Stopping The Cowboys’ Run May Not Work
January 15th, 2023
Challenge for Bucs defense.
You’ve probably heard it a thousand times the past week: The playoffs is all about running the ball.
Maybe that was true in the 1970s. Joe isn’t sure that applies in 2023.
If one looks at when teams stopped the Cowboys’ rushing attack this year, it’s really a mixed bag.
When the Bucs beat the Cowboys in Week 1, the Bucs held the Cowboys to 71 yards rushing. Of course, the Bucs won that night, 19-3.
Three other times this season Dallas was held to under 100 yards rushing.
* In Week 4, Washington held Dallas to 62 yards rushing, which turned out to be the worst rushing performance of the season for the Cowboys. What happened? Cooper Rush (!) led Dallas to a 25-10 win.
* In Week 17, the Titans held the Cowboys to 87 yards on the ground. Dallas won 27-13.
* In Week 18, the lowly Commandos held the Cowboys to 64 yards rushing in a game Dallas needed to win to have a shot at winning the NFC East. The Cowboys got hammered 26-6.
Dallas is 2-2 when held below 100 yards rushing this season.
Joe knows Todd Bowles loves to suffocate an opponent’s running attack to make a team one-dimensional. Joe can’t say that will definitely work against the Cowboys.
January 15th, 2023 at 12:30 am
Double Cee Dee Lamb with Dean and a safety or extra CB. Put Davis man-up on Gallup. LVD can handle the TE. Blitz the Diva, maybe there will actually be an impact play or something. If Vita and Hicks are plugging the middle and Nelson continues his fine form and ascension, the D should play well enough to give us a chance.
Everyone knows it’s the lunacy on the other side of the ball and Keith Armweak’s short bus teams that are the big liabilities.
Toddmron Bloweswich would miss the water if he tried to jump in off the boat.
January 15th, 2023 at 12:57 am
Of course Toad “42 seconds” Blowes can call cover zero at a moment’s notice, that great defense that worked so well at the end of the comeback against the Rams playoff game….where no one blitzes, nor covers anyone particularly the league’s best WR……thanks to Toad.
January 15th, 2023 at 1:09 am
Really sucks all we hear is Brady in media. We’re returning all the injured defense all year. 5-1 with Vea and Hicks. I don’t know exactly how healthy Nassib is, but he’s been FP this week and was killing it in both run and pass before he went down
January 15th, 2023 at 1:11 am
Well shutting down the run is certainly better than NOT shutting it down.
Here is the flip side Joe: when the Cowboys rush for over 100 yards this season, they’re 10-3….
I’d take my chances w/ shutting down the run game, personally.
January 15th, 2023 at 1:21 am
The Major denominator in this equation would be Tom Brady.
January 15th, 2023 at 5:19 am
SOEBUC. Dak is getting all the press for Dallas when they have Parsons, Diggs and Lawrence. It’s the name of the game.
January 15th, 2023 at 6:48 am
Bucs scored an average of 18.4 PPG this season. When our offense scored over that (19 or more) we were 6-3. When we scored less than that (18 of lower) they were 2-6.
In games where the Bucs’ defense held our opponents to less than that 18 or fewer points, the Bucs went 7-1. In games where they allowed 19 or more, we were 1-8.
If I were a betting man, I’d say that if our offense scores 19 points or more we’ve got a pretty good chance of winning. Conversely … if our defense allows fewer than 19 points, we’ve got an excellent chance of winning. Of the two, the defense holds the key to this game.
January 15th, 2023 at 7:17 am
we aren’t advancing on brady’s arm and the offense alone…this isn’t the high flying 30 point bucs of old…
the defense is gonna have to man up X 2…the d is gonna let us keep advancing in the playoffs if we advance at all…
monday’s defensive mentality should be the old school saying:
“stick his sh!t”
January 15th, 2023 at 7:54 am
Bucs go as Brady goes in playoff.
Go Bucs.
January 15th, 2023 at 8:16 am
Not stopping the run won’t work either…..so I prefer stopping the run…..I hate to rely just on our defense to win….but the key to this game is a healthy Buc defense….
January 15th, 2023 at 8:43 am
Turnovers will be key.
January 15th, 2023 at 9:22 am
The defense better play lights out or we may be one and done. If we end up having to play our fourth string center the offense may not score 10 points.
January 15th, 2023 at 9:43 am
Yes, it may not work, but they have a much better chance making them one dimensional
January 15th, 2023 at 10:01 am
Jameis of the defense
If they can trade him for draft picks
Jump on the offer!
January 15th, 2023 at 10:13 am
Love the drooling play caller in a closet with a jigsaw puzzle.
Tom runs a slow no huddle all game long, punctuated by periods of hurry up.
January 15th, 2023 at 3:27 pm
If Hicks and Vea play, and if Dean can contain Lamb, we have a shot. Too bad that shot also depends on Lefty.
January 15th, 2023 at 5:50 pm
We will need Bowles to install a game plan like he did in the SB to have a chance. In fact he will need 4 in a row. Clearly Leftwich is more of a liability than our thin offensive line. The undeniable fact remains that we are one of the worst teams in the history of football to be in the playoffs. The stats do not lie. Our record does not lie and our HISTORICALLY offensively inept season long performance speaks for itself. The big name players on the roster don’t matter. Their performances do. So can we erase the stinker of a regular season, reboot and become a SB threat in 6 days? We will see. I end on a positive, the GOAT leading our team gives us a chance.
January 16th, 2023 at 7:50 am
Defense will have to bring its A++ game tonight. However, if the Bengals can pull off a 98 yard fumble recovery, no reason why Bucs D can’t.
January 16th, 2023 at 10:59 am
Why can’t bucs play like they do in the 4 quarter? They r like a different team.