Famous Author Ronald Wright stated, “Each time history repeats itself, the price goes up.”
That has to be the case for the Dallas Cowboys. Last season, in week 6, Dallas played the Philadelphia close with Cooper Rush at the helm.
If memory serves me, that ballgame ended with a score of 26 to 17. A few plays here, a couple of changes there, and maybe the Cowboys shocked the Eagles at Lincoln Financial.
Unfortunately, that was not the case last season and, once again, not the result this year either.
While I’m sure there will be many of my peers and other more qualified writers pointing fingers at Terence Steele, and deservingly so.
Twelve total pressures and four sacks will keep you in the headlines, not in a good way.
However, there was a lot of good that we can find in this proclaimed moral victory.
We can narrow it down to a few different position groups. The interior offensive line held their own against the strength of Philly’s defense. Let’s start there first.
The interior of the offensive line proved to be the strength in the trenches
Maybe I’ll be in the minority on this one, but the hype and the crowning that Philly’s defensive interior received had me more than worried.
They had the size, athleticism, name recognition, and stats to support the chatter.
The veteran of the group is obviously Fletcher Cox. In that rotation with Cox are the two young former Georgia Bulldogs, ready to dominate the trenches.
Jalen Carter was supposed to be the best overall player in the entire 2023 NFL draft.
The year prior, Jordan Davis was set to be the best nose tackle taken in a long time. Throw in their tweener from La Tech, Milton Williams, and this defensive line was clear front runners.
You won’t get a disagreement from me there.
But on Sunday, it wasn’t quite the case. For all intents and purposes, Dak Prescott didn’t see much pressure from the middle.
I don’t intend to live in the world of Pro Football Focus today. However, I will give one statistic that makes the point.
Jalen Carter on yesterday had 1 total pressure. Jordan Davis – 1 pressure, and the great Fletcher Cox – 4 pressures. That’s a total of 6 pressures on the interior.
Tyron Smith currently ranks 3rd in pass-blocking efficiency (98.6) among tackles this season, as he's only allowed 5 pressures across 193 pass-blocking snaps.
Tyler Smith ranks 2nd among guards in the same metric after allowing just 4 pressures across 263 snaps in pass pro. He…
— John Owning (@JohnOwning) November 6, 2023
Tyler Smith, in particular, has been backing up his play.
It’s still early in the season, but it would not be a stretch to say he is the better guard on the team right now without it being a slight at Zack Martin.
He is a dancing bear (no insult intended). Gone are the days when defenders would move to the left side of the offensive line to get pressure on Dak.
Fletcher Cox was front and center and was taken on a ride he won’t soon forget.
Watch Tyler Smith. pic.twitter.com/KgKRDx9RfT
— (Foots The King) (@FootsDaKing) November 7, 2023
I appreciate FootsDaKing for providing us a nice reminder of the power and strength of the Younger Smith.
What does this mean for opponents going forward?
While fans won’t see it now, Dallas is in a good position.
Some will say I’m looking through rose-colored glasses. And, maybe, I am. If Dallas can get Steele back to playing average football, they have a top-tier line when healthy.
A lot of that stems from the interior. Tyler Biadasz is the linchpin of the group. He’s on pace to give up more pressures this year than last (15).
However, having two potential All-Pros on his right and left side solves alot.
Zack Martin may not be the best in the business, but he is still better than most that will line up on Sunday.
I'm biased, but I think he's the odds on favorite to be the All-Pro at LG. Zack Martin has had **maybe** a tad more hiccups than usual this season but still rock solid as ever. #Cowboys https://t.co/ebLXEUfrjz
— John Owning (@JohnOwning) November 6, 2023
The following two games (Carolina Panthers and New York Giants) has talent but won’t be near the problem Philly presents.
Dallas “should” be able to dominate the line of scrimmage.
Seattle Seahawks could be a problem, but they still have things to figure out. They traded for Leonard Williams, and let’s be honest, he wasn’t kicking doors down in New York.
December 10 through December 30, which consists of the Bills, Lions, Eagles, and Dolphins.
All of the defensive fronts that can cause trouble.
However, with both Tylers and Zack playing cohesively, the only thing that stands in their way is health and maybe inconsistencies from Steele.
