Sunday's game against the Baltimore Ravens will tell us a lot about where the Dallas Cowboys stand in the NFL hierarchy. While both squads are 1-1, the Ravens are typically one of the AFC's best teams when they have a healthy Lamar Jackson.
Like any team that faces Baltimore, limiting the damage Jackson can inflict will be pivotal. Nobody truly slows him down, but if the Cowboys can generate pressure and keep their composure when he escapes the pocket, they can leave South America with a win.
Jackson certainly seems to think Dallas' pass rush will be disruptive. Here's what the Ravens QB said when he was asked about Christian Parker's defense and the Cowboys being known as America's Team (h/t Jon Machota, The Athletic).
“Yes, but this is America. That is Brazil. So we will see, we will see. But I have seen (the Cowboys) pass rushers – they are unbelievable. They get after the quarterback a lot and disrupt the pass game a lot. But it is football at the end of the day, you know? We are just going to have to go out there and do what we (are) supposed to do.”
That's flattering coming from a two-time MVP, but he's talking about the Cowboys like they still have Micah Parsons flying off the edge.
Lamar Jackson's praise of Cowboys' pass rush is suspiciously generous
A couple of things can be true here.
Either Jackson is genuinely bullish on a Cowboys pass rush that, while active, has just one sack through two games, or he's partaking in classic mind games so as to avoid giving Dallas any extra motivation.
Maybe Jackson sees something in the pass rush that we don't. That one sack, by the way, came from rookie defensive back Caleb Downs.
Donovan Ezeiruaku is tied with Quinnen Williams and Rashan Gary for the team lead with five pressures. Rookie first-round pick Malachi Lawrence has four pressures and currently leads all Cowboys defenders with a 26.9 percent pass-rush win rate. And even that number is skewed by the fact that Lawrence has only played 27 pass-rush snaps. He's not going to keep winning at that clip.
For perspective, 17 teams have a player with at least eight pressures, and six have a player with at least 10, per PFF. Meanwhile, 28 players across the league have already recorded multiple sacks. The Cowboys have one sack as an entire defense, and it didn't even come from a defensive lineman.
Cowboys need to start finishing off pressures with sacks
Pressures and pass-rush win rate are the most accurate barometers for assessing pass-rush efficiency. After all, sacks may only happen once every 25 pass-rush snaps. Pressures provide a more complete picture of how consistently a defender is affecting the quarterback, even if he doesn't finish the play with a sack.
There's serious value in creating pressure, but at some point, you have to get home. And the Cowboys have struggled to finish off wins with sacks. Ezeiruaku alone could've had three sacks in Week 2, but he couldn't corral Jayden Daniels or Marcus Mariota.
Just as it takes a lot of skill to win your matchup, it takes skill to finish the rep. Pressure can force an errant throw or a throwaway, but sacks often put offenses behind the sticks and can completely derail a drive. At some point, the Cowboys have to start turning disruption into production.
Calling the Dallas pass rush "disruptive' is very generous. It has had moments, but I'd be lying if I said I've been impressed by Donovan Ezeiuraku, Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clark, Rashan Gary, and Malachi Lawrence as a collective. In fact, they've disappointed.
Lamar must see something we don't.
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