FRISCO — Caleb Williams played 1,247 offensive snaps coming into the third week of the NFL season and was sacked 74 times. Williams, the Chicago Bears’ starting quarterback, was taken down every game he’s played for a 3.9 per game average.
The streak ended on Sunday when the Cowboys didn’t sack him in a 31-14 loss. The inability to bring down one of the most sacked quarterbacks in the league is another example of what’s wrong with the Cowboys’ defense.
On the surface, you can say everything is wrong with it.
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The pass rush is stagnant. The pass coverage looks confused, especially on big plays. Getting teams off the field on third down isn’t happening enough. Takeaways. Forget about that. This team has forced one turnover, an interception on a desperation heave from Giants quarterback Russell Wilson.
As the Cowboys prepare for Sunday’s game against Green Bay and Micah Parsons in what can only be billed as “The Return”, the defensive problems are getting longer by the moment.
“I feel like every week it’s something new you see until you see everything, and then it’s like, alright, this is all that they got,” cornerback Trevon Diggs said after the Bears loss. “We’ve just got to get adjusted to it. Whatever is called, we have to play it. We have to execute the calls. We have to get off the field on third down. We have to eliminate the big plays. We’re going to get it. We’re going to get it right. I have faith in all these guys. All of them: D-line, linebackers, DBs. We’ve been doing it in the past. We’ve just got to put it on display.”
Coach Brian Schottenheimer said solutions are coming. Simplifying the defensive scheme is one answer. The debut of pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney for the Packers game is another. The possible return of starting cornerback DaRon Bland for Week 4 helps, too. Benching some players or giving reserves more playing time is on the table as well.
Will it work?
“I do think as a coach, you look for solutions,” he said. “And if we’re not doing certain things well, then by simply deleting some things, that makes you simplify. It doesn’t mean that we’re going to go with one front, with one coverage. We’re not going to do that. We’re still going to be multiple. But absolutely, we’d be crazy if we didn’t look to simplify and focus on execution. Execution is what wins in this league.”
On the season, the Cowboys allowed the fourth-most yards (1,193), fifth-most points (92), tied for second-most passing touchdowns allowed (seven) and rank last in third-down defense (53.7%).
The Cowboys’ defense has also allowed a staggering eight plays of 30 or more yards and 11 plays of 25 or more yards. According to Elias Sports Bureau, the 13 completions and five touchdown passes of 25 or more yards are the most the Cowboys have allowed during the first three games of a season in the last 45 years.
“We’re not giving up 16-, 17-, 18-yard explosives,” Schottenheimer said. “We’re giving up 35 and 40 and 45, and at the end of the day, that’s not good enough, man. Had good meetings. We talked through things. We’re changing up things. Not going to get into what those things are to improve it and make it better from the way we meet, from the way we’re game planning, all that stuff. But you know, the players are not the only ones that have to be better.”
A complex view of the issues is that the replacements for Parsons, traded just before the start of the season, haven’t helped.
Team owner Jerry Jones said late Monday when Parsons comes to town Sunday night, there won’t be a video tribute because “I don’t think that’s appropriate this way.”
Maybe something should happen. In some ways, Parsons’ absence is why the Cowboys are stuck here. The lack of a consistent pass rush leads to issues in the secondary with their heavy zone defense, where hurried throws lead to pass breakups or poor throws. Instead, quarterbacks get the time to complete passes.
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Williams attempted 21 passes against the Cowboys, where he had 2.5 seconds or longer to complete the throw. He threw three touchdowns when given the time.
Takeaways, once a staple with the Cowboys, have alluded them. On the season, the Cowboys are minus five in the takeaway column, tied for last in the NFL.
Schottenheimer, in a defiant tone, said that won’t last long.
“But yeah, to be minus-5, I promise you this, we will not end the season like that,” he said.
Will the Cowboys’ struggles on defense continue throughout the season? The team is working on fixing that.
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