FRISCO, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys’ offensive line has dealt with a plague of injuries in recent years and this week, the bug hit again. The team rarely had a consistent group of five players on the field last year and the saga continues heading into Sunday’s matchup against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field.
Left guard Connor Williams had cleanup knee surgery on Tuesday and has obviously been ruled out vs. the Lions. Xavier Su’a-Filo will take his place in the lineup. Su’a-Filo started eight regular season games last year and Dallas won seven of those eight games. I do not think it is a coincidence that around the time Su’a-Filo came in for Williams, the team hit their stride and won five-straight games. He makes a difference at the line of scrimmage.
Williams missed time in his rookie year undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery and Su’a-Filo became the contingency play. History has repeated itself in 2019 but the running game worked better last year when Su’a-Filo was playing left guard. With XSF in the lineup through his eight-game starts last year, Ezekiel Elliott’s carries, rushing yards, and yards per carry all increased.
Su’a-Filo’s ability to stay on defenders is needed on Sunday against the Lions’ 3-4 base defense. Their big defensive lineman sit and hold the line of scrimmage, making it difficult to get the run game going. Detroit’s defense is ranked low both against the run and the pass but has come close to beating solid teams. The Lions lost to the Chiefs by four points and the Packers by one. Sunday will not be a cakewalk for the Cowboys’ offense. Matt Patricia spent years absorbing information from Bill Belichick, the best in-game adjuster there is.
I chatted with Su’a-Filo on the Lions’ 3-4 front and how its challenges differ from a 4-3. He told me, “ Definitely made to stop the run; Big bodies up there, downhill linebackers, so challenging to run the ball in. Most of the guys in Detroit are bigger like Damon Harrison and A’Shawn Robinson- guys that are big in there and are able to take up two gaps. That’s their job basically; the two-gap and then they let the linebackers kinda come downhill. They don’t penetrate; they try to hold us up at the line. Whereas a 4-3, most of the structure is up the field fast like ours and like Minnesota last week. Those guys were getting up the field especially on edges, so I guess just different philosophies. “
Su’a-Filo has prepared everyday to start and is ready to take the field against Detroit. He made an impact on the gridiron last year and has made even greater progress since.
“ I feel my overall technique has grown both in the run and pass game,” Su’a-Filo told me.
“ I really feel being here- being in this system, being here with these guys, and really learning the technique has helped. When you are so familiar with it and it becomes second nature, then you don’t have to think about it as much. I just feel overall I have improved in my game.”
He will have the opportunity to show his newfound growth on the field against Detroit. Zeke was boggled up at the line against the Vikings last week, but I would look for him to have a big game against the Lions.
Right guard Zack Martin is dealing with a plethora of issues: back, ankle, and elbow. He participated in practice in a limited fashion on Thursday and Friday but will play on Sunday. Right tackle La’el Collins is the question mark. Collins did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday, and was limited on Friday. I am told he is expected to play on Sunday and that the team purposefully held him in the hopes of him playing against Detroit. In the rare event he does not, Cam Fleming with act as the swing tackle.
