Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys' defensive effort was important for a particular reason, and this could be a sign of the future

ARLINGTON – It's out of the question for the football to come back to Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis. Absolutely out of the question.

Jacksonville quarterback Blake Bortles completed a pass for Keelan Cole near the visitor sideline late in the third quarter on Sunday, but linebacker Jaylon Smith put it out of reach. The ball started to bounce, then slowly roll towards the sideline.

"I knew I had to play a play," said Lewis. "I knew I had to go get it, we're still talking about jostling the ball, it was out of the question that everything is off the court, we still practice" The ball, the ball, the ball "… when that It's there, you have to go and get it. "

And Lewis went to get him to dive into the ball before sliding himself out of bounds. It was only the Cowboys' fourth fumble break this season – but the second consecutive Jaguars series offensives. Security Jeff Heath intercepted Bortles one game earlier, and those two defensive defenses racked up 10 points in Dallas on a 40-7 victory.

Cowboys like to think they're building a stop defense in the draft. They entered Sunday in eighth place in the NFL defense and will undoubtedly climb this week after limiting the Jaguars to a meager 204 yards. The Cowboys also have one of the best passes in the league, collecting three more sacks against the Jaguars to bring their season count to 18.

But what has been lacking in this defense for years is the ability to divert football from his opponent. The Cowboys entered the Sunday match ranked 31^st in the NFL with only four takeaway. Heath's interception has actually doubled the team's total for the season – two.

Since 2000, the 18 Super Bowl champions have averaged 33 defensive takeaways. The last time the Cowboys forced 33 turnovers in a season, it was in 1999. Deion Sanders and Darren Woodson were still high schoolers at the time. Sanders is now in the Hall of Fame and Woodson is a candidate to join him in Canton. Translation: It was a very, very long time ago.

The takeaway mentality was largely the reason why the Cowboys hired Kris Richard away from the Seattle Seahawks in the offseason. He was the defensive coordinator of Seattle's Legion of Boom defense and arrived in Dallas as the defensive coordinator. His Seahawks intercepted 28 assists in 2013 and also recovered 11 fumbles en route to their first NFL championship.

The last time the Cowboys intercepted no less than 28 passes in one season, it was in 1985. Everson Walls was still wandering through high school at that time. He is now part of the Senior Group of the Professional Football Hall of Fame. Translation: It was a very, very long time ago.

The Seahawks won with defense and Richard is here to help the Cowboys win with the defense. This take-home mentality that he brought from Seattle took her daily to the helmets of Richard's new crew.

"It's not a good day unless you create turnovers," Heath said. "Our goal in every game is to be a plus-2.This gives our team the best opportunity to win.We must continue to make these games if we want to continue to be successful."

The Baltimore Ravens imposed 49 turnovers for their first Super Bowl in 2000. The New England Patriots imposed 41 for their second Lombardi Trophy in 2003. The Philadelphia Eagles had 31 caps last season – 11 more than the Cowboys. This gave the Eagles 11 more chances for their attack to score last season compared to the Cowboys.

That is why the defensive effort in a victorious cause against the Jaguars was so important. It was the second time in a row that the Cowboys had played three times to go. Maybe the dam is about to burst.

"The numbers seem to be coming in clusters for some reason," Heath said.

"Coach Richard says that if we have one, it will be ten times more," added Lewis. "There is a positive energy that comes with (to take away)."

The talent is there. Lewis intercepted college passes in Michigan. Likewise Byron Jones in Connecticut, Anthony Brown in Purdue and Heath in Saginaw Valley State. Jaylon Smith intercepted passes and forced fumbles at Notre Dame, as did Leighton Vander Esch at Boise State.

Takeaway dishes are not foreign to these players. They could find football on Saturday. They must continue to find him on Sunday.