Although it was just a sample size, the Cowboys defense had no early answer for Jared Goff and the highly powered LA Rams on Sunday. Many criticized the offense’s inability to score more than 3 points in the second half, but Mike Nolan’s defense could not make enough adjustments in the first half to stop the Rams when they needed to.
That being said, here is the good, the bad, and the ugly of the Cowboys defense from Week One.
The Good – Aldon Smith
Five years. Five years was the last time Aldon Smith took a snap in an NFL game, and he was by far the best Cowboy player on the field in Week One. With 11 tackles, one sack, and two quarterback pressures, Smith clearly had no rust to shake off.
The pass rusher reached 47.5 sacks from 2011-2015 before his hiatus. Aldon Smith endured many challenges in his journey back into the league, and it was an amazing sight to see Smith achieve his goal of playing for an NFL team once again.
The former 7th overall pick shined on the Cowboys defensive front, and it looks like he is preparing to have another monster year in his unexpected return.
The Bad – The Secondary
The main problem for the secondary was missed tackles. On key drives, S Darian Thompson missed multiple tackles that could have given the offense the ball back. While CB Chidobe Awuzie did have an interception, the Cowboy’s secondary did not show up and make the tackles when they needed to.
The Cowboys were already missing CB Jordan Lewis, who has an ankle injury, and are waiting for the former Raven, CB Brandon Carr, to catch up on the defensive scheme. Rookie CB Trevon Diggs had three tackles in his first professional game and looks like he could play a pivotal role in the secondary. The biggest thing he lacks is experience, and Jared Goff took advantage of that on Sunday Night.
The Ugly – Leighton Vander Esch Injury
It only took five minutes into the first quarter before the Cowboys training staff went to work. After missing seven games in 2019 due to a neck injury, LB Leighton Vander Esch is now expected to miss another 6-8 weeks with a broken collarbone. The former 2018 pro-bowler was searching for a big rebound season in 2020, and that is unfortunately cut short.
The Cowboys are already thin at the linebacker core and await veteran LB Sean Lee’s return. Jaylon Smith and Joe Thomas will have to carry the position once again until then.
The Cowboys defense got better as the game went on, but there is no doubt they need to take notes from the first game and play better. Defensive Coordinator Mike Nolan will have his hands full preparing for Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons Next Sunday at 12 P.M. Hopefully, though, we will only be talking about the good by this time next week.
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