Dallas Cowboys: Has Sean Lee been better than Leighton Vander Esch?

Sean Lee – Expectations vs. Performance

When I heard Vander Esch would be out for the Patriots game, I wasn’t that upset. Don’t get me wrong. I love the guy, and I hope he gets healthy soon. But I wondered how Lee, who’s been excellent in limited play this year, would fare as a starter for the first time since early last year.

Though the Cowboys weren’t great in other areas of the game, Lee did not disappoint. He looked like the Sean Lee of old: quickly spotting the Patriots’ direction, and attacking the ball.

The Cowboys defense was better as a whole, limiting the Patriots to 291 yards of total offense and only one touchdown. They only scored that touchdown after a blocked punt.

If it weren’t for an egregious special teams mistake by the Cowboys, New England might not have scored a single touchdown. Heck, Dallas might have won the game.

Again, I don’t mean to overstate things. I think the torrent of criticism against the Cowboys is warranted. Special teams play was particularly atrocious, and the coaching staff made some other bad decisions. But there was at least one bright spot. His name is Sean Lee.

Hopefully, Vander Esch is on the mend. I think he’s likely going through the dreaded sophomore slump that’s afflicted other great players, like the Cowboys’ own quarterback Dak Prescott, whose weakest season so far was his second, by a country mile.

At least, I hope Vander Esch is just experiencing a slump, or some temporary effects of ill health.  Hopefully, he’ll soon be back to his Pro Bowl level of 2018.  Or ideally, even better.  That’s what happened with Prescott.  After his slump, he’s been even better.

But in the meantime, I’m really glad the Cowboys have Sean Lee to help out. It’s good to have the General on the team.