Chris Carson Test Case For Dallas’ Run Defense In Facing Todd Gurley in Divisional Round
FRISCO, Texas – With the Eagles victory over the Bears, the Dallas Cowboys will face the L.A. Rams on the road on Saturday in the Divisional Round of playoffs. Throughout the 2018 season, the Cowboys have faced some of the league’s most elite running backs: Alvin Kamara, Christian McCaffrey, Chris Carson, and Adrian Peterson and Saquon Barkley twice. Now Dallas’ defense will face another in Todd Gurley come Saturday.
Against the Seahawks in the NFC Wild Card Round, the Cowboys run defense held Chris Carson to 13 carries for 20 yards, and their offense to 73 total rushing yards. They shut down the NFL’s top ranked rush offense that averaged the most rushing yards per game, and on Saturday, they will need another solid performance against L.A.
I spoke with Jason Garrett and he stated, “ Our defense did a great job defending the run up front and controlling the line of scrimmage with gaps and edges. We did a great job tackling. They were persistent in running the ball. Three and outs were big. We contained and controlled the pocket. “
Defense wins championships and on Saturday, their performance on the field will be imperative to the outcome of the ballgame. Not only do the Rams’ have an exceptional runner in Gurley, who was the NFL’s leading scorer (nonkicker) concluding the regular season with 21 total TD’s and 132 points, but they have a solid passing attack as well. As of week 17, the Rams were ranked No.2 in total offense, third in rushing and fifth in passing.
The Hotboyz will have to clog up the line of scrimmage eliminating running lanes for Gurley, and they will have to put pressure on Goff in the pocket, limiting his throwing time and forcing him to make contested throws. This will be a difficult task with Sean McVay’s diverse coaching style. McVay is a young offensive guru, and the Cowboys’ defense will have their hands full with the Rams’ offensive nucleus: quarterback Jared Goff, running back Todd Gurley, and wideout threat Brandin Cooks. All three have had a standout season. Goff has completed 364 of 561 attempts for 4,688 passing yards, 32 TD’s, 12 interceptions, and a 101.1 QB rating. Gurley has amassed 256 carries for 1,251 rushing yards, a 4.9 average, and 17 TD’s (rushing). Cooks has amassed 80 receptions for 1,204 receiving yards, a 15.1 average, and five touchdowns (receiving).
The Cowboys’ defense has been consistently one of the best in the league this season with DeMarcus Lawrence’s power off the edge to get to QB’s, Antwaun Woods’ penetration in the interior, and Leighton Vander Esch and Jaylon Smith’s ability from sideline to sideline to get to ball carriers and make tackles. Saturday will be an all-or-nothing battle between arguably the NFC’s best offense (Rams) and best defense (Cowboys) going head-to-head.
