What do you think Sunday will look like when the Cowboys face off against Dan Quinn?
The Dallas Cowboys travel to play the Washington Commanders in Week 12, an NFC East clash. To prepare for the game we reached out to sister site, Hogs Haven, for some knowledge on the enemy.
Blogging The Boys: Obviously Dan Quinn has done a great job taking over the Commanders. What are some of the specific things he’s done to turn things around?
Hogs Haven: First and foremost, he seems to be a very positive, high energy person who everyone wants to work for. Quite a few free agents in the offseason said they wanted to come here specifically to work with Dan Quinn, since he has a reputation for being a great person to work with. In addition, several of the defensive free agents said they wanted to play in his defensive scheme because they thought it could really highlight their abilities. The thing is, players at all position groups said that, from safety (Jeremy Chinn) to LB (Frankie Luvu) to DL (Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler), which to me indicates it’s just a really good defensive scheme. He’s instilled a culture of effort and discipline and the team has consistently played with high effort (like this play where a WR runs 40 yards down the field to block for his RB and thus is in place to recover his fumble) and very good discipline (tied for 7th fewest penalties per game). Quinn has primarily operated as a CEO, leaving his coordinators to actively manage their sides of the ball, but all sides of the ball seem well coached and our offense and defense are performing much better than most people would expect looking at the roster on paper. The team is functioning as a whole much better than the sum of its parts, which I credit to good coaching.
BTB: Give us everything we need to know about Jayden Daniels.
HH: Based on the first 9 games, I would have said he’s a cerebral QB with pinpoint accuracy on most throws, excellent throwing mechanics, and an advanced ability to recognize the defensive alignment, call protections, and process quickly what is happening around him on the field. In addition to that, he has an excellent sense for pressure and the athleticism to scramble to evade pressure and buy more time to throw or simply make a big gain himself with his legs.
I think the biggest thing that makes him stand out from other rookie QBs is his maturity though. In many ways, he acts like an NFL veteran. He’s one of the first players to the facility every day, studies film and practices constantly, stays calm under pressure in games, and quietly commands the locker room. However, he has struggled in the last two games and come down to Earth a bit, which I’ll talk about in answering the next question.
BTB: Things seemed to have stalled over the past couple of games for the team. What is going on there and is it something you guys are worried about?
HH: I think it’s a combination of factors. The biggest factor is that the last two teams we faced were the Steelers and Eagles and they have the best defenses we have faced all season (ranked 2nd and 6th in the NFL in scoring allowed respectively so far this season). Honestly, it’s possible that the quality of those defenses is 95% of the explanation.
In addition to that, though, Jayden Daniels sustained a rib injury in week 7 against the Panthers and hasn’t quite looked like the same player since. His throws have been less accurate, leading to a much lower completion rate (he had a 70% or higher completion rate in 4 out of 6 games before the injury, he has been below 70% completion rate in every game since the injury). Jayden also hasn’t been able to scramble as effectively, which was a big part of his game. In weeks 1-6, Jayden averaged 54 rushing yards per game, whereas in weeks 8-11, he averaged 28 yards per game. Scrambling was a big part of his game and an important way for him to convert on 3rd and 4th down when his receivers weren’t open, so not being able to scramble as effectively combined with the reduced accuracy and completion rate is really hurting our ability to sustain drives.
I think another part of it is that teams seem to finally have figured out the best way to play him, which is to treat him like Lamar Jackson: rush 4, use a QB spy, and drop the rest back into zone coverage. That defensive playstyle is also leading to fewer scrambling yards and limiting Jaydens options to extend plays. OC Kliff Kingsbury is also notorious for having offenses that start hot and stall midway through the season, so there is that possibility, though watching the games I think Jayden is the biggest factor.
Washington fans are really tuned into this matchup with the Cowboys to get clarity on what exactly Jayden’s problems are. We are hoping that with 10 days to rest since our last game, Jayden will have healed enough for the rib injury to be less of a factor. So long as the OL can keep Jayden clean, the Cowboys pass defense also doesn’t seem as imposing as that of the Steelers and Eagles. If Jayden looks like the old Jayden Daniels, then a lot of these issues may have been overblown. If he continues to struggle though, it could be a sign the injury is more significant, defenses have successfully adapted to him, or he’s hit a rookie wall and needs an offseason to develop.
BTB: Who are some of the players who have taken steps forward this year, or who among rookies (besides Jayden Daniels) and free agents have stood out?
HH: Other than Jayden Daniels, the rookie who has stood out the most is CB Mike Sainristil. At 5’9”, he was drafted primarily to defend the slot. However, due to poor play by our boundary CBs, Sainristil was moved outside and has continued to thrive. Every game, Sainristil seems to get better, and earned an 89 PFF grade last week against the Eagles for holding AJ Brown to 2 receptions for 31 yards in his coverage (and allowing no receptions to DeVonta Smith or Jahan Dotson in his coverage). It will be great if we can get newly-acquired Marshon Lattimore healthy to play alongside Sainristil.
Beyond Sainristil, I think we’ve actually had the most contributions from our defensive free agents, many of whom are having career years. DE Dante Fowler Jr has 8.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss so far this year and is emerging as a pass rush specialist. LB Frankie Luvu has 7 sacks and 71 combined tackles so far, including 7 tackles for loss. The heart of the defense is LB and defensive playcaller Bobby Wagner, who is still playing extremely well, but it’s hard to say he’s having a “career year” when he’s already a 10x All Pro.
BTB: Create a scenario that is most-believable that would lead to a Cowboys upset win.
HH: If our recent offensive struggles are due to deeper issues (defenses “figuring out” Jayden Daniels and/or Kliff Kingsbury’s offense) and the offense continues to struggle, especially if your pass rushers can get pressure and overwhelm our OTs (who have been good over the season, but struggled in the last 2 games), then our offense could be limited. Then it would just be a matter of the Cowboys offense being able to score with Cooper Rush at QB. If Marshon Lattimore is still out with the hamstring injury and you can get CeeDee Lamb matched up on Benjamin St Juste (the CB opposite Mike Sainristil most games), you may be able to move the ball through the air that way. Our edge defenders are better at rushing the passer than defending the run too, so runs to the edge could prove effective.
Thanks for the knowledge, Hogs Haven.
