Quarterly Review: What We Know About The 2023 Dallas Cowboys
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We know that this team goes, as the defence goes. After four games of the 2023 NFL season, the Dallas Cowboys sit at 3-1. Three lights out performances from the defence, has just about masked the scares of their unexpected loss to the Arizona Cardinals. However, excluding this all too familiar showing against a dual threat QB, the Cowboys have only allowed 13 combined points against a divisional rival, a young offence containing the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year and a Bill Belichick lead, down hill running game.
It won’t come as any surprise that Micah Parsons has been the heartbeat of this defence. The former 1st round pick and Defensive Rookie of the Year has got better and better every season so far in his NFL career and with aims of becoming this year’s Defensive Player of the Year, number 11 is leading the league in pressures, has 4 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Even this doesn’t tell the whole story. With opposing quarterbacks having to find Parsons on every play and offensive coordinators having to scheme against the all-pro edge rusher, it has allowed for other defensive lineman to show out.
Defensive Tackle, Osa Odighizuwa, came to play early this season. A two-sack game against the Giants, followed by a lone sack against the Jets still doesn’t do justice for how disruptive number 97 has been in the centre of the Dallas defence. With last years free agent signing, Jonathan Hankins and this year’s 1st round pick, Mazi Smith, who is still yet to stamp his mark on this team, this Dallas interior looks nicely shored up. So why does this team struggle so badly against running QB’s?
The aggressive nature of Dan Quinn’s unit is why it has led the NFL in takeaways for the past two seasons – a feat not been seen since the ‘Steel Curtain’ of the Pittsburgh Steelers managed to three-peat (an aim I’m sure for this team) from 1972-1974. However, the Achilles heel of this defence, has been its performance against quarterbacks that have the ability to use their legs. RPO and QB keeper schemes have managed to manipulate this, sometimes, single-minded defensive play style, managing to slow down number 11 and use his closing speed against him. Demarcus Lawrence on the opposite side is still your best run defender and the middle of the defence that used to get gashed, is now solid – and deep.
Now maybe the Cardinals showing was a mentally unprepared and distracted team, due to the season ending injury of one of the leagues best cornerbacks in Trevon Diggs and the even bigger star, Aiden, now watching his uncle in Buffalo. But this Cowboys D did not show Josh Dobbs and James Conner anywhere near the amount of respect they demanded. Maybe they saw this game as an opportunity to pad their stats in the pursuit of a three-peat, playing overly aggressive on the outside with a lack of gap discipline, but with no takeaways and the Cardinals rushing for over 200 yards at an average of 7.4 yards per rushing attempt, left a lot to be desired with the San Francisco 49ers - and their star-studded offence led by RB Christian McCaffrey – around the corner.
There will come times throughout this season, where the Dallas defence will require a bit more from the opposite side of the ball and Dak Prescott and co. must be able to deliver. It is no secret that the redzone offence has been the blinking light for concern for this team through the first four weeks, but they may have just found something in Hunter Luepke. The Cowboys used no less than eight ball carriers against the Patriots and fittingly may have found Zeke’s replacement, on the day of his emotional return to AT&T Stadium.
A much-needed bounce back game from Mike McCarthy’s team, before what is set to be a very intriguing rematch, against this current Cowboys playoff kryptonites. A game in which we are sure to find out, a lot more about, how serious of a contender this team is.