The Cowboys defense did enough in Brazil, relative to expectation
We have all said it. Many times. The Dallas Cowboys defense simply has to be average.
To be clear it is not my assertion that the Cowboys defense was average on Sunday in Brazil. They were severely outplayed by the Baltimore Ravens and were mostly not average. At times they were very far from average.
But they did enough.
The Cowboys defense did their part
The first two Baltimore possessions of the game resulted in zero points. Initially the Ravens went three and out and then the Cowboys stopped them on fourth down to give their offense the ball at the Baltimore 30-yard line. Talk about a huge advantage. Dallas would go on to capitalize on that specific possession with a touchdown.
The Cowboys also converted the other fourth-down stop that their defense produced with a touchdown. This one was more impressive and came when the stakes were much higher as Dallas stopped Baltimore from their own one-yard line with a three-yard TFL. Perfect harmony like that, fourth-down stops that lead to touchdowns, is generally how you win football games, but the Cowboys lost this one so everyone is pointing fingers and trying to figure out who to blame.
The whole point here isn’t to deflect any blame at all from the defense. Blame them. They certainly deserve it in some respects. Injuries didn’t help, the field was obviously a tough situation for everybody, but they allowed Baltimore to get into field goal range with seven seconds left in the game and ultimately lost because of it.
But to say that they specifically lost the game for the team seems unfair. The defense was not average in a measurable sense, but they produced two fourth-down stops that the offense turned into scores as noted. We expect the offense to be that good. It is held to a higher standard than the defense. We know this, we have known it, and because of it we say that average is all that is necessary from the defense to win.
Well consider that the ‘Not Average’ defense did more than produce an opening punt and two other fourth-down stops. They pitched a second three-and-out after the Cowboys took the lead in the fourth quarter and gave the offense the ball with a 28-24 lead to protect. The Cowboys offense responded by going three and out themselves which led to a Baltimore touchdown.
Isn’t that enough? Relative to context and expectation? Isn’t it enough that the defense answered the call so heroically in the fourth quarter like that? Sure, they bent and also broke at many points throughout the game, but when they absolutely had to they absolutely delivered late in the game. Twice!
This is one of the biggest signs of optimism moving forward after the loss. Perhaps the defense is starting to find itself. They were not perfect in Brazil by any means, but they were certainly enough.
Do you agree?
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