"We have something to prove" against Washington

"We have to clean a lot of things."

"Not good enough."

"We have something to prove."

These quotes do not seem to come from anyone whose team has completely crushed an opponent during his first game of the season, but the Dallas Cowboys' defensive goal, DeMarcus Lawrence, knows that the attack that led the day to the New York Giants in the first week. Above the snippets of the interview, he is ready for his team to stage more shows during the second week's showdown in Washington.

Looking at the numbers from New York, Lawrence may be rightly dissatisfied. The Cowboys allowed the Giants to accumulate 319 passing yards, intercepted none of the 48 afternoon pass attempts, and only one bag in the 35-17 victory. They gave up 120 yards on the ground at Saquon Barkley alone. While 59 of them played in the second game of the Giants, Lawrence said the team's overall expectations for themselves were higher.

"We are proud to be one of the best units in the league," he explained, "and we did not have the impression to show it last week. "

To show it this week, Lawrence and Co. will have to stop Redskins running back Adrian Peterson. A serene surprise last week: the 34-year-old star will leave Washington this week. Derrius Guice will be on the list of injured with a knee disease different from that which cost him all year 2018.

Many Redskins veterans were unhappy with the Pro Bowler standings seven times. Morgan Moses called the attack "slap".

Does this slight extra motivation give an extra motivation to the line for Peterson to play Dallas? Perhaps. According to one theory, Trent Williams would put an end to his efforts within the team just to block his friend Peterson, now that he was the starter.

It was still very unlikely, however, and Lawrence quickly avoided the questions that referred to the left tackle of MIA.

"Is he playing?" Retorted Lawrence. "All right, so … It's just a question of focusing on Moses and Donald Penn this year. Next question."

Wiliams, of course, has not made a report yet, and those are the ones Lawrence will face when he tries to join quarterback Case Keenum. Keenum rushed for 380 yards against the Eagles last week and found the end zone three times in the air. Lawrence says that the defensive philosophy of preventing a second week's recall could not be more fundamental.

"Keep it in your pocket. Easy."

And Peterson?

"Keep it in your pocket too."

If the Cowboys' defense can stick to this game plan, it will have a good chance of preventing the long practices that led coach Jason Garrett to put the team at ease for not being " nervous enough "against New York. Of the Giants' ten possessions in the first week, four of them had more than 60 yards.

For Lawrence, having undergone a shoulder operation in the off season, being in the starting lineup on opening day was a feat. He played well by the standards of most mortals, scoring a pair of attacks, a half-sack and recovering his own forced fumble. But he says he has not recovered his speed or strength yet.

"I do not have the impression of being still all the way back," he told reporters. "A lot of things I can work on: my pad level, my speed, my counters. There are so many things that go into this game that you really have to go through daily exercises to get that feeling. I feel like I have legs under me, but it's still not good enough. "

The Cowboys certainly want more than "good enough" of all alignment against Washington.

Both teams may have one of the most vile rivalries in all professional sports, and strange things can happen in any Cowboys-Redskins tilt. Dallas lead the all-time series with 71 wins to 45 losses and 2 draws, but as the saying goes, records are defeated when these teams meet.

While the Cowboys are very busy at the start and their new attack is offensive, they will be heading to Fed Ex Field in the hope of getting revenge for last week's visit. The 20-17 year loss was a low moment, bringing Dallas down to 3-4 and motivating the home office to trade against Amari Cooper the next day. The season went on a dramatic season and the Cowboys tied the 2018 series by defeating their longtime rival on Thanksgiving Day, but the disappointment of their last participation in Landover is still cool for all the players in the locker room.

And yes, Lawrence had a quote for that too.

"It was really difficult," said Lawrence about the game. "Knowing how our season was announcing at the beginning of the year and what this match meant for us was difficult. We must make sure that it will not happen again. "