Angry Dallas Cowboys defense knows run woes could mean quick playoff exit or no playoffs

The angry and frustrated Dallas Cowboys defense is at a breaking point.

Once considered the strength of the 2022 team, the Cowboys defense has allowed an old weakness to rear its ugly head.

And it could potentially prove to be the downfall of a 6-3 team with dreams of making a Super Bowl run for the first time since 1995 if they don’t get it fixed.

As much of defensive coordinator Dan Quinn was lauded for turning around a 2020 until that set a record for futility — giving up the most points in franchise history while allowing the second most yards and second most rushing yards ever — he never quite got of hold of shutting down opposing rushing attacks.

Certainly, the Cowboys finished 16th against the run compared to 31st the year before but that was largely attributed to the benefit of having the league’s best offense in terms of yards and scoring, thus forcing opposing teams to play from behind and throw the ball more.

As when it came to the wild card playoff loss to San Francisco 49ers, the Cowboys’ inability to stop the run was as much the reason for the setback as the litany of penalties and quarterback Dak Prescott’s failure to stop the clock and get a final pass.

The 49ers rushed 38 times for 169 yards and two touchdowns with the difference-making score coming on a 26-yard cut back run by Deebo Samuel right through the heart of the defense in the 23-17 setback.

The run defense, which currently ranks 29th in the NFL, has been a weak spot all season but giving up 240 yards to the Chicago Bears in a 49-29 victory Oct. 30 and then allowing 207 rushing yards in a 31-28 overtime loss to the Green Bay Packers, while blowing a 28-14 fourth-quarter lead, has the Cowboys angry, frustrated and at each others throats.

None of this was lost on safety Jayron Kearse as he lamented the team’s run woes on defense through the first nine games of 2022 and the prospect of what’s facing the Cowboys over the final eight games with a number talented running backs on the schedule, starting Sunday with Dalvin Cook and the 9-1 Minnesota Vikings.

Suddenly all the talk of the defense, which still leads the league in sacks, being Doomsday-esque has turned into them being labeled as a sieve against the run.

And no team that is soft at the point of tack can really be considered a Super Bowl contender.

“It’s a bit of everything,” Kearse acknowledged about the emotions in the locker room. “To go into Chicago and those guys did what they did. And then coming back out after a bye and losing to Green Bay how we lost it with them moving the ball up and down the field on us. You should be angry. You should be frustrated. If you’re not then I think we got the wrong guys on his defense. If you’re walking around here like everything is fine, knowing how things went for us last year against San Fran being a big reason why we didn’t advance in the postseason last year. . .If you’re not frustrated, then we got the wrong guys on his defense.

“It’s all about having a sense of urgency moving forward. If you don’t have a sense of urgency moving forward with how last week went, the week before the bye went, the you need to gut check yourself and look at yourself in the mirror.”

All-Pro linebacker Micah Parsons called out the defense after the Packers game. He said guys were playing hero ball, not staying in their gaps and being accountable to each other.

Kearse was of a similar mindset.

“Everybody just has to do their job,” Kearse said. “Not trying to do too much. just do your job. If every every single individual does their job it will take care of the rest. It is just every individual person. If someone is not in his gap, these backs in this league they are going to find your gap. So you just have to do your job. If it’s to be a force then be a force. It you are linebacker you have to shoot the gap, shoot the bap. It you have to hold the edge, do that.”

Coach Mike McCarthy likes the angst among the players. He said conflict can be a good thing. And he truly believes the Cowboys have the right guys on defense to fix their run woes.

But they have to do it.

“When the team runs for over 200 yards, we damn well need to answer questions about it,” McCarthy said.” We recognize that. A lot’s been talked about and I like the fact that they’ve talked about it —immediately, among themselves. And we’ll be better for it. That’s the starting point for Minnesota. That’s the reality of how we’re looking at it because we know they’re going to try to challenge us in a similar way.”

The urgency is now for the angry Cowboys.

The Vikings will certainly try to run on them as well the rest of the team’s on their schedule.

Hope for a special season still remains.

But it will be fleeting if they don’t channel their disgust and stop the bleeding against the run.

“Everybody should be pissed off how we lost that game and and the way things went,” Kearse said. “Conflict is always gonna be good. But like I said it was more it was more about the individual and having a sense of urgency moving forward. The sky is not falling. We are 6-3. We can accomplish everything that we still want to do with this season. But right now is the time to really hone in on everything and really lock in and stop the bleeding.

“So until we stop it, it’s not going to change.”