Blogging The Boys
After the Dallas Cowboys’ Week 1 loss against the Philadelphia Eagles, a big talking point during the week was how disruptive the defensive line was in applying pressure on Jalen Hurts. According to The 33rd Team, the Cowboys’ defense generated pressure on 42.4 percent of their opponents’ dropbacks (pre-MNF/SNF), second only behind the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Generating pressure is still crucial for a defense’s success, but getting to the quarterback is how defenders get big paydays in this league. Dallas decided to trade away one of the best sack artists, Micah Parsons, so when the Cowboys only recorded one sack against Philadelphia, it’s reasonable to question whether Dallas’s strategy of utilizing a variety of pass rushers can effectively compensate for the production lost due to Parsons’ departure.
For context, during his time in Dallas, Parsons faced the Eagles seven times and recorded five sacks in those matchups. Philadelphia boasts one of the best left and right tackle tandems in the league, so any lack of production in Week 1 could likely be attributed to the challenging matchup for Dallas’ young pass rushers.
Defensive end Sam Williams wants the questions about Parsons to stop since he’s no longer with the team.
“I feel like everybody is really tired of that question.” Williams said during media availability the day after the season opener. “Micah is gone. So, I feel like we should stop bringing up his name. He’s on Green Bay. You should ask about the Cowboys and worry about what we got in the locker room….Micah is always gonna be part of the family, especially in the D-line room. But other than that, that’s his business. … I’m worried about me.
Williams is right. It’s time to stop asking questions about a former teammate who’s no longer around. However, the Dallas defensive line still needs to show they can make up for some of Parsons’ production, or his shadow will continue to linger. Thankfully, Williams and the rest of the defensive end crew have a matchup on Sunday against the New York Giants that offers an opportunity to get started on that.
The Giants offensive line struggled against the Washington Commanders to open the season, allowing a ton of pressure on Russell Wilson. The Commanders generated 22 pressures across 45 dropbacks in their Week 1 victory over the Giants, per NFL Pro. That was five more pressures than Washington had in a game all of last season. Dorance Armstrong had a career-high nine pressures alone.
Armstrong is a solid player, but Dante Fowler, Sam Williams, Marshawn Kneeland, and Donovan Ezeiruaku have the potential to match or even exceed his level of production. Not to mention the Giants will be without starting left tackle Andrew Thomas for the second week in a row. James Hudson, who is Thomas’ replacement at left tackle, surrendered six pressures, which tied for second most among all offensive linemen for Week 1 per Pro Football Focus. The Cowboys could circle that matchup as one they’d like to...
