A ‘Super’ last 4 days for THIS defense

Arlington, Texas – As soon as the schedule came back in May, this week was the first thing almost everyone discussed.

In fact? Will the Cowboys play a four-day game with two teams from last year’s Super Bowl? This is going to be the toughest part of the schedule.

And every week, when quarterbacks like Bryce Young, Russell Wilson, Bo Nix and Jacoby Brissett lined up against this defense, I could wonder what Patrick Mahomes was going to do against them.

Guess what? They didn’t play against this defense. No, this defense is something we didn’t see until a few weeks ago. This defense is absolutely relentless, no matter how much the deficit is on the scoreboard, and no matter how many injuries they suffer. Plain and simple, this defense is undefeated.

Sure, I know it’s been three games, but they were three important games for a team that went 3-5-1 heading into the bye week and then was forced to deal with one of its saddest losses to a brother.

But this is a defense that has come through with the combination of new players like Quinnen Williams and Logan Wilson, and other players returning for the first time this year like Demarvion Overshon and Shavon Revell and then returning injured vets like Malik Hooker and Donovan Wilson.
If it looks like a new defense in there, that’s because it is. And it certainly starts with Williams, who has been an absolute manchild in the middle. Do you think it’s a coincidence that Osa Odighizuwa has turned up alive in the last three weeks? Or are we seeing more pressure on the edge in the form of Jadeveon Clowney? Even Sam Williams and Dante Fowler are playing their best ball of the year.

Quinnen Williams is eating up double-teams and beating them, too. So far, this has been an incredible trade for the Cowboys because they didn’t just get one great player, they’re seeing better play from about six or seven (don’t do this) other players on this defense. When you add that up, it’s no surprise that the defense has come alive here over the last three games.

If you’ve heard any of my podcasts Cowboy Storyline Or maybe some radio hits on 105.3 The Fan, I’m constantly talking about what this team needs. In the middle order he was not at all a great player like Williams. There was no need to get two or three more sacks in a game or force two turnovers in a game. All those things are great, but more than anything this team just needed to hang on! Nothing fancy, just a good old fashioned stop at third on the way out of the ground.

That’s it. Get about three or four more stops on defense per game and imagine how good this offense will be.

Well, we don’t have to imagine it anymore. That’s exactly what has happened here in the last three weeks. The Cowboys are marching down the field – without scoring any points – and taking advantage on offense.

In Thursday’s game, the Chiefs scored touchdowns on their first two possessions of the game. Last week, the Eagles did it three times in a row.

But once again, there is amnesia in this defense. They don’t care what happened a few plays ago. They certainly don’t care about what happened earlier this year. It’s a different group, and they know how to adjust quickly.

After the Chiefs scored on the first two drives, they punted four times in a row, and that was the difference for the Cowboys getting the lead and playing in front for most of the day.

Now, let’s be honest here. The defense was not correct. It gave up 28 points to the Chiefs, and while they lost, Mahomes produced some quick scoring drives to keep himself in the game, the way you’d expect from a two-time NFL MVP and three-time Super Bowl MVP.

But what happened – throughout the game – was constant pressure. And it’s not just from the people in front. There were some coverage sacks that show this banged-up secondary is still playing good football.

Another thing worth pointing out: Some of those drives that stalled for the Chiefs were due to penalties. How many holding calls did we see in this game because the Chiefs couldn’t stop them up front? I know they suffered on the O-line, lost a key player in Trey Smith and then both tackles as well. OK sorry. That’s because we’ve seen it happen this year with the Cowboys, who also played without their starting left tackle.

But of the five drives that ended with punts, four were due to Kansas City penalties. I don’t think it’s just their mental mistakes, but it’s about the playmaking ability of this defense, and the way Kansas City had to try to stop it.

This defense is absolutely relentless and they have – suddenly – become a major problem for opponents. Add that to an offense that has been a problem for the defense all year and some of the best special teams players in the NFL, and you’ve finally got a complete team, a team that is playing its best football here the last few days.

If you’re old enough to remember the Bill Parcells days, you’ll remember that he would dismiss any discussion about playoff pictures or division standings until Thanksgiving, basically saying that it was too early to try to figure things out until then.

Well, now we are here… and the cowboys have positioned themselves for the hunt.

For him, it’s something to be grateful for.