The Dallas Cowboys promised fans a big splash would come at the trade deadline, and they delivered on that guarantee by acquiring All-Pro defensive lineman Quinnen Williams from the New York Jets. While this was just his first appearance in a Cowboys uniform after joining the team during its bye week, the former first-round pick looked as comfortable as ever in the trenches for Dallas, as his presence was felt from the start of the Cowboys' 33-16 win.
Leading up to Week 11, Stephen Jones promised fans that they would see quite a bit of the team's new defensive front of Williams, Kenny Clark, and Osa Odighizuwa. We'll undoubtedly see this grouping share the field more often as the season moves forward, but with this being the first opportunity for fans of America's Team to get a look at this trio in action, it was a great success.
"I think you're gonna see it quite a bit," Jones said about Williams sharing the field with Kenny Clark and Osa Odighizuwa.
Cowboys Unleashed Quinnen Williams in Dallas Debut
Williams was brought in to help this Cowboys defense disrupt plays in the offensive backfield, and he did just that on Monday night. The shiny new addition to the roster in Dallas finished the victory with 4 total tackles, including a team-high 1.5 sacks and 5 QB hits. His presence undoubtedly helped Clark and Odighizuwa combine for 1.5 sacks of their own, as well, to neutralize the Raiders' offense from the get-go.
The Dallas defensive front was so impactful that Las Vegas did not even attempt to establish a rushing attack, despite having the No. 6 overall pick from this past April's draft in its backfield. Ashton Jeanty was a complete and total non-factor against this Cowboys defense, finishing the loss with a career-worst 7 rushing yards on 6 carries.
Dallas has plenty of work left to do to realistically think it has a shot at securing a spot in the playoffs. That is just the fact of the matter, given the team's 4-5-1 record through 11 weeks of play. However, with games coming up against the Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, and Los Angeles Chargers over the next five weeks, four of which will be played at AT&T Stadium, it may still too early to completely close the book on this team with how the defense looked on Monday night and how the offense has performed all year long.
They will need more efforts like the one Williams and this defensive front provided on Monday night to make that dream a reality, though.