The Dallas Cowboys haven't shied away from the expectations they've set for themselves.
Tuesday's joint practice against the Los Angeles Rams, the consensus Super Bowl favorite, was their first opportunity to back up the talk. And they passed with flying colors.
Of course, everyone was glued to how Christian Parker's defense performed against Sean McVay and reigning MVP Matthew Stafford. Highlighted by Justin Barron's three-interception day, Parker's unit more than held its own.
According to Patrik Walker of DallasCowboys.com, Stafford "really struggled" to figure out Parker's coverage, noting that his good plays were "outnumbered" by Cowboys pass breakups, throwaways, and wonky passes.
You finally have permission to dream, Cowboys fans, that Dallas could field a competitive defense again.
Christian Parker's Cowboys defense was up to the challenge vs. the Rams
Additionally, Walker noted that Parker "schemed his a-- off", tallying at least four sacks, the aforementioned three INTs, and neutralizing the Rams' run game.
The Dallas Cowboys? Being competitive with — and arguably winning the day against — a Rams offense that ranked top five in every meaningful metric last season? That does not align with reality. Is this a fever dream?
Just to paint a clearer picture, McVay's squad was second in EPA per play last season, including first in success rate, third in dropback EPA, fourth in rush EPA, second in dropback success rate, and first in rush success rate, per RBSDM.
Obviously, McVay didn't unleash his entire playbook. He likely kept things vanilla so as not to reveal too much.
But before you dismiss Dallas' big day as McVay concealing the goods, the Rams do not allow video during team drills. It's not like McVay was putting anything particularly sensitive on tape for the rest of the league to dissect.
Even if McVay dialed it back some, do you remember how outmatched Matt Eberflus' defense was against the Rams in last year's joint practice? They weren't competitive. By all accounts, Tuesday's performance was night and day relative to the last time these teams met.
That's what matters.
It's finally OK to be optimistic about a Dallas Cowboys defense
A number of Cowboys were up to the task. Not just Barron.
Donovan Ezeiruaku had a sack, Shavon Revel forced a fumble and registered two PBUs, DeMarvion Overshown and Dee Winters each made multiple plays at linebacker, and Quinnen Williams, fresh off signing a $105 million extension with Dallas, sacked Stafford. Those are just some of the headlines.
Nobody is anointing the Cowboys as an elite defense. But it's genuinely impossible to overstate how terrible the defense played in last year's joint practice. The Rams might as well have been facing a college defense. It was all a precursor to the worst defensive season in franchise history.
That's why it's so encouraging that Parker's group held its own in its first competitive setting against another team, let alone one of the game's premier offenses.
If you're not in the business of overreacting to joint practices, that's fine. At least revel in the fact that the Cowboys no longer have a vanilla defense. Parker's scheme made life difficult for Stafford, and the players executed their roles.
That's all you wanted to see.
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