Cowboys: How game vs Lions will prove meaningful in the playoffs
While Sunday provides a great matchup for the Dallas Cowboys offense, the same can't be said for the defense. Yes, Dan Quinn commands one of the best units in the entire NFL but this has always been a league about strengths and weaknesses. And you could argue the Detroit Lions match up to the Cowboys […]
While Sunday provides a great matchup for the Dallas Cowboys offense, the same can't be said for the defense. Yes, Dan Quinn commands one of the best units in the entire NFL but this has always been a league about strengths and weaknesses.
And you could argue the Detroit Lions match up to the Cowboys quite well. After all, their identity on defense is quite clear. They want – and will – run the football.
And then? They'll run it again.
That's one area in which the Cowboys' defense still needs to improve. With an out-of-this-world pass rush and sound coverage, Dallas is well-equipped to stop the pass. However, they only rank 18th in the NFL in rush defense per Football Outsiders' DVOA metric.
The Cowboys still have to prove they can stop ground-and-pound offenses.
Ever since they were eliminated by the San Francisco 49ers last January, Mike McCarthy's team has preached the idea of becoming more physical. To win in the playoffs – when they could face a 49ers team that now has Christian McCaffrey, by the way – they must fulfill that goal.
Despite a deceiving 1-4 record, the Lions provide a good measuring stick for this defense. Not only are they the second team with the highest run percentage in early downs, but they do it in a lot of ways.
Detroit runs outside zone, duo, wham plays, counters, and many more concepts that can become a headache for any defense when executed properly.
The Lions lean on zone runs to set up big gains with pulling linemen. On top of that, they don't solely rely on fullbacks and tight ends to get some extra blocks. Even their wide receivers bring it every single play. Heck, "WR1" Amon-Ra St.-Brown sets the tone with his blocks.
The New England Patriots were able to shut out the Lions with a performance in which they were physical up front and kept Dan Campbell's offensive line from moving a lot.
But mostly, they did so by staying disciplined. If the Cowboys want to play copycat (this is the way in the NFL), they'll have their defensive ends funneling the Lions' running backs to the inside and defensive tackles occupying blocks to clean up reads for the linebackers.
But that's easier said than done, especially if you're unable to play old-school, physical, smash-mouth football.
Diante Lee made a fantastic job breaking down the Patriots' game plan for The Athletic, in case you want to check that out.
It's clear the Patriots are very disciplined and leave no gaps uncovered. Plus, they're obviously physical upfront but you can even see it with the defensive backs. For the Cowboys to slow down the Lions' productive running game they'll need exactly that.
Physicality and gap integrity every step of the way.
Perhaps we see different defensive fronts that feature "bigger" guys on the line. I wouldn't be surprised if this becomes the first game in which Micah Parsons spends most snaps as an off-ball linebacker, too.
They'll need a big outing from their second-level defense and if Parsons is truly a chess piece, you might want him making plays at linebacker instead of rushing the passer versus an offense that rarely throws on early downs.
If they're able to put together a physical performance on defense in Week 7, it will be a huge step in the right direction to finding that physical identity they lacked in last season's playoff game.
Featured image via Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
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