{"id":189452,"date":"2024-09-13T11:00:38","date_gmt":"2024-09-13T15:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=189452"},"modified":"2024-09-12T17:34:28","modified_gmt":"2024-09-12T21:34:28","slug":"marshawn-kneeland-could-stop-saints","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/09\/13\/marshawn-kneeland-could-stop-saints\/","title":{"rendered":"Stopping the Run Against the Saints Could Depend on This Cowboys Rookie EDGE"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Dallas Cowboys are gearing up to face their toughest challenge yet, but in order to prove that they are truly a new defense, they have to face it. They have to stop the run. And that\u2019s something second-round pick Marshawn Kneeland was drafted for.<\/span><\/p>\n

Saints Offense vs. Marshawn Kneeland is a Perfect Match for His Skill Set<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Cowboys Defense Needs to Shut Down the Run<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Saints crushed the Panthers<\/a> in the Week 1 opener. What\u2019s more, they did so with an almost equal number of rushing yards to passing yards. The Saints rushed for 188 yards and Derek Carr threw for 199 yards.<\/span><\/p>\n

Quarterback Taysom Hill is the kind of guy that will need multiple defensive players to pull him down. His frame constantly pushes through defenses like a knife through butter. In the game against the Panthers, he averaged seven yards a carry<\/a>. He just doesn\u2019t come down easy.<\/span><\/p>\n

And even if the ball isn\u2019t given to Hill, running back Alvin Kamara\u2019s IQ is incredible. He\u2019s going to find the hole. In fact, he\u2019s willing to wait in the backfield and switch the route last minute in order to collect yards. If he\u2019s allowed to cut loose, he\u2019ll be a problem for this defense.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The problems increase when you consider how good the pass game is with Carr at quarterback. He\u2019s able to exploit any kind of inch he\u2019s given. If he has time, he\u2019ll use it to find the perfectly open man on the field.<\/span><\/p>\n

A great run game and solid passing offense break open the possibility of play action. And once that begins, it becomes more and more difficult for the defense to overwhelm the offense.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kneeland Not the Typical EDGE<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The biggest fear the Cowboys have is the ability to stop the run game. Mike Zimmer<\/a> has been a master at defensive schemes in the backfield, but now, he\u2019ll get to showcase his run-blocking skills as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

A perfect candidate for this could be Marshawn Kneeland.<\/span><\/p>\n

Most EDGE rushers are important for the passing game. They\u2019re there to blitz the quarterback and get the ball out in a frenzy. Kneeland isn\u2019t like most EDGE rushers though.<\/span><\/p>\n

The rookie out of West Michigan had lots of practice stopping the run game, plugging up holes, and making the tackle when the run went to the outside. He\u2019s shifty too, able to get around offensive tackles in a ravaging attempt at the ball.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kneeland is also quick. Although he didn\u2019t get any sacks this past Sunday, he managed to get two quarterback hits and make himself present. Wherever the ball was on the line of scrimmage, he was there in an instant, ready to assist in plays if needed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kneeland: The Key to Shutting Down the Run<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Although the linebackers and other defensive line players will have to step up to stop this run game, all eyes will be on Kneeland.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Cowboys drafted him because of his ability to excel on the run. If he is able to live up to expectations, it creates a more favorable look toward the games against the Ravens and Niners later in the season.<\/span><\/p>\n

But it all starts here, on Sunday with the Saints.<\/span><\/p>\n

Main Image: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Dallas Cowboys are gearing up to face their toughest challenge yet, but in order to prove that they are truly a new defense, they have to face it. They have to stop the run. And that\u2019s something second-round pick Marshawn Kneeland was drafted for. Saints Offense vs. Marshawn Kneeland is a Perfect Match for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5238,"featured_media":189555,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[54,19],"tags":[1573,231,32467,7659],"class_list":["post-189452","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editorials","category-cowboys","tag-alvin-kamara","tag-derek-carr","tag-marshawn-kneeland","tag-saints-featured"],"modified_by":"Drew Crabtree","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/189452","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5238"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=189452"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/189452\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/189555"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=189452"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=189452"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=189452"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}