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: 339 Total Snaps, 219 Pass Blocks, 23 Pressures, 4 QB Hits, 3 Sacks, 4 Penalties)
Nathan Thomas’ Week 15 tape is the kind you file under baptism by Brian Flores. The Vikings beat Dallas in the trenches and did it with a pressure cocktail. Thomas opened at left tackle, then exited with a shoulder issue in the second half (Hakeem Adeniji finished), but his game tape told the story early.
Thomas’ better reps came on rhythm throws and in the run game. He passed off a handful stunts cleanly on the snaps that stayed under 2.5 seconds. Dallas’ offensive line stats have a 65% Pass Block Win Rate (13th) and 72% Run Block Win Rate (12th), so they’re a unit that’s capable of holding serve to stay on schedule but vulnerable when the game drifts off it. PFF has Thomas among the struggling pass protectors before he left, and the in-game switch to Adeniji at left tackle didn’t do much to help. Thomas finished the game allowing four pressures with one sack, having a pass blocking grade of 60.7, while Adeniji ended the game with a very lousy 13.3 pass block grade, scary.
The Chargers are next. As a defensive unit, L.A. is 17th in Pass Rush Win Rate (37%) and 19th in Run Stop Win Rate (30%), so middle-to-meh according to the tracking stats. But here’s the kicker, the Chargers rank fifth in sacks per game, at 2.9 sacks, and have totaled a whopping 40 sacks this season. The way to read all that is they finish even if they don’t always win.
(2025 Stats: 907 Total snaps, 586 Pass Blocks, 21 Pressures, 0 QB Hits, 2 Sacks, 9 Penalties)
Smith had a scare in the first half when he suffered an eye poke and missed a short stretch, but he returned and finished the night. Dallas threw 38 times, took two sacks for nine yards, but still piled up 423 total yards while rushing 29 times for 138 and two scores. In other words, the offense moved, but the consistency failed them.
On the good reel, Smith’s anchor and timing against the Vikings’ stunt game showed up early and often. Minnesota lives on simulated and late pressure, so the first win is key. When Dallas leaned into the run game, his combo blocks were sturdy letting Cooper Beebe climb and make second downs more manageable. His run blocking grade of 78.1 is the highest for the Cowboys, and ranks sixth-best among all guards this season.
Minnesota brought waves of pressure, so when the play extended past the first option, the second punch arrived and sent...
