It’s easy to think that the Cowboys’ defense did just as poorly in this game against the Ravens as they did against the Saints in Week 2. But that’s not the case.
Although the defense struggled to control the game and allowed over 200 rushing yards, a closer look reveals a twinkle of improvement they can build on.
Cowboys Defense Sees Large Steps in the Right Direction
Offensive Opportunities Created by Cowboys’ Defense
The Cowboys learned that the Ravens had a punter in the 2nd quarter.
In the game against the Saints, the Cowboys didn’t see a punter until the 4th quarter. That’s because the Saints scored six consecutive touchdowns before their special teams for punts ever touched the field.
That didn’t happen again against the Ravens. With practice, the Cowboys defense discovered how to stop scoring drives.
An even closer comparison shows just how much the Cowboys did defensively.
The Saints had the ball for 10 possessions. In those 10, they scored on seven drives, one drive ended in an interception, another ended the game, and they punted only once.
Compared to the Ravens, who also had the ball for 10 total possessions. Alternatively, the Ravens scored in four drives, missed a field goal, had the ball at the end of the game, and punted four times.
Both teams are strong running offenses, yet the defense managed to become even better with fewer scoring possessions. They were able to hold them back. But they didn’t hold them off the whole game.
Better Effort
Just like with the Cowboys’ offense, the defense put forth a huge effort in shutting down the run. Their biggest weakness remained misdirection, but the Ravens didn’t do too much of it.
Mazi Smith made a much better game, helping plug the middle and not be pushed around by this Ravens’ offensive line. The 2023 first-round pick hasn’t been notable in most of his games. But against the Ravens, he put forth effort vs. just going missing against the Saints.
When needed, corners came down and played closer to the line of scrimmage, helping them get more tackles and assist with a monster like Derrick Henry breaking tackles like nothing.
It wasn’t the best, but it was an improvement. Against the Saints, the Cowboys’ defense looked as though they had thrown in the towel.
But this defense had stops and had heart, and that’s going to carry them through to the rest of the season.
Two Improvements for the Cowboys’ Defense
While the Cowboys played with heart, it wasn’t enough.
They have to learn to stop the run. If they don’t want another 150+ yard running game, they’ve got to master stopping the rush, slowing the misdirection, and making clean tackles.
Similarly, they’ve got to get some help for rookie Caelen Carson. Although his coverage can be good, recently, there’s been a drop in production. It could be a lack of confidence, but him getting beat by Nelson Agholor led to a touchdown by the Ravens offense.
Agholor isn’t even one of the star receivers on the team. But the missed defensive play cost the Cowboys greatly.
Focus On Turning It Up
This Cowboys defense also needs to work on collaborating as a team. In a post-game interview, Micah Parsons showed clear frustration saying that they’ve got to “stop playing hero ball”.
Parsons was also seen during the game having a heated discussion with a few players on the defense, including Demarcus Lawrence.
What will be detrimental for this Cowboys defense is them turning against each other instead of turning up their game.
Hopefully, they can get back on track. With the Niners, Lions, and Saquon Barkley’s Eagles still waiting, they’ve got much tougher challenges than each other this season.
Main Photo: Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images
