What Super Bowl 50 Teaches the Cowboys
By Reid Hanson
These Super Bowl 50 teams teach us that success comes from a dominant defense. The Cowboys would be wise to take notice.
We’ve all heard it before, defense wins championships. And while all playoff evidence repeatedly proves that to us, we seem to disregard it come draft time. Free agency is not what she used to be – the way you build a team is through the draft, and if defense wins championships, then the Cowboys better draft accordingly.
Regardless of what you consider the dominant statistic in determining defensive rankings, Super Bowl 50 features two of the league’s best defensive units. In points scored against, the Denver Broncos finished #4 in the league, allowing only 18.3 points per game. The Carolina Panthers were equally as impressive, only allowing 19.3 PPG and earning a #6 ranking.
Who else dominated the defensive rankings this season?
Kansas City was #1, Cincinnati was #2, Seattle was #3, Minnesota was #5, New England was #8, Pittsburg #9, Houston #10, and Green Bay #11 in points allowed this season. It’s hard not to notice these teams were all playoff teams. The Cowboys finished #16 in case you were wondering (all stats courtesy of teamrankings.com)
In yards per game allowed (YPGA), our two Super Bowl 50 teams were also among the best in the league. Denver finished #2 in YPGA and Carolina finished #6. Every other team in the top 10, with the exception of the Jets and Ravens, made the playoffs this season. The Cowboys once again finished at #16, allowing 347.9 YPGA (a far cry from #1 Seattle’s 285.9 YPG).
"It’s really not hard to piece it all together: A successful defense = a successful season."
Go back to the Cowboys of yesteryear – The teams that boasted the Triplets also boasted dominant defenses. During those Super Bowl years, the Cowboys had one of, if not the, best defense in the league. After the Cowboys, the New England Patriots laid their dynasty claim. Remember, those early years when Tom Brady was just the bus driver? It was the defense winning those Super Bowls.
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All too often, we are drawn to the glitz and glam of the offense come draft day, but we should really be focusing on what the playoffs are teaching us: Defense wins championships.
The Dallas Cowboys need to think of their defense this offseason more than anything else. That is particularly important in the early rounds since history suggests they are by far the most impactful players.
And what’s the best way to build a dominant defense?
A dominant pass-rush.
Think back to when the New York Giants upset the undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI. The Patriots looked like they could be the best of all-time when they entered with their perfect record. The Giants finished the regular season with a 9-7 record and were lucky to even make the playoffs. Yet, a dominant pass-rush propelled them through the playoffs and into an upset against the Pats.
The Giants’ defense wasn’t great as a whole but their pass-rush sure was. The offense wasn’t good but they were opportunistic.
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It’s no secret that Denver is in Super Bowl 50 because of their defense and it doesn’t take Matlock to figure out the defense is built on their pass-rush. The league-leading sack machine from Mile High has a staggering 8.14% sack percentage. It doesn’t matter how good the opposing QB is, if he can’t drop back without getting obliterated, he can’t pass effectively.
See also: Tom Brady in the Conference Finals.
All of this should point to the Cowboys targeting a pass-rusher in this spring’s draft. Yes, they drafted two pass-rushers the past two seasons with 2nd round picks. They can still use more. That’s how important defense is and that’s how important the pass-rush is.
The Giants stole their success by investing 1st round picks in the pass-rush, year after year after year. Draft exerts scoffed at the time but the Giants clearly had the last laugh. They weren’t the best team in those Super Bowl seasons, but they won anyway because of their dominant pass rush. That’s exactly what the Cowboys must do.
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Now don’t get me wrong, you need a strong quarterback or the defense’s effort would be wasted. Look no further than the New York Jets. This season they finished 4th in yards allowed and 7th in points allowed, yet they still failed to stamp their playoff ticket.
The Cowboys need to think about the future at QB. They need to find a viable back-up as well. But they just can’t lose sight of what a dominant defense does for your playoff chances.
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You can very easily make the argument that the Cowboys need a RB, CB, and a QB of the future with their top picks this draft – and you wouldn’t be wrong. But this team needs to stay focused on the not-so-secret for success that everyone wants to ignore on draft day – defense wins championships.