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But you could see this coming. The Cowboys had begun to get more pressure in recent weeks and now have more sacks in the last three games of the season than they did during the first seven.
Interestingly, they aren't really getting more pressures per game, but they're finally finishing:
The pressure actually has increased as well, though, at least when you look at it as a percentage of total pass-rushing snaps:
Where is it coming from? Well, that's the good news. Unlike in recent years, the Cowboys are no longer relying on one or two pass-rushing studs to carry the front seven in passing situations. Defensive tackle Henry Melton leads the way with five sacks, but the other 11 are split up among nine different players.
It's extremely hard to win Super Bowls these days without a strong pass-rushing presence, which is why it's so encouraging that the Cowboys are finally getting to the quarterback as often as some of the best defenses in the NFL without relying too heavily on one player. This D ranks ninth in the NFL in terms of points allowed per game, but there's a good chance they'll send nobody to the Pro Bowl.
So while the sample size is small, it does appear that this is sustainable.
Jacksonville has given up a league-high 39 sacks, so the Cowboys were supposed to have a big day against that offensive line. But Washington and Arizona have surrendered 38 total sacks, which averages out to 19 each. That's slightly better than the mean.
Down the stretch against quarterbacks like Mark Sanchez, Jay Cutler and Robert Griffin III and offensive lines like the Giants' and Indy's, expect the rush to continue to become more of an asset than a liability.
That's because Melton is finally healthy and has 11 pressures and 3.5 sacks in his last three games. Plus, rookie front-seven cogs Anthony Hitchens and DeMarcus Lawrence should only get stronger as the season wears on (Lawrence has only two games under his belt after missing the first half of the year due to injury).
With Spencer also starting to pick it up as a situational pass-rusher coming back from a major knee injury, there's plenty of reason for optimism.
We shouldn't be shocked, because defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli is a magician when it comes to getting every last drop out of his defensive linemen. Last year, he took journeyman George Selvie and turned him into a reliable starter with seven sacks.
This year, Marinelli has made a similar impact on 30-year-old Jeremy Mincey, who leads the team with 23 hurries and has two sacks in the last three weeks.
As Nick Hayden and Tyrone Crawford also become healthier, the sky's the limit.
This team still has a way to go. They're only 1-2 this year against teams that currently hold winning records and must face three such opponents in the final six weeks. But they're off to an extremely strong start despite the fact that they were missing a key ingredient for success during much of September and October.
Now, entering the home stretch in November, they might have nailed down the final piece to a potential Super Bowl puzzle.
All pressure-based stats courtesy of Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Brad Gagnon has covered the NFC East for Bleacher Report since 2012.
Follow @Brad_Gagnon
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