How the Dallas Cowboys defense shut down the NFL’s top-ranked rushing offense
Jaylon Smith didn’t hesitate when asked if the Dallas Cowboys’ defense is peaking at the right time.
“Yes,” Smith said. “It’s all about camaraderie. It’s all about loving one another and playing for each other. That’s how we excel. We have to continue that.”
There were only positive vibes surrounding the Cowboys’ defense on Saturday night. They opened the playoffs with a 24-22 victory over the Seattle Seahawks, holding the league’s top-rushing offense to one of their worst days of the season.
Seattle gained just 73 yards rushing on 24 carries, a 3.0 yard average. The only fewer yards rushing Seattle had this season was in its season opening loss to Denver with 64.
Seahawks running back Chris Carson had his worst game of the season, gaining just 20 yards rushing on 13 carries. Carson entered the game with three consecutive 100-yard performances.
“Our defense played outstanding,” owner Jerry Jones said.
Said coach Jason Garrett: “We take a lot of great pride in stopping the run. It’s about discipline. It’s about winning your gap. It’s about setting the edge. It’s about tackling. But it’s also about physical and mental toughness. That’s a really important part of our football team.”
Outside of the terrific run defense, the Cowboys excelled on third downs. Seattle converted just 2 of 13 third-down conversions, and had a season-low 11 first downs.
Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence had a simple explanation for why they were so effective on third down.
“Intimidation,” said Lawrence, who had six tackles and a team-high two tackles for loss.
“If you hit somebody in the mouth, they’re going to look the other way. And I also feel like we were closing the pocket pretty well.”
Cowboys linebacker Leighton Vander Esch had a team-high 10 tackles followed by Smith’s seven. Defensive tackle Maliek Collins registered the lone sack of Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson.
In all, Seattle’s offense gained just 299 yards – the fifth time its been held to less than 300 yards this season. The Seahawks gained 75 of those yards on their final scoring drive when they scored with 1:18 left in the game.
“We’ve got more work to do,” Collins said.
The road is only going to get tougher for the Cowboys’ defense. The next opponent will boast a top-eight defense in either the Los Angeles Rams (second overall) or New Orleans Saints (eighth overall).
But Lawrence might’ve spoken for the whole team as to who’s next.
“Who cares? Who cares?” Lawrence said. “Either way it goes, we’re going on the road and we’ve got to win. Period. Period. So who cares?”
This story was originally published January 6, 2019 at 9:00 AM.