It took one game for Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer to get me on board the hype train : He might really prove to be an upgrade for a defense that led the league in EPA/play allowed from 2021-2023, lead the NFL in takeaways in consecutive years, and featured one of the most ferocious pass rushes in the game.
On Sunday’s win over the Cleveland Browns, Zimmer’s defense hit Deshaun Watson 17 times, sacked him six times, and picked him off twice. And anyone who tuned into the game knows there could’ve been more interceptions, something even rookie cornerback Caelen Carson admitted postgame .
But the Cowboys also held Browns starting running back Jerome Ford to 3.7 yards per attempt while recording six tackles for loss and successfully defending the run. The most impressive part of it all? They didn’t have to load the box to slow down the Browns’ rushing offense.
You see, even though Dan Quinn’s defense were heavily criticized for how they did against the run, not everything was bad: The Cowboys were the 10th best defense per EPA/play against the run in 2023. They were 11th in rushing yards per game given up. However, they were one of the worst in success rate and yards per attempt allowed.
A big reason for the inconsistency had to do with the fact that Quinn’s defense had to load the box to stop the run. If the Cowboys didn’t have the numbers, things didn’t pan out great for them. That’s why they were fourth in the league in stacked box percentage, per Sports Info Solutions, while ranking only 27th in the league in light box percentage.