EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The Dallas defensive line played up to a meteoric level of success in Sunday night's season opener as the group accounted for seven sacks and over a dozen hits on Giants QB Daniel Jones.
DeMarcus Lawrence was one of the many pass rushers to get in on the action as he recorded a first half sack to get his season going in the right direction.
For him, it feels like a statement was made.
"I definitely feel like we put the league on notice," Lawrence said. "We're for real, we're coming."
Micah Parsons said postgame that he feels the Dallas defense is "the best in the National Football League," and it's a similar sentiment for Lawrence even though he knows there's a long journey ahead.
"That's our dreams, our hopes," he said. "That's what we're shooting for. We're definitely not gonna get a big head after one game. We're gonna make sure we get back in, clean up our mistakes and get better after this."
Lawrence attributed Sunday night's success to defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, who has been building towards tonight's result since he came in two years ago.
"Shoutout to DQ," he said. "Dan's doing a great job of leading us and putting us in a position to make plays. He's our fearless leader and we respect him."
Despite the strong effort through all four quarters, Lawrence felt it truly shifted after the Giants drove down the field before having Juanyeh Thomas block a field goal attempt that was returned by the newly acquired Noah Igbinoghene and returned for the season's first touchdown.
"It was huge for our team," he said. "It definitely was a change of energy. I feel like they came out strong, driving the ball well. Once we got that turnover, it feels like we shut the lights out on them."
While Lawrence did share Parsons' sentiment and gave a statement himself, he's letting the narrative lie outside the locker room knowing that a lot more is ahead of them.
"If y'all feel like a statement was made, go ahead and put that on the front page with big bold letters," he said.
