The Cowboys will be looking to advance to 6-1 against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday Night and they’ll there should be some success defensively for the Cowboys.
The Eagles currently have the #29 passing offense in the league and the Cowboys have the #21 passing defense, so the matchup will be interesting and should keep the game close. Then again, we’ve been saying the past few games would be close, against some of the better defenses and we’ve shredded them.
What I like about the Cowboys defense however is their secondary. The defense in general was the biggest question mark heading into the season, but they have quietly become an asset instead of a liability. We’re doing just enough defensively, along with some forced turnovers to help the offense pile on the points.
Pro Football Focus has the Cowboys secondary at the #4 best secondary in the league right now. They had them graded as the #30 secondary prior to the season.
Dallas owned one of the worst secondaries in the league last season, but through six weeks, they have turned it around with largely the same cast. Byron Jones was the only player to earn an above-average grade in coverage last year; now, Jones has continued to play well, while Barry Church and Morris Claiborne currently own career-highs in terms of coverage grades, and Brandon Carr is right around his best grade since joining the Cowboys. It’s been a remarkable turnaround thus far, but we’ll see if Dallas can sustain this level of play for the rest of the season. (PFF)
There’s definitely been a resurgence in the secondary, and Mo Claiborne is having a bit of a renaissance himself, looking the best he has since his rookie year if not better.
For me, I’m looking at the secondary coaching changes we did in the offseason. Joe Baker moved from safeties to cornerbacks coach and Greg Jackson took over the safeties. This move has paid off thus far, and you have to wonder if Mo Claiborne gets a 2nd contract from the Cowboys if he keeps playing the way he is playing.
The Cowboys will be getting Orlando Scandrick back, but Anthony Brown will surely get his snaps as well. The rookie has played very solid ball and is looking like a late round steal through six games.
It’ll be interesting to see how Rod Marinelli schemes the defense against Carson Wentz.
How do you think the Cowboys secondary will do against the Eagles on Sunday Night?
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