The Dallas Cowboys’ defense enters Week 12 as one of the most disappointing units in the entire NFL. They have given up the most rushing touchdowns, rank in the bottom five in rushing yards allowed, and rank second to last in allowed yards per completion.
This defense was poised for a big season but never came to be. Defensive Coordinator Mike Zimmer hasn’t done the job we expected, and injuries have taken out big players.
Seemingly everybody has missed time from injury this season: Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, and the vaunted cornerback duo, DaRon Bland and Trevon Diggs, have all battled something.
While Lawrence is still missing from foot surgery, the Cowboys should have the trio of Parsons, Bland, and Diggs back on the field against the Commanders.
What does this mean for the defense? For starters, it means excuses are running out for this slumping group.
Secondary Must Improve
Out of all the position groups playing this Sunday, the Cowboys’ secondary is the one that must improve the most.
We’ve seen this unit battered by injuries throughout the year, but with Bland, Diggs, and Jourdan Lewis all on the field at the same time, Dallas will be at full strength in the secondary for the first time this season.
Both safeties, Donovan Wilson and Malik Hooker, are healthy, and rookie Cornerback Caelen Carson is fully healed up as well. The only notable absence for the Dallas secondary will be Markquese Bell.
This group on the Cowboys’ defense will face a tough challenge in their first game healthy, as rookie Quarterback Jayden Daniels has pumped life into Washington.
The Commanders have a top-ten passing offense, and a top-three rushing offense in the league, and weapons like Terry McLaurin always present a challenge to the secondary.
Just a few weeks ago, it would have been hard to make the case that the Dallas secondary had a chance against this offense, but that is no longer the case.
Bland and Diggs need to make their presence felt and bring back that dominant performance that brought them to where they are today. There are no excuses for the secondary; it’s a tough matchup, but they need to be tougher.
Pass Rush Should Reap The Benefits
It has often been said that a good secondary creates a good pass rush, and that needs to prove true if the Cowboys are going to have a shot this Sunday.
The longer it takes the quarterback to find a target and throw to them, the more time the pass rush has to collapse the pocket, force sacks, and even turnovers. The problem is, Dallas has not had much of that this season.
Zimmer’s defense ranks in the bottom ten in sacks this year, and while the absences of Parsons, Lawrence, and more are surely to blame, the best of that group is playing in Week 12.
Micah Parsons was out there for Dallas against Houston, though you wouldn’t know it from the box score.
The three-time All-Pro registered just one tackle against C.J. Stroud’s offense, but he did score an estimated 10 pressures against the quarterback.
What that tells us is that Parsons did a good job creating some chaos in the pocket for Stroud, but he wasn’t able to finish consistently, and he didn’t have enough help from the secondary behind him.
This week, that shouldn’t be a problem for him, which means we need to see some sacks from Parsons.
Daniels is too quick for most defensive ends to catch, but most defensive ends aren’t Micah Parsons. He is uniquely suited to match Daniels’ athleticism in the pursuit of sacks, tackles for loss, and forced throws.
How can the Cowboys’ defense pull off the upset on Sunday? The secondary needs to make plays and improve in coverage and the pass rush must improve because of that.