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Todd Archer, ESPN Staff Writer
FRISCO, Texas — After five games, what is the Dallas Cowboys‘ defense?
Is it the group that suffocated the New York Giants, New York Jets and New England Patriots?
Is it the unit that got run over by the Arizona Cardinals in Week 3 and trucked by the San Francisco 49ers last week?
The strength of the 3-2 Cowboys is supposed to be their defense, but as they enter Monday’s game against the 2-2 Los Angeles Chargers (8:15 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN) there are questions about just how good they are and how good they can be.
“I think you’re right to say every time you’ve got to get it on at this level,” defensive coordinator Dan Quinn said. “And when we do that, we’re pretty hard to deal with.”
Yes, against the offenses ranked 32nd (Patriots), 31st (Giants) and 24th (Jets) in points per game, the Cowboys were dominant. They scored three touchdowns on two interception returns by DaRon Bland and a fumble return by Leighton Vander Esch. They recorded 12 sacks and 10 takeaways. They gave up just one touchdown.
But the Cardinals ran for 222 yards against them, they could not get a takeaway and had just two sacks of Joshua Dobbs.
Last week’s loss to the 49ers was disastrous.
In the two defeats, they have just three sacks and one takeaway.
The defense was not supposed to have performances like it did against San Francisco. Not when they were the ones mentioning themselves in the same breath as the 2000 Baltimore Ravens‘ defense and the 2013 Seattle Seahawks‘ Legion of Boom in training camp.
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They allowed 42 points to the 49ers after allowing 41 in the first four games.
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They had just one sack after putting up 14 in the first four games.
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They had just one takeaway after getting 10 in the first four games.
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They allowed four touchdowns on five red zone trips after giving up two in the first four games.
“We’re a great defense, that’s what we are,” safety Jayron Kearse said. “If you really break it down and you put it into perspective, you watch great shooters in basketball go out there and have rough games, and that’s no different than us. We had a rough one. They had our number. They beat us bad, speaking on the defensive side and that’s all it was.
“But we wasn’t crowned the best defense in the league after we had a 40-0 game against the Giants. And we’re not going to be crowned the worst defense in the league after what went on Sunday. So we’re just going to continue to work and continue to get better. We know who we are.”
2:09
McAfee: The Cowboys will make it to the playoffs
Pat McAfee and his crew debate whether the Cowboys will make it to the postseason.
The 28-16 loss to Arizona should have been the hiccup game. The Cardinals had 180 of their 222 rushing yards in the first half in the Cowboys’ first game without cornerback Trevon Diggs, who suffered a season-ending torn ACL in practice four days prior. But Diggs’ absence should have impacted the pass defense, not the run defense.
The following week against the Patriots, the defense responded by giving up just three points while scoring two touchdowns themselves.
“When we lost to Arizona, I wish we could’ve played Thursday, wished we could’ve played Monday,” Quinn said. “In this case, I think it’s probably better to have [more time].”
Because there is more to consider with the Chargers’ offense and the state of the Cowboys’ defense, especially after losing Vander Esch to a neck injury Sunday. That trickle-down effect could see Micah Parsons play more off the ball than rushing the passer.
The Chargers are seventh in points per game (27.5) and fifth in yards per game (388.8) with former Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore calling plays. The Chargers have a high-powered attack led by quarterback Justin Herbert (seven touchdown passes, one interception). Running back Austin Ekeler, who had 18 touchdowns last season, is expected to return after missing the past three games with an ankle injury. Wide receiver Mike Williams was lost for the season with a torn ACL, but Keenan Allen (35 catches, 434 yards, 3 touchdowns) is a handful.
And the Cowboys know Moore will want to show something after he parted ways following last season. The Cowboys’ defense has something to prove too. Twice in five games, the Cowboys have allowed at least 28 points.
“I’m pretty sure [Moore] wants to go out there and put it on us, but you’ve got to put on some perspective for what we just went through on Sunday and how we’re champing at the bit to get out there and get out next game, on the road, so we can go out there and kind of just get this taste out of our mouths,” Kearse said.
“We just went out there and had an all-time stinker for what this defense is about, and we’re ready to go out there and play against somebody as well. So I’m pretty sure he’s ready for it and we’re ready for it as well.”
The 2000 Ravens had one game in which they allowed more than 24 points and had 12 games allowing 10 or fewer points. The 2013 Seahawks, with Quinn as their coordinator, had one game in which they allowed more than 24 points and had seven games allowing 10 or fewer points.
After the Chargers, things will not get easier.
The Cowboys have seven games remaining against offenses that are currently ranked Nos. 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 in points per game in the Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions, Philadelphia Eagles, Seattle Seahawks and Chargers, respectively. They already faced the second-highest scoring team, San Francisco.
“When you get your ass kicked, you really got a couple of choices in a fight: You pout about it or you get back up and say, ‘Bring it on,’ and get rocking again,” Quinn said. “Certainly, that’s what we’re going to do.”
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