It has been a difficult season to be a fan of the Dallas Cowboys. It’s been a difficult few years, actually. If you’re in your late 30s or older like I am, it’s been a long 29 years since we last felt the thrill of a deep playoff run, much less a Super Bowl victory.
That thrill won’t be coming this season either, so don’t hold your breath. Yesterday’s blowout loss has nothing to do with it, but the Cowboys are officially eliminated from playoff contention as of last week. Philadelphia came into the game without their starting quarterback after Jalen Hurts suffered a concussion in last week’s loss at Washington.
Still, the Eagles defense forced four turnovers and turned those big plays into 24 points, including an opening drive interception returned for touchdown by S C.J. Gardner-Johnson. A Cowboys offense who looked so efficient over the past few weeks was rendered inept by a disruptive Eagles front seven.
Although QB Cooper Rush was only sacked once, the pressure in his face from defensive tackles Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis limited the offense to quick throws near the line of scrimmage. Pressure on the quarterback is the name of the game, and even though the Cowboys didn’t get to Kenny Pickett, you’d be surprised to hear that the Cowboys lead the NFL in sack rate percentage this season.
Mind you, these stats are from before the conclusion of week 17, so they have likely changed. However, you can’t deny the Cowboys leading the NFL with a whopping 9.45% sack percentage over the last three games. That stretch is likely what catapulted them to #1 in the league.
How Could They Have Accomplished This?
To the casual fan, the Cowboys leading the league in sack percentage while Micah Parsons is on the team is not a remarkable feat. However, to those fans who keep up with the team all year long, and not just when the lights are bright, we know that the Cowboys overcame insurmountable odds.
The position most responsible for pressuring the quarterback and generating sacks is the defensive end position. Dallas was hit hard by free agency and the injury bug in that exact position room.
Veterans Dante Fowler Jr. and Dorance Armstrong both followed Dan Quinn to Washington this past offseason, and the Cowboys did not address the position in free agency. Instead, they drafted DE Marshawn Kneeland in the 2nd round, and felt confident with the position for 2025.
Disaster struck in training camp when projected starter Sam Williams went down with a torn ACL, ending his 2024 season before it even started. Defensive captain DeMarcus Lawrence was lost to a foot injury just four games into the season, and never returned to the field. Kneeland suffered a knee injury and missed six games before returning to the lineup.
Micah Parsons also suffered a high ankle sprain and missed four games. DC Mike Zimmer made it happen with journeymen like Carl Lawson and Carlos Watkins mixed with versatile players like Chauncey Golston.
Is The Lion The Key?
Most of the pass rushing damage done by the Cowboys defense has come in recent weeks, and I don’t think the reason could be any more obvious. Since returning from a high ankle sprain, Micah Parsons leads the NFL in nearly every pass-rushing stat.
Parsons missed games versus Pittsburgh, Detroit, San Francisco, and Atlanta. In those four games, the Cowboys went 1-3 and generated 11 sacks, a 2.75 sack per game average. In eight games since Parsons’ return, the Cowboys sack per game average shot up to 3.5 sacks per game.
In that same span, Parsons has recorded 8.0 of his 9.5 sacks on the season, leading the NFL in pressure rate since his return. Parsons has been rushing the passer from both sides of the formation, finding success despite not having a bona fide pass rusher opposite him.
Parsons and the Cowboys have one more game to add to their sack total before packing it in for the offseason.