Dallas Cowboys: Surprise, Dallas has a defense
After a week one drubbing of the New York Giants, it looks like the Dallas Cowboys may have a better-than-advertised defense.
One of the things fans and pundits have said is missing with the Dallas Cowboys to be a real Super Bowl contender, is a good defense. After Dallas was able to hold the New York Giants to three points, signs are starting to point that the Cowboys may just have one.
Sure, it was a medicore Giants offense without its biggest weapon, but it was still impressive. All anyone had to do is watch one Dallas Cowboys’ game over the last few seasons and they will see one of the biggest issues has been the lack of a pass rush.
The Cowboys were able to rack up three sacks and maintained steady pressure on Eli Manning throughout the night. DeMarcus Lawrence and Charles Tapper got the sacks, and just about everyone else was able to pressure Manning on a regular basis. Well, except for Taco Charlton, but more on that later.
The Front Four
Over the last few seasons, if the Cowboys wanted to put pressure on a quarterback, they have had to send extra players. Sometimes it would be a cornerback and other times it was a linebacker.
Because of traditionally marginal secondary play, the Cowboys relied the front four and hoped for the best. This game however, showed that Rod Marinelli really can work wonders with scheme an a rotation. There is hope to be had for this season.
The Secondary
The secondary played well too. Another knock on the Cowboys has been the issues with a suspect secondary. In this game, the cornerbacks played well and Anthony Brown made a fantastic interception late in the game. They played the ball well and shut down routes that made Manning have to check the ball down.
Linebackers
Some of the credit can be put on the linebackers who cut the under routes, played downhill quickly, and made plays that caused Manning to pause just a second. Sean Lee and Jaylon Smith showed that with the two of them on the field, offenses will have to try different things. The dink and dunk formula so many teams used in the past probably wouldn’t work anymore with these linebackers.
More from Dallas Cowboys
- West coast, Texas coast, burnt toast: Cowboys don’t need more runs
- Brandin Cooks will change the way defenses play the Dallas Cowboys
- Why the Dallas Cowboys defensive X-Factor is EDGE Sam Williams
- Dallas Cowboys: 3 head coach options if McCarthy fails in 2023
- Dallas Cowboys: Is CB Jourdan Lewis a tradeable asset?
The only real issue was the disappearance, or rather lack of appearance, of Taco Charlton. In fact, I don’t remember his name mentioned during the game once. He played, but just wasn’t heavily involved in many plays. Part of this is he is a rookie and has yet to develop. And part is Rod Marinelli loves to rotate players in and out quickly.
Although as a first round pick, Charlton will have expectations to be better in the coming weeks.
A positive is that there are still some players who are nursing injuries, and others who are suspended. This indicates the defense will get better, even with Orlando Scandrick having to potentially miss a few weeks.
This is just the first game in a long season, but signs point to a better defense than the last few years. If they can stay healthy, get players back, and Rod Marinelli doesn’t run out of whatever pixie dust he is using, the Dallas Cowboys will have to be considered the NFC favorite for the Super Bowl. Good showing so far, now they have to keep it up.
Next: Cowboys vs Giants: What went right and what went wrong…
Oh, one last thing not having to do with the defense. What was up with Dak Prescott sweating like he was taking a shower before every play?