National Football League

Dallas' defense continues to set a new standard as Cowboys storm past Carolina

Updated Oct. 3, 2021 9:50 p.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

What would the Dallas Cowboys look like with a capable defense?

That question enveloped the team all last season, as did a litany of other speculative inquiries. Are they wasting Dak Prescott's prime? Will they continue to endure high-scoring, points-for-points battles? Can they ever get their defense back on track?

The answers? Jerry Jones & Co. believe they've found them, and the solution to Dallas' most pertinent problem — the defense — starts in the skybox adjacent to Jones' own. 

Dan Quinn holds occupational ownership over the ‘Boys defensive room, and like a calculated chess master, he has overseen the transformation of a group of pawns into a fully-fledged regal regime.

After a disastrous 2020 season in which the Dallas defense allowed the second-most rushing yards in the league (2,541 yards), the Cowboys replaced former defensive coordinator Mike Nolan with Quinn, one of the architects of the famed Legion of Boom defense that carried the 2013 Seahawks to a Super Bowl title.

For more up-to-date news on all things Cowboys, click here to register for alerts on the FOX Sports app!

The team believed Quinn was the quintessential captain to pilot a winning ship, but they needed sailors around him who could steer the rudder in the right direction. So they brought in a group of energetic rookies and wily vets. 

The Cowboys signed Malik Hooker, Damontae Kazee, Jayron Kearse, Keanu Neal and Brent Urban. They drafted early contributors such as Micah Parsons, Kelvin Joseph, Osa Odighizuwa and Jabril Cox.

The team has made an enormous jump because of it.

Dallas has shot from 31st to sixth in rushing defense, allowing 70.3 yards per game prior to Week 4. It led the league in total takeaways (eight) and turnover differential (+8) heading into its 36-28 victory over Carolina and collected two more takeaways against Sam Darnold's offense, courtesy of Trevon Diggs.

Diggs is charting a straight-lined path to the Pro Bowl and is continuing to rewrite history as the second player in team history to collect a pick in each of his first four games. He's just the 17th defensive back to accomplish that feat.

But Diggs isn't the only Cowboy riding high.

Parsons is a reliable Swiss army knife. The jack-of-all trades playmaker has appeared at both linebacker and defensive end this season, and he has been dominant at both.

He's the highest-graded defensive rookie thus far, per Pro Football Focus' metrics (87.6), and when he did line up at DE in Week 2 to relieve his injured teammates, he had the highest pass-rusher grade in the NFL. Plus, he's traditionally a linebacker.

Parsons' own teammate might be right behind him in early Defensive Rookie of the Year rankings. Odighizuwa has the second-most QB pressures among rookies (10) and notched a half-sack Sunday to add to 1.5 last week.

The Cowboys have held every team they've played to less than 50% conversion on third-down attempts and three of their four opponents to fewer than 100 rushing yards.

They came into Week 4 surrendering just 10 points per second half (ninth in the NFL) and have held five of their past six opponents to fewer than 30 points.

But don't forget about the offense amidst this defensive resurgence. Prescott's crew is averaging 31.5 PPG through four outings and has posted north of 35 points in back-to-back affairs.

The two-headed tandem of Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott was heavily responsible for a 245-yard output against Carolina. The performance made Dallas just the fourth squad to eclipse 200 yards this season, and the duo has rushed for 150-plus yards in three straight games. 

As for Prescott, he has played like an MVP up to this point. He threw four TD passes Sunday, bringing his total to 10. He has surpassed 1,000 yards passing (1,066) and has a QB rating of 110.1.

Prescott could very well find himself near the top of the MVP ladder come season's end.

But his mission is team-centric, and for Dallas to run the table in the NFC East and assemble playoff victories along the way, the defense will need to be its driving force.

For more up-to-date news on all things NFL, click here to register for alerts on the FOX Sports app!

share

Get more from National Football League Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

National Football League

Dallas Cowboys

Micah Parsons

Osa Odighizuwa

Trevon Diggs