OnOff
FRISCO, Texas — The 5-4 Dallas Cowboys hit the road to take on the 3-5 Detroit Lions at Ford Field on Sunday. The two teams have met 28 times with Dallas leading the series 16-12. The Cowboys have won the last three.
In Sunday’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings, a visible issue emerged for Dallas, missed tackles. Dalvin Cook gashed the Cowboys’ defense and finished with 183 total yards (97 rushing, 86 receiving).
Defensive backs’ coach Kris Richard told me, “We have to have our cleats in the grass. We have to do a better job of hitting bigger and not committing too soon on the running backs’ legs. When you are dealing with good backs in this league, sometimes you just have to take a charge, it’s not always going to be a splash hit and you are the one in favor of you. Sometimes you may get knocked back a little, we don’t want that but when you are dealing with a good back it can happen. “
Come Sunday, the defense has to do a better setting edges and rallying to the football against the Lions. Regardless of the starter at quarterback for Detroit, Kenny Golladay will be the go-to target. He is a solid route runner and makes contested catches downfield. Golladay has averaged over 19 yards a catch in the past three games (Giants-20.5 avg., Raiders-33.0 avg., Bears-19.0 avg.) and can work over the top of cornerbacks. The Cowboys’ secondary will have to have tight coverage against No. 19.
Offensively, the Cowboys will need to get off to a fast start against the Lions’ 3-4 base defense. Head coach Matt Patricia spent many years under Bill Belichick as the defensive coordinator for the Patriots and is a solid in-game adjuster having been around one of the best in the business. A 3-4 scheme makes it difficult to get the running game going because the defensive lineman sit and hold the line of scrimmage. Ezekiel Elliott was stuffed against the Vikings last Sunday recording 20 carries for 47 yards. The Cowboys need to get the ground game rolling to help set up the pass. Dallas did a good job last week compensating in the passing game with Dak Prescott (28/46, 397 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT), Amari Cooper (11 receptions, 147 yards, 13.4 average, 1 TD), Randall Cobb (6 receptions, 106 yards, 17.7 average, 1 TD), and Michael Gallup (4 receptions, 76 yards, 19.0 average, 1 TD) all stepping up and moving the chains, but the team needs a balanced attack.
I discussed Detroit’s 3-4 front with Jason Witten and he said, “Their defensive coordinator was my tight end coach here, so I know what he is all about. He is a fundamentalist, a technique driven coach, and it shows up in the play. Their big, strong, they have good awareness of run lanes and rush lanes, and they understand what defensive lineman’s job is. It’s not just about them in that system getting sacks and creating pressure. They play their role really well. That’s the first thing that sticks out and I think more than anything else, their ability to play physical; they’re a physical team, you have a challenge knowing that. Not only are they big and strong, but also they play that way, so I mean Trey Flowers, it’s the first time I really got to study him and watch him and he is a touch matchup. “
A big factor in the game for Dallas will be cleaning up the communication issues with players/coaches being on the same page to eliminate unnecessary errors on the field.
