Entering their Week 15 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars on the road, the Dallas Cowboys had secured an impressive 10-3 record due in large part to their defensive performance. Leading the NFL with a total 26 takeaways and ranking second with 49 team sacks, the defense has put the “D” in Dallas this season.
Unfortunately, a recent rash of injuries has taken their toll on the Cowboys’ roster. And the team’s defensive performance has suffered greatly because of it.
Against the struggling 5-8 Jaguars on Sunday, the Cowboys allowed a season-high 40 points to be scored in the 40-34 overtime loss. And while the deciding pick-six interception that sealed the game was not on the defense, they did allow Jags’ young passer Trevor Lawrence to complete 27 of his 42 passes for 318 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception for a quarterback rating of 109.0.
Up 21-7 at halftime due mainly to a stellar offensive effort by Dallas, the Cowboys allowed Jacksonville to score 27 points in the second half, sending the game into overtime tied at 34. And while the team’s offense failed to convert on their multiple chances to put the game away, that unit has been inconsistent all season long. It’s the defense that has clearly taken a turn for the worse in Dallas.
Injury-Riddled Dallas Cowboys Defense Unable to Perform at Full Strength
Injuries are the real culprit. Specifically to the Cowboys’ defensive backfield. Losing two of your three starting corners to season-ending injuries will cripple any NFL defense as the cornerback position is notorious for being thin of starting talent already. And the Cowboys having to rely on inexperienced players as starters are beginning to sink any championship hopes this Dallas team and their fans have.
Both cornerbacks Jourdan Lewis and Anthony Brown have already been lost for the season. Second-year corners Kelvin Joseph and Nahshon Wright are clearly not ready to take up that starting mantle as both have struggled to do so. And the Cowboys know this to be true, hence their mad scramble to add veteran defensive backs to the roster with the recent additions of Trayvon Mullen, Kendall Sheffield, and Mackensie Alexander.
Unfortunately, the injuries have not been limited to the cornerback position. The loss of defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins has negatively impacted the Cowboys’ ability to defend against the run. Following an improvement in run defense after the trade that was made for Hankins in late October, Dallas allowed the Jaguars to put up a whopping 192 rushing yards on a mere 27 carries without him anchoring the line.
Now, throw in a concerning neck injury suffered by linebacker Leighton Vander Esch on Sunday, and this defensive roster is starting to look like the Walking Dead in Dallas. This is precisely where a team doesn’t want to be in mid-December while chasing the NFL’s top team, the now 13-1 Philadelphia Eagles, who just so happen to be in your own division and one that you have a critical Christmas Eve game coming up against.
