News: BTB: Some Familiar Pass Rushers Could Give The Cowboys Trouble This Week

[NewsBot]

The Cowboys faced a dynamic defensive line last week against the Giants and it’s not going to get any easier this week.

When the 2016 schedule came out, the Week 15 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was a game that appeared to be one of the easier opponents of the season. The Bucs finished in last place in the NFC South last year and weren’t being touted as a team anyone needs to worry too much about.

Well, that was then.

The Buccaneers are a good football team and are currently tied for the lead their division after reeling off five straight wins. That includes wins against two of the stronger teams in each conference – the Kansas City Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks. The Cowboys faced Tampa Bay last year and lost, 10-6. It was a game where the Cowboys could not find the end zone, but that was with an offense that was second to last in scoring in 2015. This year’s Cowboys offense is much better.

But points have been hard to come by for the Cowboys these last two games and it’s not going to get any easier facing one of the toughest defense in recent weeks. Entering last week’s game against the New Orleans Saints, here is how the Bucs defense has performed lately:

And they didn’t let up last week. Tampa Bay would not surrender a touchdown to the Saints, which is only the second time that a Sean Payton & Drew Brees team has not found the end zone. They held the Saints to their lowest yardage total of the season.

This is a very good Bucs defense and it and all starts in the trenches. Tampa Bay has bolstered their defensive line this offseason by making all the right moves. They’ve drafted well, they’ve added key free agents, and they’ve been able to get meaningful contribution from their reserves.

We all know about the All Pro monster that is Gerald McCoy, but the Buccaneers have added some new firepower to their defensive line. Here are some familiar players to look out for on Sunday:

The Free Agent Pass Rusher


You may know Robert Ayers for all his work on the opposite side of Jason Pierre-Paul over the last two years with the New York Giants. He has been a dependable fixture over the last few years with both the Giants and the Denver Broncos. He was good enough to land a three-year, $19.5 million deal with the Buccaneers last off-season. Despite being 31 years of age, he has added some strength along this Tampa Bay defensive line. Ayers gets about 40-50 snaps a game and has come on strong, sacking the quarterback in each of his last three games.

There were a handful of enticing pass rushers last off-season that would have been music to the ears of Cowboys fans, but Ayers age didn’t make him an ideal target. The Bucs thought differently and it has paid off.

The Rookie Pass Rusher


This one may sting a little more for Cowboys fans for two reasons – first, Dallas has been deprived of any legitimate pass rushing threat. Second, Noah Spence has had a great rookie campaign. The Bucs drafted Spence in the second round, five picks after the Cowboys took linebacker, Jaylon Smith. While both players were beasts in college, they each came with their own risk; Smith (injury) and Spence (character). One of the reasons the Cowboys are hurting at defensive end is because they’ve already been bit by a high-risk character guy in Randy Gregory. Ability is availability and the Cowboys didn’t want to go down that path again.

Like Ayers, Spence gets about 40-50 snaps a game, which has allowed him to match Ayers for the season with 5 ½ sacks.

The Cast Off Pass Rusher


The Cowboys didn’t have a lot of great choices along the edge, but they still felt they had no use of the services of 2015 draft pick Ryan Russell. The Cowboys gave him every opportunity to find a home, but he struggled in preseason. He didn’t make the final cuts. The Buccaneers signed him to their practice squad a couple weeks later and then in November, he was promoted to their active roster. In his five games with the Bucs, he’s averaging 22 snaps a game and recorded his first career sack against Seattle.

It’s good to see him find some success, but it won’t be this week.

The Cowboys need to get their offense back on track and can’t let another surging defensive performance stonewall their chances to win the game. It’s not going to be easy, but if the Cowboys can have a good showing against the Bucs, it could be just what they need as they get prepare for a deep playoff run.

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