FRISCO, Texas – After putting together a season-worst defensive output against the Denver Broncos a week ago, Dan Quinn’s unit sparked an onslaught victory vs. the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. The Cowboys’ defensive demolition was spearheaded by slot cornerback, Jourdan Lewis. Matt Ryan continuously targeted the defensive back early, and he made the man under center regret his decision at AT&T Stadium. Lewis set the tone defensively that spurred the squad’s dominance on third down, garnering praise from coordinator, Quinn.
“One of the players who really jumped out to me – not one of the players who’s not well known but – is Jourdan Lewis. His intensity, his ability to bring it: he just captured that style really early. I went down from halftime and said, “Man, J Lew is on it.” I just felt his aggressiveness.”
Lewis finished the NFC beatdown with three pass breakups and an interception in the fourth, picking off Falcons’ backup quarterback, Josh Rosen. The interception brought his season total to two, however the number would have been higher if not for the Diggs’ defensive pass interference penalty that negated his pick the week before. Lewis’ back-to-back passes defensed early in the ball game embodied the team’s standard of excellence. He sent a clear message not only to the Falcons but also to the league – he is not to be underrated anymore. What he lacks in size, Lewis makes up for with sure playmaking ability and speed.
Film Breakdown:
*From third and seven in the first quarter (4:16), Lewis lined up across from Kyle Pitts in press coverage on the outside of the formation. Pitts ran an outbreaking route towards the sideline and Ryan identified the single coverage. He released the ball and Lewis mirrored Pitts after his cut to the sideline and extended his arm to batt down the pass for an incompletion. Lewis maintained leverage to make the stop. Fourth down.
*From fourth and seven (4:12), Lewis was in man-coverage on Russell Gage at the line of scrimmage. Gage was lined up on the inside and ran an underneath route over the middle of the field. However, Lewis remained tied to his assignment’s hip and his instincts voided the first down for Atlanta. He undercut the pass before reaching Gage’s hands, forcing a turnover on downs. Dak Prescott and co. stepped back on the field.
Following Lewis’ fourth-and-seven stop, The Falcons were stalled on three straight possessions, resulting in a punt (three plays, five yards), another punt (three plays, -10 yards), and a blocked punt for a touchdown (three plays, -8 yards).
“He was so urgent in and out of the breaks and I thought: That’s really the definition of a slot player,” Dan Quinn described. “So many times, when you put a wide receiver from outside and you put him inside, there are option routes. In other words, you have a certain leverage on me, well it’s going to be hard for me to break outside so how can I break back inside? You can imagine how difficult that can be to defend. You have to have excellent quickness and tackling ability because the nickel almost plays in some linebacker roles at times. So those were the attributes I saw from him to say: Man, what a good role he’s going to have. I just felt his intensity, his urgency in the game. You never know who’s going to be the one to set it off.”
In 2021, Lewis has established himself as a premier cornerback and has flown under the radar behind star-studded names such as Trevon Diggs and Micah Parsons. However, the 26-year-old is on pace to compiling a career-best campaign on the gridiron.
Last season, Lewis started 13 games and notched 60 tackles, 2.0 sacks, five tackles for loss, two pass deflections, and a fumble recovery. The Cowboys selected Lewis in the third round of the 2017 NFL draft out of Michigan. Over the past four seasons in Dallas, he has accumulated 176 combined tackles, 6.0 sacks, 19 passes defended, and four interceptions in 61 career games.
At 5’10, 170 pounds, Lewis may not be the prototypical frame of an NFL cornerback or have the length that many coaches covet, but his aggressive mentality, tackling ability and ball skills differentiate him on the field. He possesses the quickness to suffocate receivers and uses his hands to disrupt timing on routes, fighting for the ball in the air. In Quinn’s mind when he took over as defensive coordinator in 2021, Lewis is the “ideal” slot corner.
“I would say he’s way past scrappy. And the reason I say that is this guy is a real competitor in terms of every which way you go. You see it on the practice field, in the meeting room. He’s such an accountable guy too. He’s down for any challenge. So, I just love how physical he is, how competitive he is. He doesn’t know that he’s smaller and shorter in stature. He just knows ‘This is how I play, and I go after it.’ There are definitely players like that, not only on our team but around the league that maybe do not fit a profile, but you better not overlook a player like that because they know how to play. And I think Jourdan’s a great example of that. His speed, his quickness, his football smarts, his toughness, all those things kind of wrap together and say this is the ideal player that you want playing in the slot.”
