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ARLINGTON, Texas – The Dallas Cowboys have delivered a crucial message in this season of widespread NFL crime: defense still counts.
It may not be as sexy as shootouts that make a lot of points. Fantastic football players will certainly not feel better in their own situation. However, a team like Dallas can remain viable, especially when post-season dreams are at stake.
The biggest surprise in the Cowboys' 13-10 win against the New Orleans Saints is not that Dallas has upset her. That's how Dallas made the Saints' prolific attack so weak at a time when New Orleans was seemingly unstoppable. The Saints entered Thursday night's game with an average of 37.2 points per game and a 10-game winning streak. They left with a clear understanding that Dallas is starting to find its own pace at an incredibly optimal time.
After languishing at 3-5 a few weeks ago, the Cowboys have now won four straight games. Their defense, as was the case on Thursday after cornerback Jourdan Lewis won the match with an interception in the fourth quarter of quarterback Saints Drew Brees, was a determining factor in this recent success.
"This defense was fun to watch," Cowboys quarterback Dak Cowans said. "Just to be on the sidelines and see these guys flying – Leighton Vander Esch, Jaylon (Smith) doing great hits, Anthony Brown at the back, just this whole defense – you see a defense like that – with Substitute guys and everyone plays big games – it just gives you a lot of confidence in your team. "
It's no secret that Dallas has provided a tough defense all season. The Cowboys placed in the top 10 in three main categories prior to Thursday night's game, including allotted points (third), allowed rushing yards (fifth) and total yards allowed (seventh). They have disruptive pass hitters, active linebackers and the kind of chemistry that keeps opponents from finding a rhythm. In its previous three games, Dallas had not allowed anyone to score more than 23 points.
Now, compare that to what the saints did. They had averaged nearly 44 points per game over their last four wins, including a 45-35 win over the Los Angeles Rams and a 48-7 loss to Philadelphia Eagles, the defending champion. Super Bowl. The saints were not just winning. They were destroying doubts about the best NFL team at the moment.
That's why this victory counted so much for Dallas. It was a validation of the work in which it was set up last month, proof that this team really has the chops to make serious noise in December and January. The Cowboys certainly do not have the firepower we've seen since New Orleans and the Rams throughout the season. What Thursday night has proven is that they really do not need it.
The Cowboys' offensive struggles, especially those of Prescott, have been so thoroughly scrutinized that it's easy to overlook the fact that their defense can lead them to the playoffs.
"Obviously, it's a very good offensive football team that we played and I think we managed to slow them down," said Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett. the team improved to 7-5. "We defended the race very well, they are at their best when they are balanced and we managed to get around the quarterback and play the games on the field, they had two or three but I thought our guys were covered really well and done the hard on them. "
The final figures were surprising, especially when considering what the saints produced each week. They only won 176 yards. They converted only three of the 11 third-down opportunities. They also could not generate yards on a fourth game off the Dallas 1-yard line early in the second quarter, as the Cowboys crushed running back Alvin Kamara with no win for the game.
This goal-line position would be a strong indication of the type of night that Dallas was destined to have. The Cowboy defenders closed all the dangerous weapons the Saints had, whether it was smothering the Kamara and Mark Ingram back-field tandem (which combined for 65 yards), containing the wide receiver of the Pro Bowl Michael Thomas (five receptions for 40 yards) or frustrating Brees, Nomination for NFL Most Valuable Player Award was seriously affected after raking up 127 yards and throwing that waving pass to Lewis with 2:08 to go in the match.
The Saints, a team that had already generated at least 40 points six times this season, could not even score in the first half.
"We were not very good at the start of the trials," said Saints head coach Sean Payton, whose team fell to 10-2. "We did not have the balance we had in the previous games, we had a hard time spinning the ball, and then we did not want to go into a one-dimensional game. that the common thread, without seeing any of the game parts would be that we were often behind the chains. "
"I do not think we really have a specific plan," said Jeff Heath, head of Cowboy safety. "It was just a little out there, doing our job and running, we thought we could stay with their receivers and get after (Brees)." We had to stop the running game and try to make it one-dimensional. able to do it. "
The Cowboys received enough help from their attack to win this victory. Prescott continued to play with the same efficiency he showed in the past month (he completed 24 of his 28 passes for 248 yards and one touchdown). The running was effective enough to give the defense a vital rest. Ezekiel Elliott won 76 yards in 23 races. It was a scenario quite different from the one we had used to see in Dallas in recent years, but it also has something appealing.
Dallas has known for three years that Prescott and Elliott play at a high level. It is only this season that the Cowboys have had a defense capable of leading this team to higher heights. The Cowboys defense has become so dominant that Demarcus Lawrence, the Pro Bowl defenseman, explained earlier this week how the Saints offensive line, one of the best in the league, had to compete with the intensity of the front. of Dallas. Lawrence explained how "distressed" teams can become when they are hit in the mouth and "they do not do what they normally do, accumulating 50 points".
After the match, Lawrence hinted that local media misrepresented, but he did not back down on his feelings.
"I mean it's football," he said. "If you capitalize on an earlier team, you have to stick to your throat and not let them get up, which we did today." We gave them 10 points and I'm excited for all of my I'm glad we had this battle to see what a real championship team looks like. "
What Lawrence did not have to say is obvious at the end of the game: the Cowboys also had the opportunity to see how they compare to a candidate in the championship. They do not have as much offense as the saints and, to be honest, they do not really need it. Dallas proved that the defense still had a place in the NFL this season. The question that arises now, especially when the title NFC East is within reach, is to know where his unit will drive them in the next few weeks.
