Dallas Cowboys offer a bounce back beatdown victory
By Riley Donald
Dallas Cowboys defense played textbook complementary football
Defensively, the game plan by the Cowboys was the textbook definition of complementary football. The offense got out to an early lead and the defense fed off that energy by stonewalling the Falcons on their final 11 drives after allowing an opening drive field goal. Complimentary football wins games and this defense did everything asked of them and more.
The secondary saw three cornerbacks, Trevon Diggs, Jourdan Lewis, and Anthony Brown, all picking off the Falcons quarterbacks. Dan Quinn has these guys playing as ballhawks and it could not be more evident.
The defensive line held their own and played an integral part in the Falcons mustering up a total of 214 yards on offense. Micah Parsons continued wreaking havoc with another sack and tackle for loss. We also saw Dorance Armstrong make the most of his opportunity after being inactive by getting on the board with a sack.
The Cowboys’ defense didn’t just rely on the offense building a lead, though. They stepped up on the money downs. Holding a team to 1-11 (9%) on third down and 0-2 on fourth down will win a lot of games.
The Cowboys’ defense got to play with a lead and knew they could force the issue from the Falcons. This defense is dangerous when they get teams in predictable situations and we saw them capitalize with turnovers and allow the offense to turn this thing into a blowout early.