Blogging The Boys
Every week, we’re digging into the trenches, offense and defense, because that’s where the real action happens. In this installment, we’re shining a spotlight on the offensive line, who’s holding it down, who’s opening holes for the running backs, and who’s keeping Dak Prescott clean. Let’s get to it.
(2025 Stats: 281 Total Snaps, 189 Pass Blocks, 13 Pressures, 4 QB Hits, 2 Sacks, 3 Penalties)
Thomas had a long, tough night in Detroit that really frustrated fans. Dallas chased the game while Thomas was the most targeted mismatch on the offensive line. He logged 82 snaps and was charged with a team-high eight pressures, including a sack and two hits, plus a penalty as Aidan Hutchinson and the stunt game kept coming.
There were still a few wins for Thomas, but they were few. When Dallas stayed on schedule, Thomas’ angles on down blocks and right-side combos helped create functional rushing lanes, helping the Cowboys finish with 30 points and 376 passing yards despite the self-inflicted wounds. But the negatives outweighed the positives in protection for Thomas. PFF captured the struggle with 29.7 offensive grade and an even worse pass-block grade of just 16.3.
The issue here is Thomas has been a next-man-up starter with uneven results, but the broader Dallas trench metrics remain solid enough to support a bounce-back. The Cowboys are at 65% Pass Block Win Rate (12th) and 71% Run Block Win Rate (17th), so a top-third protection group when the ball is on time. Thomas’s personal PFF page, though, shows the learning curve in bright lights with a 36.2 overall grade, 29.1 pass-block grade, and 49.2 run-block grade, all an alarming score.
(2025 Stats: 842 Total snaps, 550 Pass Blocks, 18 Pressures, 0 QB Hits, 2 Sacks, 9 Penalties)
Smith’s night in Detroit read like a guard trying to keep the boat steady while the tide turned. Dallas threw it 47 times, gave up five sacks, and ran it 24 times for 91 yards, with game flow that forced Smith to live on long-developing protections against a front that heated up late. On the plus side, Smith’s anchor showed up good on inside loops that the Lions love.
The Vikings’ defense looks like a wave machine, so Smith and his veteran presence is going to be needed to help the unit as a whole, and more importantly, Nate Thomas. The Vikings defense boasts a 44% Pass Rush Win Rate (2nd) and 31% Run Stop Win Rate (12th) as a team, with 47 team sacks already on record (eighth-most), and multiple games where Brian Flores’ pressure plan became an avalanche. Next Gen charting even had them at 47.6% pressure in Week 9, and they just shutout Washington 31–0 to break a four-game skid. Individually, the threats show up all across the defense. Dallas Turner and Eric Wilson lead the team with 5.5 sacks each, Jalen Redmond sits on five sacks, Andrew Van Ginkel and...
