Some information given to us courtesy of Blogging the Boys’ David Halprin.
In preparing for Sunday’s matchup against the Dallas Cowboys, Blogging the Boys’ David Halprin and I sat down for a Q&A for one another’s publications.
1. Last week, the Cowboys suffered a rough 44-19 loss to the New Orleans Saints. What made this game so lopsided? Does this feel like a one-off situation or are their significant worries?
With all the fancy offenses and defenses in the modern NFL, and the emphasis on motion, misdirection, disguise, etc., sometimes the easiest way to win a football game is to win the war in the trenches. The Saints are getting a lot of credit for their new offense under Klint Kubiak, and he has done a phenomenal job, but the key to New Orleans winning the game was the fact they absolutely blew the Dallas defensive line off the ball. There are clips of Cowboys defensive tackles getting knocked five yards backwards with very little resistance. The linebackers couldn’t flow to the ball when they made the right read because so much traffic was already in front of them. Add in the fact that the Cowboys vaunted pass rush was completely stifled, giving Derek Carr all day to survey the field and drop dimes on the secondary, it was a total disaster.
The Cowboys inability to stop the run has been an on-going issue for this team. They have relied on the offense scoring points and forcing other teams to abandon the run and become more one-dimensional, then allowing their pass rush to feast, and their ballhawks to get the turnovers. But if a team can hold the Cowboys offense in check, and they have a decent run game, they can dictate the game to the Cowboys defense. The Saints did that and more. But when it comes down to it, they were just much more physical than Dallas and beat them into submission.
2. Through two weeks the Cowboys red zone defense has allowed touchdowns at an 85.7% clip. What are the primary issues in the red zone?
A lot of that number is because the Saints scored touchdowns just about every time they touched the ball. The defense actually shut the Browns offense down in Week 1, only to give up some garbage time touchdowns. So really we are talking about the Saints game for all practical purposes, and they were just able to do anything they wanted because we couldn’t stop the run and we couldn’t pressure the passer. If you can’t do at least one of those items, then you are going to give up touchdowns at an alarming clip, and that is what happened. The Cowboys front seven on defense got dominated.
3. It would appear the Cowboys are strong at every spot the Ravens are weak. Elite pass rusher against a struggling offensive line. Elite wide receiver against a secondary struggling to slow elite wideouts. A kicking unit that can outperform the lauded Justin Tucker. Are there areas you see the Ravens strong where the Cowboys are weak?
It feels weird to keep coming back to one thing but it is really about the run game. The Cowboys defense under Dan Quinn struggled to stop the run, and against the Saints Mike Zimmer’s defense did the same. The Cowboys have a very underwhelming group of defensive tackles with Osa Odighizuwa being the only one who stands out in any way. So if you want to bulldoze Derrick Henry between the tackles, then let Lamar Jackson stretch the Cowboys to the sideline while also using his legs on scrambles, the odds are you will rack up plenty of yards. The Cowboys pass rush is usually better than what they showed in Week 2, and the secondary is very good at turnovers. So bludgeon them with the run.
The Cowboys own run game has still not shown it can work. Ezekiel Elliott is definitely on the downside of his career, and the run blocking is a work in progress so far. The Cowboys are starting two rookies on the line, and even though they have talent, it hasn’t come together yet. So Dallas isn’t likely going to use the run game to control the flow of the game.
4. If you were the Ravens’ defensive coordinator, how would you scheme to slow/stop the Cowboys’ offense?
The number one thing the Ravens should do is make sure CeeDee Lamb doesn’t dominate the game. As a defensive coordinator I would likely give a double team to him on almost all passing plays. Play a safety over the top to help with deeper patterns, use a linebacker to help bracket him underneath. I would force Dak Prescott to throw to anybody but Lamb. This isn’t to say that Dallas doesn’t have other weapons, but they are just more inconsistent. Brandin Cooks and Jake Ferguson (if he plays) can hurt you, but I would take that chance over letting Lamb get loose.
Also, attack the offensive tackles. Tyler Guyton is a rookie, and even though he looks like he will be really good, I would still test him as much as I could. Also, right tackle Terence Steele is not the greatest pass protector so attacking the edges of the line with blitzes, stunts etc. is the way to go.
5. How do you see this game unfolding? Score prediction?
It is so hard to predict the Cowboys. In Week 1 they looked very good against the Browns. In Week 2, they were so bad. I have no idea which team will show up on Sunday. Since it is still early in the season and I don’t want to give up my optimism yet, I’ll take a Cowboys win. The plan is the Cowboys defense recovers and makes the rushing yards at least somewhat difficult to come by and force Jackson into the passing game. On offense, there has to be a better effort of finishing drives. We’ve kicked so many field goals this year. They need to have a red zone package that features something different. Cowboys 24 – Ravens 20.