The 3-Dimension Defense: An Evaluation After 6 Games.
FRISCO, TX — It’s been a roller coaster ride for the Dallas Cowboys over these past four weeks, one that’s taken them to the highest of highs before dragging them through the lowest of lows, only to return them to middle ground.
That said, and despite the loss of impact players like Trevon Diggs and Leighton Vander Esch to injury, they’ve mounted up to remain one of the best defenses in the NFL and [still] the calling card for the Cowboys in 2023.
As the team enters its bye week with a promising 4-2 record, it’s time to take a look at some of the items that standout the most from the first six weeks of football.
MVP – Micah Parsons — This actually wasn’t as easy as you might think. Yes, obviously Parsons is an absolute menace who should be in the conversation for Defensive Player of the Year, but names like Osa Odighizuwa and DeMarcus Lawrence popped up in my head as well. That said, the answer remains Parsons, especially after seeing him pressure Justin Herbert eight times and then overcoming an offsides penalty on the final drive to deliver a sack on the very next play that ultimately helped lead the Cowboys to a 4-2 record.
Trevon Diggs is a huge loss for the Cowboys, both on and off the field. I think his first explosive game of the season might be the highlight of the season for me so far. For those of you who think Diggs is a bad tackler, look no further. Diggs went down in Week 1 at home against the Giants, and it was a hit on a pass intended for Sequan Barkley that knocked the ball out of his hands and over to DaRon Bland, who picked up the fumble and set the tone for the Cowboys’ defense for the rest of the season.
The Cowboys entered their game against the Arizona Cardinals on the back of a three-game winning streak in which they had run defense been one of the best in the NFL for the 2023 season. But that wasn’t the case against the Cardinals.
Rondale Moore couldn’t have cared less. With Arizona ahead 9-3 in the second half, Moore took the handoff and burst through the Cowboys’ defense for a huge 45-yard gain. It was by far the most devastating play of the season for the Cowboys’ run defense, and it tells the story of that game in the desert:
The biggest surprise – Markquese Bell – There was plenty of hype surrounding the Cowboys’ first-round pick as a hybrid safety/linebacker. The former Longhorn was a star during training camp before tearing his ACL in the first week of the regular season. The loss of Overshown left the Cowboys in need of a hybrid playmaker, and Bell was thrust into the spotlight. It’s almost as if Bell was born to play this position, even though he’s lighter than most traditional linebackers. His speed and agility are off the charts, and as we’ve seen in his dominating performance against the Chargers and running back Austin Ekeler the former FAMU star is just scratching the surface.
Key stat: 10-1. That’s resilience, folks. And it’s something Mike McCarthy’s Cowboys have proven time and time again over the last two seasons, no matter how many times they’ve been blown out the week prior. They came back from Arizona to hand Bill Belichick his worst loss of the coaching career, and then they came back into California a week later to hold Kellen Moore’s juggernaut offense to just 17 points (well, almost 10, but there were some punts and whatnot), and then sealed it with a sack, and an INT. They’re now 10-1 when they’ve taken a loss since 2021.
SEO ODIGIOUSWA
Cowboys defensive line coach aden durde had some work to do before the bye week. One of those tasks was to make a video for osa odighizuwa.
Odigie wants to spend his “off” time watching film to fix some things for the rest of the year. Given that he’s one of the best players on the defense, that’s actually a concern for his competition. He’s coming off a 7-tackle game against the Chargers. That’s a rare number for an interior player. Odigie obviously isn’t happy with what he’s done so far. So if he gets better, he’ll be a player to keep an eye on.
