Cowboys: Where To Go From Here

Oct 25, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants quarterback

(10) throws a pass against the Dallas Cowboys in the first half during the NFL game at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

The defense did what it was supposed to do for a win.

For the first part of the season the Cowboys defense got a lot of bad press. There were blown tackles, missed assignments, and poor coverage. This game showed that the defense could cause a lot of problems for teams late in the season. The monster of Rod Marinelli’s wizardry is showing that it can compete on a weekly basis.

The Cowboys walked away with two more sacks and a lot of quarterback pressure. This isn’t saying the defense isn’t without flaws (again, someone please catch an interception or recover a fumble), but holding Odell Beckham Jr. without a touchdown and Eli Manning to under 200 yards passing, is a success in anyone’s book. If this defense can start getting turnovers, and gel a little better, it will be a scary thing.

Sure, there were plays where people were out of position (yes, Rolando McClain we are talking about you) or a missed tackle here and there, but this was a vast improvement over the last few games. Once everyone is back in the flow of the season, this defense will turn some heads, and even possible win some games for the Cowboys that they desperately need.

For an interesting statistic, the Cowboys sack the quarterback on 12 percent of quarterback drop backs with Hardy in the game, good for first in the league. Without Hardy, they only sack on 5 percent of quarterback drop backs, good for last in the league. Hardy really does change the defense and the game. Another week or two and this defense could be scary for all quarterbacks they face.

Next: Clock Control