 - S.Howell pass incomplete deep right to T.McLaurin (S.Gilmore).
This is the first drive and we can definitely see that the Commanders are going to try to spring some early traps on Dallas and see if they can cause some chaos. So, 3rd and short has a motion in of the TE for what appears to be a tush-push, but then he pitches it to Howell who has a wide open Terry McLaurin. Howell has his chance and a 5-yard radius around his target. He simply cannot underthrow it or he allows Stephon Gilmore to get back and knock it down. This is a schemed-up touchdown and only the throw betrayed it. Huge let off for Dallas.
1Q - 12:53 - 4th and 1 - WAS 49 - S.Howell pass short right to B.Robinson pushed ob at DAL 40 for 11 yards
Next play they go for it on fourth down, because why not? And this is the play they could consistently hit when nothing else worked. The RB throw into the flat through traffic. Plenty of eye candy and then they put Jourdan Lewis in a zone defender conflict where he gets the QB or the RB and either way he will be wrong, because the offense will take the one he doesn’t take. First down after 11 yards.
1Q - 11:03 - 3rd and 2 - DAL 32 - B.Robinson right end to DAL 31 for 1 yard (M.Bell, M.Parsons).
A few plays later, here is a third-and-short run that demonstrates how Dallas was fighting on these run plays. This is to be expected, but also a welcome sight. They have responded well by throwing a lot at the ball and everyone fighting as a unit to close off escape routes. I like No. 14-Markquese Bell’s work here to get the contain and turn him back to the help.
1Q - 10:19 - 4th and 1 - DAL 31 - S.Howell pass short left to B.Robinson to DAL 33 for -2 yards (J.Kearse, D.Wilson).
Next play they are flying to the ball. Washington runs a slight variation of what Maimi did with Tyreek Hill, but they don’t have Tyreek and it is met with half the Cowboys roster rallying to make sure this fourth down gets no gain. I just loved the way they stepped on this game early.
1Q - 3:21 - B.Robinson up the middle to DAL 20 for no gain (J.Hankins; D.Lawrence).
Here is another one where we see that Jonathan Hankins is back in the middle. He played 13 snaps and this was one of his best as he stood up to the flow and allowed many to help end this play early on. Then backside Tank does what he does to close the play out after he laughs at the TE sent to block him from across the formation.
2Q - 15:00 - 4th and Goal - DAL 1 - S.Howell pass short left to B.Robinson for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.
A few plays later, the Commanders with another goal-line play that is a wonderful pick play that straddles the line of illegal contact. If you are Washington, you want 1-Jahan Dotson to try to appear a little more innocent when he is setting the pick on Bell. But, I guess they aren’t going to call that. They probably need Lewis to switch on that, but it is right out of the Chiefs playbook and it is tough to defend.
2Q - 2:15 - 2nd and 4 - WAS 48 - S.Howell sacked at WAS 40 for -8 yards (D.Fowler).
Late 2nd Quarter and this one was a very big stop. If they can get the ball back, the offense can do the “halftime double-up”, but it would take a few splash moments here around the two-minute warning. First, Dante Fowler dives inside the mediocre left tackle No. 78-Cornelius Lucas and gets the sack. Fowler is such a luxury item on this roster and has four sacks.
2Q - 1:47 - 3rd and 10 - DAL 47 - (1:47) (Shotgun) S.Howell pass short middle intended for C.Samuel INTERCEPTED by D.Wilson (D.Lawrence) [D.Lawrence] at DAL 35.
Then, a few plays later, a huge moment as DeMarcus Lawrence hits Howell’s arm and that allows the pass to be fluttered right into the waiting arms of Donovan Wilson. As they say, “Pressure gets picks, coverage gets sacks.” Here, the pressure of Lawrence makes the pick possible.
3Q - 6:52 - 3rd and 3 - WAS 35 - S.Howell sacked at WAS 26 for -9 yards (M.Parsons).
2nd half moment as Micah Parsons sets his career high in sacks with 14 and hits 40 sacks for his three year career. Since entering the NFL in 2021, only three players have more sacks than Micah’s 40.5. TJ Watt has 47, Myles Garrett 46, and Nick Bosa has 44.5. What a player.
3Q - 6:05 - 4th and 12 - WAS 26 - T.Way punt is BLOCKED by P.Hendershot, Center-T.Addington, recovered by WAS-D.Gore at WAS 9.
Huge special teams moment as Peyton Hendershot is able beat his man and get that block that eluded them in Buffalo when Sam Williams looked like he had one. If the special teams can make a play in the playoffs, we all know that can be the difference.
3Q - 1:07 - 1st and 10 - DAL 44 - S.Howell pass deep left intended for T.McLaurin INTERCEPTED by D.Bland [O.Odighizuwa] at DAL 8.
And finally, DaRon Bland cements his 2023 NFL interception title with his 9th interception. Only Geno Stone in Baltimore had seven to make it slightly close down the stretch. But, Bland with nine has been such a boost to this defense and here we just see his ball skills and instincts are spot-on. This year has been such a league-wide breakout and he is now going to be a known name for the rest of his career.
Ok, Playoffs are here. Previews are coming.
Dallas received another big play from a veteran player that is often unappreciated
BOB STURM
JAN 10, 2024
266 yards rushing.
The number should not be forgotten. It was embarrassing and it had the entire league laughing at the Dallas Cowboys defense.
It told a story about the effort, the resolve, and the personal pride of the Cowboys that disappointing day in Buffalo. It also revealed a blue-print for all future opponents.
If you want to demoralize the Cowboys and take away their pass rush, just keep handing the ball to your version of James Cook. Repeat. Watch the profits roll in.
The prevailing theory after Week 15 in Buffalo was obvious for all. Imagine what Miami might do on the ground. What about Detroit after that, too. This could get really ugly.
So what happened?
266 yards rushing happened.
There were 91 against Miami, 125 versus Detroit, and 50 more on Sunday against Washington. Add those three numbers together and you hit 266 again. But, this time, it took 74 attempts over the course of three games and less than 3.6 yards per carry.
I won’t attempt to convince you that the rush defense is cured and that Aaron Jones is not a major concern on Sunday. That would be wrong. But, we must nod in approval that effort, resolve, and pride appear to be positioned back in a good spot. Dallas doesn’t believe that will happen again and rather than being torn to shreds over and over down the stretch, they arched their backs and refused to be labeled soft.
That speaks to their leadership to get something addressed immediately. Yes, Dan Quinn is at the tip of that defensive spear and then last week we talked about the veteran influence of DeMarcus Lawrence.
All true and two deserved and respected men.
But, we should not forget the impact and voice of Jourdan Lewis.
Jourdan Lewis is one of those guys on every roster where you don’t understand his true value until you talk to his teammates. The film suggests he brings something, but also not enough that you consider him essential.
I am definitely guilty of this. I have made the mistake of fixating on what a player can’t do and in the process I lose sight of what he can do. Guilty as charged and I put my hand up to accept my foul.
I have always made the statement that as a cover corner, he does everything well but cover. Obviously, there is some praise in there, but that is mostly an insult. Surely, you need any cornerback to be able to cover someone, but that isn’t really what he does. He is probably below average as a cover player, especially on routes that go vertically down the field.
Yet, all the other things you need from a corner – tackling, taking on blocks, filling, blitzing, and most importantly, finding big plays in the form of takeaways – Lewis has always been a dude.
Do we value this properly? Do we fixate on matchup issues if someone attacks him with a slot receiver or do we understand the total mosaic?
And then, do we place some value on what his mates say about his influence in the room, as the second-longest tenured player on the defense behind Tank Lawrence himself. He is, now in his seventh season, a trusted vet who sets the tone in practice, in the locker room, and on the field. He has become a guy you don’t want to leave because of how he rubs off on the young pups in the secondary. If Jourdan brings it like this, I better, too.
I suspect this year has really shown his value and together when you add Stephon Gilmore to this secondary, it has no longer felt like a spot to attack the Cowboys. After losing Trevon Diggs, the Cowboys had a potential soft spot to attack repeatedly and Lewis has been a decent part of the solution.
Coverage is still an issue and teams still go after him. His coverage grades are the worst part of his game, but the more we watch him, the more we refuse to lose sight of moments in these games where he is looking for that one moment to become a hero.
One happened on Sunday and it probably should get talked about more.
This is early in the game when Dallas wanted to snuff out the Commanders life force early on. Dallas is up 7-0 and on this play Lewis tackles Brian Robinson while wrestling the football away. No. 2-Lewis takes this guy on and somehow finds the ball. Again. Takeaway for the Cowboys and we don’t talk about it much because the subsequent series stalled and the field goal was blocked. But, he made a huge play.
Which reminded us of the one he had last week vs the Lions.
We showed you this one last week, but again, veteran savvy and the timing to go make a play to try to turn the game. He sees a screen materializing and he seizes the moment and tries to make that one play that wins the entire night.
And here is what I like most about Jourdan Lewis. When the situations are the most physical and dire, he shows up. Remember the debacle in San Francisco?
Well, remember that Jourdan Lewis tried to save that game.
How?
He wrestled the ball away from Christian McCaffrey the same way he did against Robinson last Sunday.
Same thing. Take on the runner in the hole, tackle him, while taking the ball away. I don’t know how he has done this twice, but he obviously has a trick or two and it is all about getting takeaway.
How important is getting the takeaways? Let’s quickly review.
RECORD BASED ON TAKEAWAYS, DALLAS, 2021-2023, 37-17:
When getting 0 takeaways, 3-8, 27%
When getting 1 takeaway, 10-5, 67%
When getting 2+ takeaways, 24-4, 86%
I think this is probably self-explanatory, but think about that. The above stats has nothing to do with the offense at all. This is purely based on how many times the defense or special teams takes the ball away.
If they just do it one time, they have 34 wins and 9 losses. 79% win rate!
And two takeaways push them to nearly 90%.
Then, we look at the turnover differential numbers below.
TURNOVER MARGIN RECORDS, DALLAS, 2021-2023:
When +1 or better: 25-2, 93%
When Even: 6-4, 60%
When -1 or worse: 6-11, 35%
It is pretty clear, folks, the key to Cowboys football right now is turnovers.
So, yes, as a master of getting the ball, I feel like I am finally coming to terms with Jourdan Lewis and his play. I have always looked for his replacement and have always found his coverage to be subpar (so much so that he blocked me on Twitter for pointing it out once and I probably deserved it). But, here, years later, I get it and am focusing more on what he can do versus what he cannot. He wins games.
He is a key member of this defense who is making key plays as Dallas stands its ground and did not let Buffalo become a trend. Trusted veterans make that possible and let’s not undersell the old men on this defense, Tank Lawrence and Jourdan Lewis. They both are the kind of player that is invaluable when the battles get a ugly.
As far as this actual game goes, allow me just to say that the Dallas defense was about as good as could be on Sunday. Playing Washington absolutely helped, but they still have some very nice players who can hurt you. Dallas earned nearly a perfect report card for the work to give Washington next to nothing.
Not one single explosive play? Three takeaways and four sacks? The only thing that keeps it from being a near perfect outing would be to see Lewis and Gilmore getting banged up physically.
Otherwise, it was about as clean a defensive effort as you will see. Enjoy it, because from here on in, the tests for this defense will get increasingly more difficult. There are no Commanders and no Sam Howells that make the tournament.
NEXT GEN - SAM HOWELL THROW CHART
There were 19 completions and I count just three that were actually beyond five yards downfield. Almost every green dot is behind the line of scrimmage. They don’t trust their QB anymore and that is one reason why Washington is about to re-boot the whole thing, again.
SPLASH PLAYS, WEEK 18:
So there you have it, Micah’s big day gives him another season title. I still need to add in the holding penalties (I am behind!), but I can tell that won’t help Micah’s number due to the conversations I see online.
UNOFFICIAL SEASON SPLASH TOTALS -
So look at that top four: Parsons, Tank, DaRon Bland, and Jourdan Lewis.
Obviously, in camp, when we thought Lewis might be a guy the Cowboys consider releasing to save his cap charge as a backup, we did not expect him to have such an impact.
Take a bow, Jourdan. It has been a fine year for sure. I know he will never see this, but I do think it is important to own our bad takes and I have been wrong about what he brings to the table.
Ok, to finish, a look at a fair number of plays from Sunday. I will save the Packers preview for the pre-game piece, and trust me, we will make it longer as we hit the playoffs.
FILM STUDY:
1Q - 12:58 - 3rd and 1 - WAS 49 - S.Howell pass incomplete deep right to T.McLaurin (S.Gilmore).
This is the first drive and we can definitely see that the Commanders are going to try to spring some early traps on Dallas and see if they can cause some chaos. So, 3rd and short has a motion in of the TE for what appears to be a tush-push, but then he pitches it to Howell who has a wide open Terry McLaurin. Howell has his chance and a 5-yard radius around his target. He simply cannot underthrow it or he allows Stephon Gilmore to get back and knock it down. This is a schemed-up touchdown and only the throw betrayed it. Huge let off for Dallas.
1Q - 12:53 - 4th and 1 - WAS 49 - S.Howell pass short right to B.Robinson pushed ob at DAL 40 for 11 yards
Next play they go for it on fourth down, because why not? And this is the play they could consistently hit when nothing else worked. The RB throw into the flat through traffic. Plenty of eye candy and then they put Jourdan Lewis in a zone defender conflict where he gets the QB or the RB and either way he will be wrong, because the offense will take the one he doesn’t take. First down after 11 yards.
1Q - 11:03 - 3rd and 2 - DAL 32 - B.Robinson right end to DAL 31 for 1 yard (M.Bell, M.Parsons).
A few plays later, here is a third-and-short run that demonstrates how Dallas was fighting on these run plays. This is to be expected, but also a welcome sight. They have responded well by throwing a lot at the ball and everyone fighting as a unit to close off escape routes. I like No. 14-Markquese Bell’s work here to get the contain and turn him back to the help.
1Q - 10:19 - 4th and 1 - DAL 31 - S.Howell pass short left to B.Robinson to DAL 33 for -2 yards (J.Kearse, D.Wilson).
Next play they are flying to the ball. Washington runs a slight variation of what Maimi did with Tyreek Hill, but they don’t have Tyreek and it is met with half the Cowboys roster rallying to make sure this fourth down gets no gain. I just loved the way they stepped on this game early.
1Q - 3:21 - B.Robinson up the middle to DAL 20 for no gain (J.Hankins; D.Lawrence).
Here is another one where we see that Jonathan Hankins is back in the middle. He played 13 snaps and this was one of his best as he stood up to the flow and allowed many to help end this play early on. Then backside Tank does what he does to close the play out after he laughs at the TE sent to block him from across the formation.
2Q - 15:00 - 4th and Goal - DAL 1 - S.Howell pass short left to B.Robinson for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.
A few plays later, the Commanders with another goal-line play that is a wonderful pick play that straddles the line of illegal contact. If you are Washington, you want 1-Jahan Dotson to try to appear a little more innocent when he is setting the pick on Bell. But, I guess they aren’t going to call that. They probably need Lewis to switch on that, but it is right out of the Chiefs playbook and it is tough to defend.
2Q - 2:15 - 2nd and 4 - WAS 48 - S.Howell sacked at WAS 40 for -8 yards (D.Fowler).
Late 2nd Quarter and this one was a very big stop. If they can get the ball back, the offense can do the “halftime double-up”, but it would take a few splash moments here around the two-minute warning. First, Dante Fowler dives inside the mediocre left tackle No. 78-Cornelius Lucas and gets the sack. Fowler is such a luxury item on this roster and has four sacks.
2Q - 1:47 - 3rd and 10 - DAL 47 - (1:47) (Shotgun) S.Howell pass short middle intended for C.Samuel INTERCEPTED by D.Wilson (D.Lawrence) [D.Lawrence] at DAL 35.
Then, a few plays later, a huge moment as DeMarcus Lawrence hits Howell’s arm and that allows the pass to be fluttered right into the waiting arms of Donovan Wilson. As they say, “Pressure gets picks, coverage gets sacks.” Here, the pressure of Lawrence makes the pick possible.
3Q - 6:52 - 3rd and 3 - WAS 35 - S.Howell sacked at WAS 26 for -9 yards (M.Parsons).
2nd half moment as Micah Parsons sets his career high in sacks with 14 and hits 40 sacks for his three year career. Since entering the NFL in 2021, only three players have more sacks than Micah’s 40.5. TJ Watt has 47, Myles Garrett 46, and Nick Bosa has 44.5. What a player.
3Q - 6:05 - 4th and 12 - WAS 26 - T.Way punt is BLOCKED by P.Hendershot, Center-T.Addington, recovered by WAS-D.Gore at WAS 9.
Huge special teams moment as Peyton Hendershot is able beat his man and get that block that eluded them in Buffalo when Sam Williams looked like he had one. If the special teams can make a play in the playoffs, we all know that can be the difference.
3Q - 1:07 - 1st and 10 - DAL 44 - S.Howell pass deep left intended for T.McLaurin INTERCEPTED by D.Bland [O.Odighizuwa] at DAL 8.
And finally, DaRon Bland cements his 2023 NFL interception title with his 9th interception. Only Geno Stone in Baltimore had seven to make it slightly close down the stretch. But, Bland with nine has been such a boost to this defense and here we just see his ball skills and instincts are spot-on. This year has been such a league-wide breakout and he is now going to be a known name for the rest of his career.
Ok, Playoffs are here. Previews are coming.