In Week 5, we saw a full team effort from the Dallas Cowboys veterans in order to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers on their turf. One week later, a similar effort is needed from those experienced guys in a tough matchup with the Detroit Lions.
It’s no secret the team is reeling from injuries, which has forced some of these veterans to a more prominent role with a true “next-man-up” approach.
Guys like KaVontae Turpin, Amani Oruwariye, and Tyrus Wheat all saw major increases in their snap count and involvement. Oruwariye, in particular, played 100% of the defensive snaps on Sunday night.
However, there are two Cowboys veterans on defense that have stepped up the most in recent weeks, and they will be playing their hometown team this time around.
With that in mind, let’s talk about the two Detroit natives that will play a huge role for Dallas in Week 6.
Jourdan Lewis: This One Is Personal
You may remember from 2022 and 2023 that Cornerback Jourdan Lewis has been balling out against the Lions. This Detroit native seems to have a personal chip on his shoulder when he gets to matchup with his hometown team.
Lewis has an interception in each of the Cowboys last two games against the Lions.
In addition to that, it seems “J-Lew” has remained in the mind of Detroit’s best weapon, Wide Receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown.
The All-Pro has said that Lewis’ “crazy” trash talk is like something he’s “never heard before.” In typical fashion, the long-tenured Cowboy fired back that if any of what he said was personal, he’d “probably say it again.”
Aside from the beef between Lewis and St. Brown and his previous performance against the Lions, we can’t forget how critical he is to the Cowboys defense right now, even if DaRon Bland returns this week.
The Cowboys veteran cornerback is playing great football; he’s consistently ranked as one of the top slot corners in the game this year.
With Detroit’s explosive offense coming to town, and either a depleted Cowboys secondary, or one with a rusty Bland, Lewis is poised to be one of the most important veterans on the team in Week 6.
Will we see a third consecutive Cowboys-Lions game with a Jourdan Lewis interception?
Chauncey Golston: Leading The Pass Rush
If you told me in June that by October, the Cowboys pass rush would be headed by Chauncey Golston, I would have asked what in the world happened to Sam Williams, Micah Parsons, and DeMarcus Lawrence?
Of course, we know they have all gone down with injuries. Williams will miss the entire season, and the two superstars are out for at least a few more weeks.
As we saw against the Steelers, this has elevated Golston to the top of the defensive depth chart, and he will have a major opportunity against his hometown team in Week 6.
Golston, like Lewis, was born and raised in Detroit, even playing his high school football just 15 minutes from where J-Lew played his.
This game will be an important one for Golston both personally and professionally.
We’re now in year four of his career, and he has both never played better, nor received as many snaps as he is right now. Golston led all Cowboys defensive lineman with 57 snaps played against the Steelers.
In addition to the snaps, he also just played phenomenally. In total, the former Iowa Hawkeye registered five tackles and a half a sack in Week 6.
This is a major test to see whether this Cowboys veteran can blossom into a serious player on the defensive front, or if Week 5 was just a mirage.
In short, the stakes are awfully high for Chauncey Golston against the Lions.