The Dallas Cowboys have ended Monday night in the ‘win’ column. You will have some who will discount the victory since it wasn’t against the 49ers or Eagles.
Others, like me, will take the win and keep pushing.
The offense was up and down but very efficient when they needed to be. The stars started to shine brighter as the game progressed.
CeeDee Lamb probably had his best game of the season, confirming that he is every bit of a number-one receiver. Brandin Cooks made some crucial catches.
More importantly for Dallas, Dak Prescott took care of the ball and converted two touchdowns in the red zone.
For the defense, penalties continue to cost them at the absolute worst times.
Even still, the Cowboys were able to neutralize one of the Los Angeles’ Charges most lethal weapons in Austin Ekeler.
Why is that, one would ask? I point no further than a hybrid player who continues to come on.
Markquese Bell showed the world why Dan Quinn has so much faith in him
The Dallas Cowboys have tried different approaches in their linebacker ranks.
Since Dan Quinn has taken over the defense, they drafted players like Jabril Cox to play that coverage linebacker role, but it didn’t work out.
In this past draft, DeMarvion Overshown was supposed to be that guy. But to no fault of his own, injuries cut his season short.
Dallas didn’t go shopping when that happened. They stood pat with the guys they had.
It left fans and everyone writing about them scratching their heads a bit. Well, that was until this past Monday night.
He lined up 33 times in the box area. That was by design. The Chargers rely on Austin Ekeler’s dual-threat ability.
He can run between the tackles and take a short pass a very long way.
He had none of that none of that on Monday night. Bell ended the game with seven total tackles; some were pure impact stops.
#CowboysNation #Dallascowboys #Cowboys LB Markquese Bell
-7 total tackles
-4 Solo Tackles
-5 defensive stops at or behind the line of scrimmage
-targeted 5 times in coverage
-3 catches/36 yards
-only 1 catch resulted in a 1st down..And this crucial defensive play on 3rd… pic.twitter.com/bYzhulCeVQ
— Mark D. TalknBoysWitDaBoyZ (@MarkDsCorner) October 17, 2023
The goal-line stop on Ekeler was partially because of a late throw by Justin Herbert. But on the other hand, we’ve seen him break those tackles to score.
Credit goes to Bell for that stop.
One has to wonder why Bell played so many fewer total snaps against the 49ers. In that game, he only had 23.
It may not have changed that outcome, or it was matchup specific.
Even though the Chargers put two tight ends in the formations, they don’t have road-grading players who enjoy blocking as much as pass-catching.
That played into what Bell does best – use his athleticism to chase down players.
He is a willing tackler and good coverage skills for a safety. With an 86.6 coverage grade as a linebacker, he begins to creep into the excellent category.
What does this mean for Dallas going forward?
There are a few different running back challenges that the Dallas Cowboys will face, and having an encore performance from Bell would be awesome.
The Seattle Seahawks have Kenneth Walker III.
He’s not having the same type of season as his rookie year, but he is still averaging 4.2 yards a clip.
What about those Philadelphia Eagles? The pairing of D’Andre Swift and Kenneth Gainwell has rushed for 595 yards in 6 games this season.
In weeks 15-17, the rushing attacks of Buffalo, Miami, and Detroit pose a variation of matchup nightmares and problems.
I’m not implying that it all falls on Bell’s shoulders.
I am hoping for more performances like the one we just witnessed.
Having to overcome the loss of Leighton Vander Esch was huge, and that’s after missing Overshown for the season.
Not to mention, Devin Harper got snatched up on waivers.
It hasn’t been perfect from a personnel standpoint for the linebacking crew, but Markquese took it up a notch for his group and represented in Los Angeles.
We’ll need more of that.
