FRISCO, Texas 鈥 Never were truer words said, and these provided by Cowboys defensive tackle Kenny Clark. Call him a football sage since the former first-round draft choice of the Green Bay Packers is in his 10th NFL season.
He's about seen it all. Actually, said it twice earlier in the week:
"It's a week-to-week league."
For example:
In Week 5 the Cowboys defense achieves a season low, holding the New York Jets to 22 points. In fact, just the second-fewest points given up over the past 10 games in the 37-22 victory.
Then Carolina 30, Cowboys 27 happens. Same ol', same ol'.
And worse, the Cowboys give up a season-high 216 yards rushing, including 183 of those by their former guy, Rico "buckle-up" Dowdle, the most by an opposing running back this season.
Then there is this: The Cowboys had rushed for at least 117 yards over the first five games of the schedule, including a season high of 180 yards the previous week against the Jets, the most in 36 games since going for 185 against Arizona in Game 3 of the 2023 season.
Sunday in the loss to Carolina but 31.
What the what?
That's right, thirty-one, the fewest rushing yards in a game since Oct. 28, 2012, when they ran for a whole 19 yards against the Giants.
Thus, the backdrop for Sunday's game against the Washington Commanders (hard for me not to lapse into Redskins history), a team many expected before the season began to be so much better than the Cowboys. But the Red-, er, Commanders come to AT&T Stadium with a 3-3 record, losers of two of their last three, including this past Monday night at home to the Chicago Bears on a walk-off field goal, 25-24. Yep, the same Bears who whupped the Cowboys, 31-14,earlier in the season.
Uh, Eagles beware. You guys got them on Nov. 28, and don't let Black Friday that day spook you.
So as you can see, the Commanders have lost as many games as the Cowboys, and they have to travel to Arlington on a short week. OK, back to where we started.
Not as worried about Dallas rushing for just those 31 yards against Carolina. Seems to be an outlier, the Panthers doing all they could with that large defensive front to make sure they took away the run game. Stacked the box. Run-blitzed their linebacker. Just didn't want the Cowboys running for 100 yards, but in doing so, Dak Prescott put 261 yards passing on them and three touchdowns.
And as Cowboys offensive coordinator Klayton Adams pointed out, sometimes your best-laid plans get trumped by the other team, "You're scouring the earth at that point. You get into the third (quarter), 'Man we about tried everything.'
"Most of the time, you are able to find some space. 鈥 You like to say you will find some space, but sometimes it happens."
We'll see where the Commanders place their bets on stopping the Cowboys' high-powered offense that will get a jolt Sunday with wide receivers CeeDee Lamb and KaVontae Turpin returning from injury as well as starting right guard Tyler Booker.
Now then, the fact the Cowboys allowed the Panthers to run for 216 yards certainly sounds shocking. But in reality, this Dallas defense that began the season giving up huge explosive plays in the passing game (more than 20 yards) has been trending downward against the run in recent weeks. Let's see, over the last three games, Green Bay ran for 164 yards, the Jets for 144 yards and then this, Carolina for 216. And let's not forget, in the opener the Eagles ran for 158.
And this has nothing to do with week-to-week, more like year-to-year. If we add last season's opponents rushing for at least 100 yards in 12 of 17 games, including the last three, that means the Cowboys defense has given up more than 100 yards rushing in seven of its last ninegames.
While the Dallas run defense after six games this year is ranked 29th, over the past five seasons since 2020, the Cowboys run defense has ranked 31st, 16th, 22nd, 16th and 29th. So nothing new, and that spans four different defensive coordinators, from Mike Nolan to Dan Quinn to Mike Zimmer and now to Matt Eberflus, all of them noted defensive coordinators during their careers.
What gives this year?
"You look at everything when your performance has been inconsistent or not up to your standard," Eberflus said. He would also say, "There's not a magic pill there. We just have to make sure we do a great job of working together and being together and making sure the plan is tight and effective. That's all of us working together."
So not a major overhaul.
But when you have the 32nd ranked overall defense, and you are giving up 30.6 points a game, and only twice less than 30 points, there is a problem 鈥 a problem not necessarily solved by trading for only one player before the Nov. 4 trade deadline. And of late, has little to do with giving up huge pass receptions.
Especially in this last game when the Panthers mauled the Cowboys up front running the ball. And that had more to do with the defensive front than anything Dowdle did running the ball. Or this idea of needing to play more man coverage than zone coverage from the outside choir.
But to me, more to do with being outmanned physically up front against the run. Go look at how the Panthers blocked the Cowboys. They were double-teaming both defensive tackles. Talking to Clark, the veteran tackle recognized the inordinate number of times he was being double-teamed. And that means if the other defensive tackle is being double-teamed, too, then the defensive ends need to contribute against the run.
Well, check this out. Looking at the Cowboys' six-game tackle stats, the top nine in tackles consist of three linebackers, two safeties and four cornerbacks. Where are the front four players?
Uh, tied for ninth is defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa with 18 tackles. After that, at No. 12, is defensive tackle Solomon Thomas with 17
And where in the world are the defensive ends, bet you're asking.
Why, rookie Donovan Ezeiruaku is 13th with 16, having played 47.3 percent of the snaps, one more than Sam Williams' 15 tackles.
To me, if the defensive tackles are getting double-teams up front, that's accounting for four of the five offensive linemen blocking, meaning the defensive ends are usually facing single blocks from probably a tackle and tight ends.
And consider the personnel makeup up front. Only three guys weigh more than 300 pounds: Clark at 314, Mazi Smith at 315, but just active for three games, and rookie seventh-round draft choice Jay Toia at 340, also active for only three games.
Where is the beef?
When asking Clark how difficult it is continuing to take on double-teams, he said, "Got to hold your ground." Not as simple as it sounds.
The Commanders have three, 300-pound defensive tackles: starters Daron Payne at 320 and Javon Kinlaw a slimmer 319. Guessing their scheme is taking up space. And consider thatthis past Sunday, the Panthers' A'Shawn Robinson weighed 330 and Derrick Brown 320. That's having to move a lot of poundage out of the way.
The coaches don't dare blame personnel for run-stopping problems. Their message will be, got to play better, got to play more physical, got to improve technique, got to do your job.
Now for Sunday, at least the Cowboys will likely have four of their starting five offensive linemen good to go, the only one missing being center Cooper Beebe, likely on IR for a few more weeks. That helps.
Defensively, the defensive ends must step up. Linebacker Jack Sanborn appears available for this game after being out in concussion protocol. Defensive end Marshawn Kneeland will continue attempting to play through a sprained ankle.
Shall they overcome?
Look, you have what you have. Got to do your best on defense. Got to score at least 30 on offense. Be OK, too, to get a takeaway or two, as the Cowboys only have four in six games and not more than one in any game. Be OK to produce points on special teams and not talking about Brandon Aubrey continuing to average two field goals a game. And again, looking back to this past Sunday, not having to kick those two field goals with the ball finishing up inside the 10-yard line.
Got to score touchdowns.
Undo pressure on the offense, you say? Hey, got to do what you got to do to win.
As Dak said when asked about that pressure, and not trying to be arrogant but displaying the mindset of a competitor, "I feel like I need to score every time. I feel like I need to complete every pass. I would hope the running backs would feel like they need to get five yards every time they carry. Now, it's not realistic, but you better feel that way and you better think that way. And anybody in that locker room has or they wouldn't be NFL professional football players.
"That's kind of the way some of our minds have been wired from the beginning. Whether you see it as crazy or arrogant or whatever it is, I think that's why guys are in this locker room."
Well, here we go, third home game. And speaking of week-to-week, sometimes it's day-to-day in this league, evidence by starting cornerback Trevon Diggs showing up Friday morning saying he suffered an accidental head injury Thursday night at home. That when doctors checked him out Friday morning, placed him in concussion protocol, being ruled out of Sunday's game.
A team snakebit?
"It's part of the business," Schottenheimer said Friday morning.
鈥婣nd you know he's right. Lose the game and there is no asterisk placed in the loss column. Still Got to play.
And as Dak maintains, "We've got to win it, got to do what's necessary."
Because remember, it's a new week, and in some cases it's a new day.
