Breaking Down the Dallas Cowboys Defense Player-by-Player
Looking back at the good, bad, and indifferent for the Dallas Cowboys defense in the first six games of the 2016 NFL season.
With the Dallas Cowboys (5-1) enjoying a much needed bye week, it seems like the perfect time to take a look back at the first six games and break down the strengths and weaknesses of the defense.
This 2016 Cowboys defense looks much closer to the 2014 version than it does to the 2015 Cowboys defense.
While allowing 358.3 yards per game (16th in the NFL), the defense has been the definition of bend-but-don’t-break.
Despite being middle of the pack in yardage allowances, the Cowboys have only allowed 17.8 points per game (7th in the league), which is a major improvement compared to 2015 where they allowed 23.4 points per game.
The defense has also forced nine turnovers in six games (1.5 per game), only two less than the 11 turnovers they forced all of last season (0.7 per game).
If you look at the difference in passing and rushing yardage allowed per game, it is apparent that opposing offenses are playing this defense differently- likely due in large part to the offensive success that the Cowboys are having.
Dallas is allowing 92.2 rushing yards per game (10th in the NFL), but are allowing 4.4 yards per carry which is 23rd in the NFL. In 2015 they allowed 120.9 rushing yards per game and 4.2 yards per carry.
The Cowboys have only allowed two rushing touchdowns in six games so far this season which is quite impressive.
The defense is giving up 266 pass yards per game (21st in the league), which is nearly 40 more passing yards than the defense allowed last year.
A lot of the credit for the increased turnovers as well as the reduced scoring allowance has to be given to the Cowboys secondary. Analytic site Pro Football Focus has Dallas rated as the fourth best secondary in the NFL this season, a major jump from their ranking of 30th in 2015.
In fact, you could say that the secondary is performing at an elite level in spite of an inconsistent at best pass rush in front of them.
The Cowboys have registered 11 sacks (ranked 22nd), which is on pace to be very similar to the number of sacks the defense accumulated last year. However, they are only registering a sack on 4.58 percent of pass plays (23rd in the NFL), down from 5.77 percent in 2015.
A good majority of those sacks can be directly attributed to the secondary as well, meaning that they are mostly what are called “coverage sacks”- where the quarterback simply had to hold the ball for too long with no receivers getting open.
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The Cowboys have been quite stingy when the opposition gets into the red zone which is a crucial metric for success. Dallas is allowing a touchdown on 52.58 percent of opposing red zone possessions (13th best in the NFL).
Luckily, the Cowboys have been good in the red zone and have also been good at forcing turnovers- because they have been among the worst in the league in allowing third down conversions.
Dallas has allowed opposing offenses to convert third downs 45.07 percent of the time, ranking 29th in the NFL in that key stat.
Despite the lack of a consistent pass rush and a need for making more third down stops, this defense is far from being the laughing stock of the league that we have come to expect from Dallas defenses in past seasons.
If the Cowboys want to go from making noise early in the year to being legitimate Super Bowl contenders, a pass rush is going to have to come from somewhere.
That being said, there are plenty of bright spots to appreciate through the first six games and you have to give defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli a lot of credit for how well this defense is playing as a whole.
Morris Claiborne, Cornerback
Pro Football Focus Grade – 82.3
22 tackles, 2 for loss
1 interception, 5 passes defensed
1 recovered fumble
It would be hard to argue against the fact that Mo Claiborne has been the Cowboys defensive MVP through the first six games.
Lining up as the left corner, a switch back to his more natural side after playing most of his pro career on the right side, Claiborne has been as consistent as any cornerback in the league at defending elite receivers.
He has clearly found the confidence that seemed to have been missing in his first several seasons in the league after being snake bitten with injuries.
Speaking of injuries, Claiborne suffered a concussion in the Week 6 game against the Green Bay Packers but he should be good to go in the Week 8 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles following the bye.