EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — When the Dallas Cowboys fell below .500 after the loss to the Ravens on Sunday, the defense received most of the blame. For two consecutive weeks, the unit was shredded, especially on the ground — but in the secondary, too. During the short week, defensive leaders took ownership publicly: The players need to be better.
The context of the performance on the field Thursday night against the New York Giants was important but the best news surrounding the defense from the Cowboys’ 20-15 win didn’t come on the field. It came moments after the game in the locker room. DeMarcus Lawrence and Micah Parsons left the game with injuries and did not return. It was a good sign, however, that both players spoke to reporters in the locker room.
Lawrence is dealing with a foot injury unrelated to the issues he’s had in the past. Although Lawrence said it hurts, he added that he’s “straight” and that he’ll “be back in no time.”
Parsons exited the game after he was rolled up under a Giants player and eventually carted off the field. He was moving around the locker room with his left foot wrapped. He spent time between his locker and the training room table and moved around with a limp. He expressed that he was in pain but also said that X-rays were negative, with an MRI pending. Parsons sounded optimistic when asked if he would be ready to play in Pittsburgh next week.
“Man, I’m a killer,” Parsons said. “You got to kill me to get off this field.”
Both Lawrence and Parsons will benefit from a “mini-bye” on the other side of playing Thursday night. The extra days will provide important rest time and their situations will be worth monitoring next week. But for the Cowboys to escape without any long-term damage to two of their best defensive players is the best news for that side of the ball.
As far as the Cowboys’ defensive performance against the Giants, the bottom-line narrative was encouraging. The Cowboys gave up 26 yards rushing, the fewest allowed in the NFL this season. New York averaged 1.1 yards per carry on 24 attempts. The Giants didn’t score a touchdown. When the Cowboys’ offense couldn’t put away the Giants late in the fourth quarter, and Brandon Aubrey had a rare missed field goal, the defense clinched the win with an interception in the final seconds.
The circumstances are worth considering, too. The Giants have been bad in recent years but appear to be a little better this year. They’ve added a dangerous playmaker on offense in rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers and were against a banged-up Cowboys secondary. Dallas was without starting cornerback DaRon Bland (injured reserve) and his replacement, Caelen Carson, against the Giants. That thrust Andrew Booth onto the field and Amani Oruwariye onto the active roster.
After Booth struggled early in the game — his lowlight was the Giants’ third offensive play when Nabers left him in the dust on a double move — the Cowboys turned to Oruwariye in the second half and it paid off. Oruwariye notched the game-winning interception with five seconds left in regulation.
That was the story of the defense. When the Cowboys needed it, somebody stepped up to limit the damage. DeMarvion Overshown showed why he needs to be on the field as much as possible. Marshawn Kneeland flashed on special teams and defense. And perhaps one of the most impressive players on defense was second-year defensive tackle Mazi Smith, who had arguably his best game as pro.
“I feel like it was some good growth,” Smith said. “I was just out there competing, giving everything I got. Sometimes you get to the big show and you don’t perform the way you know you can and the way you want to, for yourself and for your team, but that’s why I say it’s good growth. It’s starting to transfer.”
Parsons credited the play of last year’s first-round pick when assessing the Cowboys’ improvement in stopping the run against the Giants compared to the team’s struggles the past two weeks.
“You know, shoutout Mazi, man,” Parsons said. “Mazi was dominant, bro. I told you, Mazi just keeps, keeps and keeps getting better and better and better. It starts and ends with him.”
While the Cowboys’ defense deserves its flowers for stopping the bleeding, playing bend-but-don’t-break football and making big plays in big moments, the questions that surrounded them aren’t suddenly answered. Context matters. The Giants only punted once and that came with three minutes left in the third quarter. That was after New York’s first four drives went for eight, 11, 15 and 11 plays, respectively. Although the Cowboys couldn’t get off the field, they limited the damage by holding the Giants to field goals — and 12 points.
Tackling was an issue. The most glaring example was a fourth-down run by Devin Singletary in the fourth quarter that should have been a loss in the backfield but ended up being a 2-yard run for a first down. After watching the New Orleans Saints and Baltimore Ravens exert their dominance on the Cowboys, it was clear that the personnel on the other side contributed to Dallas’ success, too. Giants quarterback Daniel Jones missed some throws. Even some of the ones he hit, such as the 39-yard pass to Nabers on the Giants’ third play, could have hurt a lot more with better throws as they did in previous weeks from Derek Carr and Lamar Jackson.
The defense isn’t fixed, but it showed signs of life and was enough to win. For one night, on the road against a division opponent, that was the most important thing.
(Photo: Robert Deutsch / Imagn Images)
