This defense still has a ways to go. Pass defense is killing us

[kevm3]

This is a turnover dependent defense and the vast majority of our turnovers come from Diggs. When teams learn to not throw at Diggs, my concern is that the turnovers disappear and we get lit up when Anthony Brown is targeted all game, which is why I was disappointed we didn't try to get Gilmore. We better hope they actually play Bossman and he actually shows something this year.

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

Things that killed us last year are still present, which is why I think this thread has some merit. The turnovers are saving this defense, which is great, but we are still have led the league in giving up plays of 20+ yards and are currently 19th in red zone defense. If we go through a spell of not getting any turnovers, suddenly the conversation will be "where did the defense go".

yes, that has to get fixed, but I think that's the result of committing to put pressure on the opposing QB, thus chance of giving up some big plays....too many I would say, so that has to get fixed. specially big plays on 3rd downs...

 

[HanD]

there are definite areas of improvement needed in the passing game. we do see miscues and receivers running wide open. that should be corrected. always strive to improve and these are flaws....

having said that, the stats aren't always indicative of the whole picture. carolina and the eagles were garbage time yards in a more or less prevent with some backups playing. i'm surprised we call dak's stats garbage time but can't acknowledge the same when other teams play us....

 

[TWOK11]

The issue is giving up cheap points late in the game.

All teams facing competent QBs do this. When you play a soft defense to prevent getting beat over the top, decent quarterbacks are going to be able to easily rack up yards in the large short zone holes that opens up.

 

[Shane612]

To be fair, the way the rules are, defending the pass is very difficult, and it's not by accident.
Fans want to see passes being completed; it sells tickets.

 

[TWOK11]

Garbage time, huh?

Do you keep that same energy when it's the Cowboys trying to come back?

The Panthers never once had the ball with a chance to win or tie the game, and our win probability was between 96% and 99.9% the entire quarter. By no rational definition was the game in any real doubt to those of us who understand football.

You have half the board explaining with data why you are wrong. Take the L and move on.

 

[conner01]

I agree the pass defense still needs to improve
I would argue the run defense too
We have a high rated run defense because our offense has forced teams to abandon the run with a lot of help from the defensive turn overs
You can’t expect 2-3 turn overs a week
We are playing much better than last year but there is certainly room for improvement if the goal is the super bowl

 

[Verdict]

what is letting them in the game? They never had a chance to do anything. Just bc you get scared doesn’t mean the game is out of hand.

We went from being to total control of the game to a situation where the Panthers’ chances of winning the game were very conceivable. The Panthers scored two touchdowns like a knife through hot butter. When we needed a stop on defense what we got was the offense grinding out the clock to end the game.


In my opinion the Cowboys let off the gas. I hope they learned from that. If Diggs means THAT much to the defense we are in trouble if he gets hurt.

 

[SackMaster]

Look no further than the Panthers letting them back in the game and nearly lost.

Please explain "nearly lost".

Because if I recall correctly, the Panthers offense NEVER TOOK A SINGLE SNAP IN THE 4TH QUARTER WITH THE ABILITY TO TIE THE GAME.

I mean, to ME, "nearly lost" would have been the Panthers had a drive in the 4th Quarter and nearly scored to WIN the game. That is not what happened. Hell, that COULDN'T happen even if they had one more drive as they still needed to score 9 point to win the game in regulation. I don't know how teams score 9 points in a single drive in the NFL, but maybe I am just ignorant.

But to get to the premise of the OP. I couldn't care less about yards. Like Belichick, tell me how many points the D is giving up per game and how many turnovers they produced. With JUST those two things, I will be able to guess 95% of the time if that is a good NFL defense or not.

Right now, while the D could easily improve, they are not anywhere close to "bad", especially 2020 bad.

 

[Hawkeye0202]

All teams facing competent QBs do this. When you play a soft defense to prevent getting beat over the top, decent quarterbacks are going to be able to easily rack up yards in the large short zone holes that opens up.

As stated in an earlier post, yards don't concern me as much if we are keeping points off the board or at the very least a min.

 

[Sydla]

Football Outsiders has our pass D at 9th according to their DVOA.

10th overall defense according to DVOA.

I put more faith in these stats than just looking at yards and where we rank.

 

[TWOK11]

As stated in an earlier post, yards don't concern me as much if we are keeping points off the board or at the very least a min.

The only real issue was the 55 yard play on 4th down. That absolutely cannot happen. But if they convert there on a 10 yard completion then it probably takes them another 2 minutes to score and with no timeouts the game is over with them trying a desperation onside kick.

That one play somewhat spoiled the strategy, but even then with no timeouts and our running game I never once felt like that would stop us again, get the ball back, score and convert the two point conversion.

 

[Hawkeye0202]

Please explain "nearly lost".

Because if I recall correctly, the Panthers offense NEVER TOOK A SINGLE SNAP IN THE 4TH QUARTER WITH THE ABILITY TO TIE THE GAME.

I mean, to ME, "nearly lost" would have been the Panthers had a drive in the 4th Quarter and nearly scored to WIN the game. That is not what happened. Hell, that COULDN'T happen even if they had one more drive as they still needed to score 9 point to win the game in regulation. I don't know how teams score 9 points in a single drive in the NFL, but maybe I am just ignorant.

But to get to the premise of the OP. I couldn't care less about yards. Like Belichick, tell me how many points the D is giving up per game and how many turnovers they produced. With JUST those two things, I will be able to guess 95% of the time if that is a good NFL defense or not.

Right now, while the D could easily improve, they are not anywhere close to "bad", especially 2020 bad.

+1

BTW.......who said the D was "bad" (lol)

 

[Big_D]

It's a young defense developing here. I expect them to start gelling in the second half of the season! But this will take time.

 

[SackMaster]

+1

BTW.......who said the D was "bad" (lol)

Then what does the "Pass Defense is killing us" part of the title mean?

 

[Ranched]

"Pass defense is killing us"

Not as much as those 3 missed FG's in Tampa!

 

[Hawkeye0202]

The only real issue was the 55 yard play on 4th down. That absolutely cannot happen. But if they convert there on a 10 yard completion then it probably takes them another 2 minutes to score and with no timeouts the game is over with them trying a desperation onside kick.

That one play somewhat spoiled the strategy, but even then with no timeouts and our running game I never once felt like that would stop us again, get the ball back, score and convert the two point conversion.

TWO......I get your point here and agree 100% but it's based on the Panthers game. My concern goes a bit beyond where an elite QB and OLine are letting us off the hook. I understand if we take away a few plays here and there our rankings change, I get that. But as Parcell use to say about a team record.......you are what you are. Right now we have major issues with our pass defense. We've faced two elite QBs ibn Brady and Herbert, lost to one and a late interception saved from losing to both. We are 31st in passing yards allowed and I think we both can agree for us to go where we wanna go, this has to improve. How much depends on improving scoring defense........

 

[Romo_To_Dez]

As it has already been mentioned, a lot of the yards and points the defense has been giving up, are meaningless garbage time yards and points, that teams (especially the Eagles and Carolina), have been getting in the 4th quarter, when the game already has been decided. That's the annoying thing about Carolina getting 2 garbage time TDs, because the final score makes the game look closer than it actually was and there's a lot of "The Panthers were missing CMC and only lost to the Cowboys by 8 points) takes.

 

[Hawkeye0202]

Then what does the "Pass Defense is killing us" part of the title mean?

LOL ......the title is overreacting a bit on my part, for that I apologize but still doesn't change the improvement our pass defense needs to make for us truly become a playoff contender.

 

[CATCH17]

I agree the pass defense still needs to improve
I would argue the run defense too
We have a high rated run defense because our offense has forced teams to abandon the run with a lot of help from the defensive turn overs
You can’t expect 2-3 turn overs a week
We are playing much better than last year but there is certainly room for improvement if the goal is the super bowl

The pass defense will always need to improve because they will always be at a disadvantage.

The NFL wants it that way and a lot of you just haven’t come to terms with that yet.

Fantasy football drives real life football.