Is this D for real or not?

[nate dizzle]

We've got Purdy, Hurts, Tua, Herbert, and Allen on the schedule. A scrappy Lions team that does a lot of great things on offense awaits as well. We will certainly find out.

We also still have to exercise our demons with Sam Howell too.

This is why the offense has to get their redzone issues solved, fast. I have little doubt that our defense is going to make things difficult for all these offenses, but we are not going to be able to rely on defensive scores and multiple turnovers every game. Offense is going to have to score to give the defense a little cushion so they can do what they do best, hunt the qb.

 

[jwitten82]

mostly because we made them look bad

D.Jones, Zack Wilson, and Mac Jones are all busts

 

[nate dizzle]

I mean, they are on track to lead the league in turnovers for a 3rd straight year.

That would be a historic achievement. They might not be completely stifling like the 2000s Ravens, but they take away the ball at an all time great rate.

They also lead the league in scoring defense and are second in sacks. They are what a top shelf defense looks like in the modern NFL.

Crazily enough, and as old as it makes me feel...the Ravens defense played in a different era. They still had the Jacked Up segment running on ESPN back then featuring defenseless receivers having their heads taken off. I don't know if you stick the Ravens D in today's game if they'd be as dominant as they were...still a top 5 unit? Sure...maybe even the #1. But they'd have games where offenses got the better of them as well. The rules are just too stacked in offenses favor.

 

[JW82]

For any non-homer, it should be hard to really gauge how good this defense is. In 3 of our 4 games, we gave up a grand total of 13 points and forced 10 turnovers.

But then there was the stink of last week against Josh Dobbs and a bunch of Jags.

So what do you guys make of this defense?


Pause btw

We'll know soon enough. 4 games in a row with good teams and good qbs.

 

[GimmeTheBall!]

We will find out next week. It will be the biggest challenge of the season to date. The SF offense is no joke. But so far they look like super bowl material.

So are the Cowboys.

 

[CanadianCowboysFan]

D.Jones, Zack Wilson, and Mac Jones are all busts

yet each week on this board, I was told those guys were going to go Tom Brady on us

 

[plasticman]

Ask me next Monday.

 

[jwitten82]

yet each week on this board, I was told those guys were going to go Tom Brady on us

A lot of crazy things get said on this board. Those guys are busts

 

[BleedSilverandBlue]

Crazily enough, and as old as it makes me feel...the Ravens defense played in a different era. They still had the Jacked Up segment running on ESPN back then featuring defenseless receivers having their heads taken off. I don't know if you stick the Ravens D in today's game if they'd be as dominant as they were...still a top 5 unit? Sure...maybe even the #1. But they'd have games where offenses got the better of them as well. The rules are just too stacked in offenses favor.

I don't think we will ever really again see a defense that completely stops offenses from moving the ball. The 2015-2016 Broncos and the 2012-2017 Legion of Boom defenses are the closest thing we have seen to truly shutdown in quite some time. I honestly think that right Dallas is pretty dang close to those defenses and has a chance to belong in the same conversation if they play the rest of the season the way they have started it.

 

[plasticman]

I will say this. If they end up with the same rankings at the end of the season then it will be the first time in franchise history they were #1 in least points allowed.

You would think that, with such defense-minded Head Coaches, legendary ones in fact, they would have already accomplished this. However, they have been ranked #1 in least yards 4 times, most points scored 6 times, most yardage 8 times but never least points allowed. They were #2 in least points allowed 4 times.

They are currently ranked #1 in turnover differential. The only other time was 2021.

Here is an extremely interesting stat:

The Cowboys are ranked #2 in point differential. It would be the 14th time that the Cowboys would be ranked #1 or 32 in point differential. 11 of the previous 13 times, the Cowboys went to the NFC championship game. The only two times they didn't was in 1968 when they lost in the division round to the Browns and in 2021.

All of the stats produced over the past 62 seasons seem to indicate that the Cowboys had their opportunities to win the Super Bowl since the early 90's. Certainly, the teams in 2007, 2009, 2016 and 2021 had the best shots.

 

[Shane612]

They've been good in 3 out of 4 games.
So, the signs are good

 

[kskboys]

Need an inside disruptor to take this D to the next level. I like Osa, but we need our Aaron Donald/Quinnen Williams/Cam Jordan/Jeffrey Simmons/Grady Jarrett/Chris Jones/Cam Heyward type. We still don't have "THAT GUY" at the 3 tech.

 

[Playmaker3128]

We're gonna see if this defense has learned its lessons coming up the next couple of weeks. Starting with this one.... We have been killed by the outside run for years now. Quarterbacks, running backs, jet sweeps. Happened last year in Philly and against the jags. happened in Arizona. There is 0 reason a team with our speed should be getting beat outside like we did. It seems at times we lose contain on the outside... guys are too focused on sacks.

We need to stop the run, maintain leverage outside, force everything inside, and make things tough on the qb. Thats how you beat these side to side offenses.

And yes id take Micah at times and line him up in the middle... let him go sideline to sideline. Then when we force third downs you let the pass rushers do their thing.

 

[GINeric]

We crushed the Jets. The Chiefs struggled with the Jets...

So what should I take from that?

 

[reddyuta]

They are still struggling with things which they were poor last year.outside runs,QB runs and screens still are a problem for this D.

 

[CATCH17]

For any non-homer, it should be hard to really gauge how good this defense is. In 3 of our 4 games, we gave up a grand total of 13 points and forced 10 turnovers.

But then there was the stink of last week against Josh Dobbs and a bunch of Jags.

So what do you guys make of this defense?


Pause btw

Most NFL defenses suck.

By NFL standards of course we are real.

Our pass rush is just different.


Mobile QBs are a problem though.

 

[mperfection]

We lost our best CB for the season. Answer me this: would SF be as potent with the loss of CMC or their MLB, #54??

 

[darthseinfeld]

For any non-homer, it should be hard to really gauge how good this defense is. In 3 of our 4 games, we gave up a grand total of 13 points and forced 10 turnovers.

But then there was the stink of last week against Josh Dobbs and a bunch of Jags.

So what do you guys make of this defense?


Pause btw

It is, but its like historically good. Probably a legit top 5, maybe even 3 defense in the NFL but they have their holes and can be exploited

 

[darthseinfeld]

Most NFL defenses suck.

By NFL standards of course we are real.

Our pass rush is just different.


Mobile QBs are a problem though.

I still worry that our fate could end up being similar to the Eagles facing the Chiefs. We could destoy QB's, then once we face a team that can protect a top QB, we get torn up

 

[darthseinfeld]

Not yet. Not with the linebacker play.

Better be careful or someone will post team stats to show how impressive the LB's have been