With so many storylines emerging from Sunday’s divisional win against the Philadelphia Eagles, the dominating performance turned in by the Dallas Cowboys defense is getting lost in the shuffle. The team entered the game already missing star wide receiver Dez Bryant and rookie defensive end Randy Gregory. Starting guard Ronald Leary, who entered the day a game-time decision Sunday with a groin injury, also did not play. Things got worse for Dallas when the team lost franchise quarterback Tony Romo to a broken clavicle. Through it all, however, the Dallas defense that has been a punchline at times over the past few seasons rose to the occasion against the high-powered Eagles attack.
With both Romo and Bryant expected to be out for an extended period, Dallas will need to lean on their offensive line and this defense. Sunday’s performance should give the team some confidence that they can hold steady until the players can return. The Cowboys defense swarmed all game and were led by Sean Lee who had a game-high 14 tackles. Lee was all over the field and was a big reason why DeMarco Murray could not get on track. Dallas held Murray, last season’s NFL leading rusher, to just two yards on thirteen carries. Lee, who returned last week from missing all of 2014 with an ACL injury, added a key interception in the end zone as the Eagles tried to get back in the game. He even recovered an onside kick attempt late in the game. Lee and Murray had some famous training camp battles over the years, and Lee was on top of Murray in the backfield on several occasions.
Lee wasn’t alone in stellar play on defense against Philadelphia. Obviously, it takes a group effort to hold a talented group like Philadelphia to just 10 points. While the Eagles seemed out of sync with several new pieces on offense, the Cowboys’ energy and execution of Rod Marinelli’s defensive plan certainly played a big part. The Cowboys didn’t just do a solid job against Murray, but Ryan Matthews and Darren Sproles were also non-factors in the running and passing games. The Cowboys did a great job handling the dangerous Sproles in the open field. As Marinelli noted in his post-game interview, there was no special scheme the team played. They focused on playing their defense and each player carrying out their responsibility. In addition to Lee and a front 7 that was active all day, the Dallas secondary was outstanding. The Eagles’ scheme is designed to put pressure on the secondary and create difficult matchups. The secondary had a strong performance, and rookie Byron Jones was especially impressive. Jones drew a tough assignment in tight end Zach Ertz. Jones was able to be physical with Ertz all day as well as match his speed. His coverage on Ertz led to the deflection of the pass that J.J. Wilcox intercepted in the fourth quarter. While the entire secondary was solid, the rookie certainly stood out and has been impressive early in his career.
With injuries really putting the offensive side of the ball in a tough spot, the Dallas Cowboys will be looking to the defense for help. The Cowboys will try to run the ball more and lean on their offensive line, but nothing will help backup quarterback Brandon Weeden more than a defense that can continue to get stops. While Weeden has some positive traits, he does not have Tony Romo’s play-making ability. Dallas will not be looking for Weeden to win games for them, but rather they will turn to this defense to keep up their strong start to the season.