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The Morning After: Cowboys defense showing it’s capable of stepping in and doing the heavy lifting
By Bob Sturm
3h ago
The Cowboys defense continued a four-game trend in 2022 that continues to declare very exciting possibilities for what lies ahead. No, not beating the New York Giants and the third iteration in four years of what we know Washington as — that has happened plenty around here in recent years. (Although if we may sidebar for just a moment and remember the two matchups against Washington in 2020 without Dak Prescott felt like a community college trying to play Alabama. In fact, I believe that is what Dallas had those two days a few years back as it tried to deal with the boys from Alabama that Washington employs on its defensive line. Let’s just say it was the ugliest of mismatches and Dallas was not a great threat to deal with what turned out to be a mediocre Washington team against everyone else).
What we are talking about here is that Dallas can win a game on either side of the ball now, it appears. Because the Cowboys have themselves a defense that is not showing many cracks in the foundation.
Let’s be clear: Progress in the NFL is never easy and just like a guy who has to defend the best scorers in the NBA, sometimes doing a great job still means you gave up 28 points to a guy because the other guys are very good and make a lot of money, too. But, for Dallas to proceed into the second month of the season and still have not given up 20 points in a game or 350 yards yet (league average) tells us something exciting.
The Cowboys have taken a massive step forward in their quest to level up defensively. Last year, they put up nice defensive performances and numbers, but a lot of it was propped up by takeaways. This year, again, only through four games and against several teams that seem to be having major offensive line issues, Dallas has been winning in the trenches with great authority. We should get used to teams having O-line issues when they play Dallas because with this defensive front whooping the tails of the guys across from them on a regular basis, they will have issues soon if they don’t already.
Sunday’s win was probably what we normally expect from an early season noon CT game against a team that still isn’t very good. The game was sleepy in stretches. It had the “let’s just get through this with a win and our health” feel before the Cowboys play a difficult two-game road stretch that takes them to the Super Bowl champion Rams on Sunday and then the Eagles at Philadelphia on Sunday Night Football (Oct. 16) to get the pulses going.
But, the Cowboys defense again showed up for work and limited Washington to next to nothing most of the afternoon.
• One touchdown.
• 5 of 17 on third- and fourth-down attempts (29 percent).
Less than 300 yards of total offense suggests that this is not about just the splash plays. This is about the whole afternoon. Overwhelmed offenses trying to get their bearings against the Cowboys. Before I am accused of making a big deal about doing this against Washington, I offer two pieces of rebuttal.
One, this has been the norm for four consecutive weeks to start the season.
Dallas is third in points allowed, seventh in total yards allowed, sixth in passing yards allowed, eighth in third downs allowed, fifth in red zone conversions, third in sacks per attempt, third in points per drive and fourth in yards per play. Yes, the Cowboys played Washington and the New York Giants, but they also played Tampa Bay (at much closer to full strength than they are now) and the AFC champion Bengals. I am not saying this defense has hung the moon or is elite, but I am here to tell you we have not seen a Cowboys defense look this good since Wade Phillips was here.
And two: If there was a day for a massive letdown, it would be the home noon game against a juiceless opponent that lulled Dallas into its second-best effort. We have seen this plenty over the years when there is a tricky day or two early in the year when the team just can’t get out of its own way. Cleveland a few years ago is the best example, but those of us who follow this team fear the early season noon home game because it seldom results in a team that is ready to play on time.
But, to the credit of this defense — and its leader, defensive coordinator Dan Quinn — this defense has done very little this season to indicate it won’t be ready when the gun sounds. This defense has players at all three levels who are aggressive and excellent at what they do. Are there still weaknesses? Yes. We saw that a bit against wide runs and we still need to see more from fully operational offenses that have many weapons to choose from (Rams and Eagles should suffice). But overall, I think the Cowboys must be delighted. For in a league where offense is down and defenses are carrying teams forward on many NFC contenders, the Cowboys fit right in that category and will soon have their offense back in most respects.
This is exciting news. Offense requires precision and execution which can be difficult in certain hostile situations. But, defense? Defense travels and just kicks the tail of the guys in front of them.
This was best seen against the Commanders in the fourth quarter. Dallas gift-wrapped the Commanders the ball at the Dallas 30 after Bryan Anger’s punt almost missed his foot and went out of bounds just 22 yards downfield. Dallas was up 12, but with 11:21 left in the game, this was by no means a cinch. Dallas’ offense had stopped moving the ball as easily and seemed like it was letting the game sit there to be taken. The offense could really use the defense to step up here in the final stages to get this one over the finish line. If Washington could cash in and send this game to 22-17 or so, the final few possessions for Cooper Rush might really be tricky.
Or, the defense could just snuff this threat out right away. That is where this pass rush went right to work. Washington moved the chains to the 19-yard line quickly with a catch by Logan Thomas. This was a golden opportunity where the Commanders (still feels weird calling them this) would probably empty the playbook and use every last down. Field goals don’t really help anymore. A defensive penalty gave them another first down at the 11.
It was second-and-9 was at the 10 with 8:52 to go. The Commanders’ play was a slot-corner to Curtis Samuel, who was in man coverage against Cowboys fifth-round rookie DaRon Bland, who was playing the first snaps of his career in place of Jourdan Lewis. Bland was all over him and forced the play out of bounds — an incomplete pass but close to a TD. (As you now know, Bland had a clinching interception moments later)
Now, it’s third-and-9. This was special. It would be a four-man rush from the Cowboys NASCAR package which is four twitchy and mobile defensive ends all rushing across the line with the middle guys (DeMarcus Lawrence and Dorance Armstrong) standing to get an even more ferocious look at the Washington line. Dante Fowler and Micah Parsons are scary enough on the edge, but now the Cowboys have four edges lined up and ready to demonstrate why a four-man rush is enough to cause havoc at a high level in 2022. Fowler wins quickly with a spin move on Sam Cosmi at right tackle and will have the sack if Lawrence doesn’t beat him first. Lawrence disrespectfully blew by the right guard and knocked center Nick Martin to his knees with a stunt designed to give Armstrong free passage to Carson Wentz. Instead, Lawrence blows up everything so well that he pushes Wentz up in the pocket where Fowler and Armstrong meet for a devastating sack. The ball even came loose, but the officials ruled he was on the ground. Magnificent violence where it sort of looked like everyone beat their guy (and then some).
Now the whole game possibly rests on fourth-and-15 from the 16-yard line with 8:02 to play. Washington calls timeout, gets its ducks in a row and goes empty on this play. Quinn brings Anthony Barr on a trail blitz to bring pressure and hurry Wentz to make a quick throw. This time it is Armstrong who blows through the A-gap of Andrew Norwell and Martin and gets to Wentz at the moment Parsons is arriving for them both to cause harm. But, Wentz gets the ball out in time and lofts a corner to Terry McLaurin, who is racing through a zone of Trevon Diggs. Diggs gets a hand on McLaurin to slow him down and then beats him to the ball to defend another pass. This was Diggs’ third of the game in addition to his interception — he’s off to a fine start this season, too.
When we talk about this defense having the goods, it starts up front. That group of four edges are a problem for any and everyone on the schedule. With Barr and Leighton Vander Esch responding well from a poor Week 1, you feel much better about Parsons being what appears to effectively be a full-time edge these days. And behind them, with Diggs, Anthony Brown, and solid safety play of Donovan Wilson, who has gone from the bench to the splash-play machine and leader would be another tremendous development.
In other words, there are many good things to see again this week and while Mr. Machota properly handled the Rush part of the story, I thought this was a great opportunity to expand upon why this defense is one of the best secrets in the league. Tests are coming and the Cowboys may even fail a few. But, they have three wins in a row partly because the team came together and figured out ways to do this, but mostly because their defense is not letting anyone get to 20 points. If that continues, this season can go to many exciting places very quickly.
Getting back Michael Gallup, Dalton Schultz and Connor McGovern on Sunday was very nice. Prescott will be next. If that group is what we think it can be in a few months and this defense is still near the top of the league in nearly every defensive category that matters, well, I think we can project a few things.
With 13 games to go, the Cowboys face possibly their two toughest games. This will not allow for much wiggle room if they go 1-1 in this stretch, so it is not the most ideal place to bring Prescott back into the fold. At the same time, it is also not a great spot to ask Rush to go beat these two teams that will have absolutely buzzing stadiums.
This might be a job for the defense to step in and do much of the heavy lifting. They are starting to show they are plenty capable.
By Bob Sturm
3h ago
The Cowboys defense continued a four-game trend in 2022 that continues to declare very exciting possibilities for what lies ahead. No, not beating the New York Giants and the third iteration in four years of what we know Washington as — that has happened plenty around here in recent years. (Although if we may sidebar for just a moment and remember the two matchups against Washington in 2020 without Dak Prescott felt like a community college trying to play Alabama. In fact, I believe that is what Dallas had those two days a few years back as it tried to deal with the boys from Alabama that Washington employs on its defensive line. Let’s just say it was the ugliest of mismatches and Dallas was not a great threat to deal with what turned out to be a mediocre Washington team against everyone else).
What we are talking about here is that Dallas can win a game on either side of the ball now, it appears. Because the Cowboys have themselves a defense that is not showing many cracks in the foundation.
Let’s be clear: Progress in the NFL is never easy and just like a guy who has to defend the best scorers in the NBA, sometimes doing a great job still means you gave up 28 points to a guy because the other guys are very good and make a lot of money, too. But, for Dallas to proceed into the second month of the season and still have not given up 20 points in a game or 350 yards yet (league average) tells us something exciting.
The Cowboys have taken a massive step forward in their quest to level up defensively. Last year, they put up nice defensive performances and numbers, but a lot of it was propped up by takeaways. This year, again, only through four games and against several teams that seem to be having major offensive line issues, Dallas has been winning in the trenches with great authority. We should get used to teams having O-line issues when they play Dallas because with this defensive front whooping the tails of the guys across from them on a regular basis, they will have issues soon if they don’t already.
Sunday’s win was probably what we normally expect from an early season noon CT game against a team that still isn’t very good. The game was sleepy in stretches. It had the “let’s just get through this with a win and our health” feel before the Cowboys play a difficult two-game road stretch that takes them to the Super Bowl champion Rams on Sunday and then the Eagles at Philadelphia on Sunday Night Football (Oct. 16) to get the pulses going.
But, the Cowboys defense again showed up for work and limited Washington to next to nothing most of the afternoon.
• One touchdown.
• 5 of 17 on third- and fourth-down attempts (29 percent).
Less than 300 yards of total offense suggests that this is not about just the splash plays. This is about the whole afternoon. Overwhelmed offenses trying to get their bearings against the Cowboys. Before I am accused of making a big deal about doing this against Washington, I offer two pieces of rebuttal.
One, this has been the norm for four consecutive weeks to start the season.
Dallas is third in points allowed, seventh in total yards allowed, sixth in passing yards allowed, eighth in third downs allowed, fifth in red zone conversions, third in sacks per attempt, third in points per drive and fourth in yards per play. Yes, the Cowboys played Washington and the New York Giants, but they also played Tampa Bay (at much closer to full strength than they are now) and the AFC champion Bengals. I am not saying this defense has hung the moon or is elite, but I am here to tell you we have not seen a Cowboys defense look this good since Wade Phillips was here.
And two: If there was a day for a massive letdown, it would be the home noon game against a juiceless opponent that lulled Dallas into its second-best effort. We have seen this plenty over the years when there is a tricky day or two early in the year when the team just can’t get out of its own way. Cleveland a few years ago is the best example, but those of us who follow this team fear the early season noon home game because it seldom results in a team that is ready to play on time.
But, to the credit of this defense — and its leader, defensive coordinator Dan Quinn — this defense has done very little this season to indicate it won’t be ready when the gun sounds. This defense has players at all three levels who are aggressive and excellent at what they do. Are there still weaknesses? Yes. We saw that a bit against wide runs and we still need to see more from fully operational offenses that have many weapons to choose from (Rams and Eagles should suffice). But overall, I think the Cowboys must be delighted. For in a league where offense is down and defenses are carrying teams forward on many NFC contenders, the Cowboys fit right in that category and will soon have their offense back in most respects.
This is exciting news. Offense requires precision and execution which can be difficult in certain hostile situations. But, defense? Defense travels and just kicks the tail of the guys in front of them.
This was best seen against the Commanders in the fourth quarter. Dallas gift-wrapped the Commanders the ball at the Dallas 30 after Bryan Anger’s punt almost missed his foot and went out of bounds just 22 yards downfield. Dallas was up 12, but with 11:21 left in the game, this was by no means a cinch. Dallas’ offense had stopped moving the ball as easily and seemed like it was letting the game sit there to be taken. The offense could really use the defense to step up here in the final stages to get this one over the finish line. If Washington could cash in and send this game to 22-17 or so, the final few possessions for Cooper Rush might really be tricky.
Or, the defense could just snuff this threat out right away. That is where this pass rush went right to work. Washington moved the chains to the 19-yard line quickly with a catch by Logan Thomas. This was a golden opportunity where the Commanders (still feels weird calling them this) would probably empty the playbook and use every last down. Field goals don’t really help anymore. A defensive penalty gave them another first down at the 11.
It was second-and-9 was at the 10 with 8:52 to go. The Commanders’ play was a slot-corner to Curtis Samuel, who was in man coverage against Cowboys fifth-round rookie DaRon Bland, who was playing the first snaps of his career in place of Jourdan Lewis. Bland was all over him and forced the play out of bounds — an incomplete pass but close to a TD. (As you now know, Bland had a clinching interception moments later)
Now, it’s third-and-9. This was special. It would be a four-man rush from the Cowboys NASCAR package which is four twitchy and mobile defensive ends all rushing across the line with the middle guys (DeMarcus Lawrence and Dorance Armstrong) standing to get an even more ferocious look at the Washington line. Dante Fowler and Micah Parsons are scary enough on the edge, but now the Cowboys have four edges lined up and ready to demonstrate why a four-man rush is enough to cause havoc at a high level in 2022. Fowler wins quickly with a spin move on Sam Cosmi at right tackle and will have the sack if Lawrence doesn’t beat him first. Lawrence disrespectfully blew by the right guard and knocked center Nick Martin to his knees with a stunt designed to give Armstrong free passage to Carson Wentz. Instead, Lawrence blows up everything so well that he pushes Wentz up in the pocket where Fowler and Armstrong meet for a devastating sack. The ball even came loose, but the officials ruled he was on the ground. Magnificent violence where it sort of looked like everyone beat their guy (and then some).
Now the whole game possibly rests on fourth-and-15 from the 16-yard line with 8:02 to play. Washington calls timeout, gets its ducks in a row and goes empty on this play. Quinn brings Anthony Barr on a trail blitz to bring pressure and hurry Wentz to make a quick throw. This time it is Armstrong who blows through the A-gap of Andrew Norwell and Martin and gets to Wentz at the moment Parsons is arriving for them both to cause harm. But, Wentz gets the ball out in time and lofts a corner to Terry McLaurin, who is racing through a zone of Trevon Diggs. Diggs gets a hand on McLaurin to slow him down and then beats him to the ball to defend another pass. This was Diggs’ third of the game in addition to his interception — he’s off to a fine start this season, too.
When we talk about this defense having the goods, it starts up front. That group of four edges are a problem for any and everyone on the schedule. With Barr and Leighton Vander Esch responding well from a poor Week 1, you feel much better about Parsons being what appears to effectively be a full-time edge these days. And behind them, with Diggs, Anthony Brown, and solid safety play of Donovan Wilson, who has gone from the bench to the splash-play machine and leader would be another tremendous development.
In other words, there are many good things to see again this week and while Mr. Machota properly handled the Rush part of the story, I thought this was a great opportunity to expand upon why this defense is one of the best secrets in the league. Tests are coming and the Cowboys may even fail a few. But, they have three wins in a row partly because the team came together and figured out ways to do this, but mostly because their defense is not letting anyone get to 20 points. If that continues, this season can go to many exciting places very quickly.
Getting back Michael Gallup, Dalton Schultz and Connor McGovern on Sunday was very nice. Prescott will be next. If that group is what we think it can be in a few months and this defense is still near the top of the league in nearly every defensive category that matters, well, I think we can project a few things.
With 13 games to go, the Cowboys face possibly their two toughest games. This will not allow for much wiggle room if they go 1-1 in this stretch, so it is not the most ideal place to bring Prescott back into the fold. At the same time, it is also not a great spot to ask Rush to go beat these two teams that will have absolutely buzzing stadiums.
This might be a job for the defense to step in and do much of the heavy lifting. They are starting to show they are plenty capable.
