Blogging The Boys
The Dallas Cowboys fell to the Denver Broncos at Mile-High, but what did the rookie class do during the game that stood out? Check out how each rookie played in the defeat.
(Game stats- Snaps: 74, Pass Blocks: 46, Pressures: 1, Sacks: 0, Penalties: 0)
In pass protection, Booker’s technique did the heavy lifting. He managed to stay stubborn inside, kept a sturdy base, and refused to turn his shoulders when Zach Allen tried to use his power against him. The right side sorted most of the traffic on stunts and Booker absorbed the penetrator and managed to re-fit to keep the B-gap shut. That kept the pocket intact for Dak from Bookers perspective although pressure came from elsewhere. Dallas yielded two sacks and Dak was, at times, running for his life. But for Booker, he allowed no sacks, quarterback hits, and only surrendered one pressure all day
On the ground, it was more grind than glide. Dallas logged 31 rushing attempts for 108 yards (3.5 YPC) and punched in two scores. Booker helped create those redzone scores and his double-teams had real pop near the goal line. Denver did manage to shrink the run with effective backside chases. This wasn’t a lanes open everywhere night, but when the offense needed stubborn yards, the right-side B-gap was sturdy enough to keep the play moving, and score a touchdown.
(Game stats- Snaps: 32, Total Tackles: 1, Pressures: 3, Sacks: 0, TFL: 0)
Ezeiruaku showed up in Denver with a plan and the horsepower to run it. He varied his get-off, used his long arms to straighten the tackle, and kept his outside hip free so Bo Nix couldn’t scramble. On pressure downs he paired speed-to-power with a late inside counter, twice forcing hurried checkdowns.
It wasn’t spotless. Denver’s tempo caught Ezeiruaku leaning more than once, a high-pad level on an early rush led to losing leverage, and an over-pursuit on one play opened a cutback that should’ve been closed. There was also a near-miss in the fourth quarter where he won the corner but his arc was too deep and let Nix step up. Those are rookie issues.
Non-Football Injury list
(Game stats- Snaps: 11, Rush Attempts: 7, Rush Yards: 29, Avg: 3.6, Fum: 1)
This one never got out of second gear for the rookie running back. Working behind the chains in Denver, Blue’s touches showed hesitation on inside runs, with not much daylight for him, and the back-breaker was a fumble in traffic that stalled a promising drive. The stats matched the general theme of his night, short gains, one big mistake, and looking unsure when he got to the line.
The fumble isn’t a new chapter for Blue, it’s an old issue resurfacing. Ball security trailed Blue out of the Texas Longhorns, and yesterday we saw that same issue reoccur. He entered the league with a checkered history of putting it...
