5 Stats That Prove the Cowboys Are Super Bowl Favorites
2. Pass Rush Dominance
Getting after the opposing quarterback is more valuable than ever in the NFL right now, and the Cowboys have been scary good at doing it.
They absolutely dominated the Jets' offensive line last week, and the scariest part is that they did it while almost never blitzing.
This might be the most alarming aspect from the #Jets loss to the #Cowboys: Dallas got those sacks (3), hits (5) and pressures (53.3% of drop backs) without even blitzing.
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) September 18, 2023
The Cowboys blitzed five times — that's it — against #NYJ, per NextGen. pic.twitter.com/5MCfaZP7Q7
Rushing the passer effectively or having a sound coverage scheme in behind is usually an either-or proposition for defensive coordinators. They have to weigh whether it's worth risking getting burned in coverage to send extra pass rushers.
Dan Quinn has needed to make no such gamble.
Micah Parsons has been an absolute menace with 3.0 sacks and 6 more QB hits so far this season, Osa Odighizua has added 3.0 sacks and 4 QB hits, and Dorace Armstrong Jr., DeMarcus Lawrence and Chauncey Golston have combined for 4.0 sacks and 4 more QB hits.
It takes a blend of great scheming from Quinn and great talent from the Cowboys' linemen to get this kind of pressure, and they're both upholding their end of the equation. Quinn is getting creative with stunts and effective alignments, and the Dallas rushers are dominating any blockers that line up across from them.
When your line is getting after the quarterback like that there's simply no need to start bringing extra pressure from the second level, and that makes it almost impossible for opposing offenses to execute their gameplan.
If they keep extra blockers in to help stop the Dallas rush, they have no chance of getting receivers open when it means running only three of four routes against seven defenders in coverage.
If you can't run your offense, you're not going to get very far in an NFL game.