It seems as though the Cowboys' kryptonite has been teams that use a Kyle Shanahan-based offensive scheme. Teams like the 49ers, Packers and now Saints have been wildly effective at making Micah Parsons a non-factor, and they seem consistently two steps ahead of the Cowboys coaches. By and large, I don't think Dallas is lacking in talent compared to its opponents, so what exactly are these teams doing? And can the Cowboys come up with an answer to defend against this scheme? – James Mitchell/Raleigh, NC
Patrik: They're getting the running back out in space on quick tosses that negate the pass rush and then get you playing horizontally instead of downhill, opening up the middle for runs in the A and B gaps and when you pinch and play forward to stop that, they throw it over your head. It's a chain of causation that can only be halted by deleting the running back (e.g., Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Kamara, Aaron Jones) and their ability to do damage in space and off of the edge. This is where not only your defensive ends need to seal the edge, but linebacker play is massive as a determinant for success or failure against the Shanahan coaching tree. That said, yes, the Cowboys have the personnel (now) to execute the right game play (speedy, rangy and physical linebackers), but the execution has to be there or it'll be what it was on Sunday ... and in January.
Nick: I think it's a little more simpler than all of that. The Cowboys have had trouble with teams that try to get physical with them and run over them. If a team can strike first, and do so by running the ball and setting the tone, then it's usually something that keeps happening throughout the game. If you look at this front-7 the last few years, we're not talking about the biggest guys in the world. Micah Parsons is built like a linebacker but rushes the passer. We've seen a handful of linebackers that look like safeties. So when it comes to rushing the passer and playing pass defense, that's a mismatch that can favor the Cowboys. But everything has a flip side. And so when they face teams that are physical and like to run the ball and have backs that have a great mix of power and speed, it can cause problems. All of the losses the last few years have been against teams that have run the ball effectively. So to me, it's less about scheme and more about physicality. But to be honest, that's probably not a good thing.
