FRISCO, Texas — Based on history, recent experience or insider knowledge, the Cowboys' defense should be expecting success against Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins. Then again, based on their decimated roster, performance against quality opponents or the current injury report, they should be deeply concerned.
The Cowboys have defeated teams quarterbacked by Cousins nine times in 11 meetings. Cousins’ winning percentage of .182 is the worst of any quarterback who has played at least 10 games against Dallas. In franchise history. Ever.
In Sunday’s game, the Cowboys also have the advantage of defensive personnel who possess intimate football knowledge about Cousins. Dallas defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer was Cousins’ head coach for four seasons with the Vikings. Cowboys middle linebacker Eric Kendricks — the team’s leading tackler and defensive play-caller — spent most of his career in Minnesota and competed against Cousins in Vikings practices.
I spoke to Kendricks in the locker room about Cousins, and he said, “He’s an experienced quarterback so you want to make him uncomfortable, with hits and sacks — especially on third downs.’’
That’s exactly the formula the Cowboys used two years ago when they went to Minnesota and routed the Vikings, 40-3, in the most decisive road victory in Dallas history. The Cowboys sacked Cousins seven times, beginning with Micah Parsons’ strip-sack on the first play.
Incredibly, it seems likely that none of the players responsible for those seven sacks will be on the field Sunday. Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence are injured. Dorrance Armstrong, Dante Fowler and Jayron Kearse no longer play for the franchise.
“It’s rough,’’ Zimmer said. “We’ve lost a lot of pass rushers. We have to kind of manufacture it. It’s a fine combination of pressure and playing zone defense and man-to-man and rushing four.’’
Cousins has thrown seven interceptions this season and is tied for the league lead with six fumbles. But the Cowboys might not be capable of exploiting him.
It’s not coincidental that the Cowboys' defense lacks both quarterback pressure and defensive takeaways. Those were the identity of the defense in three previous sessions under Dan Quinn. It’s impossible to judge Zimmer considering he’s been without his top four defensive ends and is yet to have cornerback DaRon Bland on the field.
Despite missing three games, Parsons still leads the team in quarterback pressures with 16 — 10 more than Chauncey Golston. Lawrence has also missed three games but remains the Cowboys leader in sacks with three.
The Cowboys are just 1-3 this season against teams that currently have a winning record. The Cowboys’ turnover margin in those games: -10. They have 11 turnovers and just one takeaway.
“You go back and talk about turnovers and things like that, well, a lot of those things come from pressure on the quarterback,’’ Zimmer said. “We haven’t been getting much of those. Hits on the quarterback is typically what gets you turnovers. Sometimes, tipped balls. We haven’t been getting very many of those, either.’’
The injury report is troubling for Zimmer. Parsons, Bland and Trevon Diggs have yet to practice this week, creating questions about whether any of them will play against a formidable Falcons offense featuring Cousins and an array of skill position talent, much of it drafted high in the first round in recent years.
Cousins appears nearly fully recovered from the torn Achilles’ tendon that prematurely ended his final season with the Vikings and unfazed by the presence of first-round quarterback Michael Penix.
“Well, Kirk's got a pretty good knowledge of me too, went against us [him and his defense] every day," Zimmer said. He’s very, very accurate, takes good care of the football, very smart and able to get in and out of plays. I know he had the Achilles last year, and so they're using a little bit more from the Pistol (formation) than they were before. But, you know, he's always had a really good long ball. He's not going to move around as much, but he's a good player.”
Cousins has a 500-yard passing game this season, and he twice has thrown for four touchdowns in a single game in his first Falcons season. This is the third different uniform that Cousins will wear against the Cowboys.
This is a revenge game for Cousins, and his opponent ranks 31st in scoring defenses and lacks quality cornerbacks and pass-rushers.
That leaves Zimmer having to take chances he probably would rather not against his former quarterback.
Prescott's pick streak
Mike McCarthy discussed his offensive philosophy and his expectations for quarterback Dak Prescott, who has multiple turnovers in an NFL-high four games.
“This system's built on making the quarterback successful,’’ McCarthy said. “That's the way I learned it 30-plus years ago. So everything we do is built into that. Obviously, the starting point of making a quarterback successful is running the football. So we can start right there.
"We need to get more production out of the run game, increase the action pass opportunities. And then from that, take it to the next step and that's the pass protection, and obviously the pass perimeter.
"It's about making him successful. If anything, I would guard against asking him to feel like he has to do more than he's already doing. He just needs to really focus in on playing quarterback. He's a great worker. He's super diligent. And we'll get to where we need to get to."
The Cowboys have the worst-ranked rushing offense in the NFL. They haven’t finished the season last in rushing since their first NFL season in 1960.
There is no offensive balance, the defense is a liability and so Prescott has to throw to win. Not only that, but he has only one dependable receiver. CeeDee Lamb has been targeted 31 times in the past two games — the most in a two-game span by a Dallas player since the statistic was tracked in 1992.
"You're never going to knock my confidence,’’ Prescott said, admitting he needs to be more conscious in balancing risk and reward. "When I've got the ball in my hands, it's not just about that play, it's about the team, the game, the momentum of it, and I just got to be better."
The Falcons rank last in the NFL in sacks with six, so Prescott should not be pressured into mistakes. But he must be wary of the Falcons’ safeties.
Jessie Bates has 22 career interceptions in his career. Justin Simmons leads the NFL in interceptions with 31 since entering the NFL in 2016.
Only three Dallas quarterbacks have committed multiple turnovers in four straight games: Craig Morton in 1972, Danny White in 1983 and Chad Hutchinson in 2002.
Prescott needs to keep his name off that list.
Run, Dak, run!
One of the few ways the Cowboys’ season could become instantly worse would be if Dak Prescott suffered another serious injury while running the football.
Brock Purdy’s 56 yards rushing last week not only matched the Cowboys’ team total, but it should have reminded Prescott of the importance of making an occasional contribution to the running game.
Prescott was a dual-threat quarterback when he entered the NFL. He believed it motivated his teammates to see him be physical and demonstrate a willingness to take contact.
While he has several times in recent weeks vowed to incorporate his mobility, Prescott has just 10 rushing attempts — the fewest of his career through seven games. At his current rate, Prescott will finish with 60 yards — surpassing his previous season low of 146, which occurred in his first season after the devastating ankle and leg fracture that limited him to five games.
“I definitely think I have something to add,” Prescott said. “I don’t know what’s been made of it, but yeah, just top of my head, I know I’ve not been running. Whether it’d be the scrambles or not, couple play calls that could potentially be that way, just haven’t had the reads. So in that sense, it just happens from within the pocket, feeling the game. I think that’s to my point, the risk vs. the reward, pulling some of these things down, being better in the pocket, and then getting out and making something happen.”
Prescott denied his unwillingness to run as a function of having the NFL’s richest contract, that he’s 31 years old and definitely not because of some decree from owner Jerry Jones.
A list of quarterbacks with more rushing yards than Prescott was read to him. Joe Flacco. Aaron Rodgers. Tom Brady in his final NFL season.
“It’s bad. It is (a crazy stat),” Prescott said while laughing. “A lot of stats are crazy. Yeah, bad. … It’s something that I don’t want to say you have to practice it, but you got to put it in your mind in that sense and not necessarily prepare, ‘I’m going to run,’ but as I look at the risk versus reward, creating something else, that one’s not there, getting out of the pocket. And then from there, the defense’s back is turned, six yards adds up over time. I’m sure that’s the only way those guys (other slower QBs) are ahead of me. It’s not like they’re reading the read-option.”
Prescott said he simply must be more mindful of using that element in practice and then find the proper opportunities during games.
Trade embargo
There have been 19 seasons where the Cowboys started 3-4. Only once have they made the playoffs. That was in 2018 when they traded a first-round pick to the Raiders for Amari Cooper.
Owner/GM Jerry Jones has seemed disinclined to make any significant trade with the NFL deadline coming next Tuesday.
What message is Jones sending to his his staff and locker room, especially with playoff teams like the Chiefs, Bills, Ravens, Vikings moving to replenish their rosters and improve their teams?
Closing thought
Final thought from Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb said: “We play confident and fast, we can score with anybody.’’