FRISCO, Texas – If DeMarcus Lawrence is intimidated by the hottest team in football, he isn't going to show it.
On Tuesday, as his weekly media session wound down, Lawrence was asked if the Saints' offensive line is the best he's faced.
"I don't know. I've got to see first," Lawrence said. "They ain't faced us. We don't know yet. We can talk about it afterwards. I'll be honest with you, too."
It's a valid point. The Cowboys are seventh in the NFL in total defense and third in the NFL in scoring defense. They're No. 12 in total sacks, with a total of 31 so far this season.
When Lawrence was reminded that the Saints' line, which has allowed just 11 sacks this season, has been "talked up" this season, he said the same can be said of his own group.
"They're going to have to match our intensity," he said. "For 60 minutes straight, if you hit a mother f----- in the mouth and then they ain't doing what they're regularly doing, putting up 50 points, they start to get a little distressed. Now, you got them where you want them at, and then you f----- choke their ass out."
All of that said, Lawrence has plenty of respect for this week's opposition. New Orleans is heading into AT&T Stadium on a 10-game win streak, averaging 37.2 points per game in the process. The Cowboys' premier pass rusher is well aware of that fact.
"This team right here that we're going to face is hands down, if you really look at the details, the best team in the league," he said.
Still, it's fair to say Lawrence isn't shying away from the challenge. With 8.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss on the season, he'll need to be on his game if the Cowboys are going to stop the Saints' win streak.
