Getty The Dallas Cowboys defense will have their hands full against the Chargers.
The Dallas Cowboys defense showed some signs of life in Week 1 but ultimately were unable to hold on to a late lead against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams sees some opportunities with the Cowboys defense ahead of their Week 2 matchup. Williams admitted the Bucs receivers revealed some holes in the Cowboys secondary.
“Tampa Bay receivers looked like they was having some fun out there,” Williams noted taking a shot at the Cowboys defense, per USA Today.
The Cowboys allowed Tom Brady to throw for 379 yards and four touchdowns but did force two interceptions. Bucs star receiver Antonio Brown had his way against the Cowboys secondary notching five receptions for 121 yards and a touchdown.
Anthony Brown Earned a 51.2 Grade for His Play Against the Bucs
One of the players that was the subject of many Cowboys fans’ frustration is cornerback Anthony Brown who consistently struggled covering Brown. The Cowboys cornerback received a 51.2 overall grade from Pro Football Focus for his Week 1 performance and a dismal 49.3 score for his coverage.
Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn came to Brown’s defense noting the corner is receiving the blame that should be directed at other members of the secondary as well. Quinn broke down one of Brown’s touchdown receptions noting that the Cowboys corner was playing the correct coverage but failed to receive the designed help.
“I think it’s fair to say I thought Anthony did an excellent job tackling,” Quinn explained, per USA Today. “The one deep ball that went for a touchdown was actually a coverage; we were playing a trail technique. He was playing underneath with some help over the top. Another player fell down, [and] the safety tried to help that one instead of Anthony. So it looked like he was in a bad spot, but he was actually doing the technique that he should, knowing that he should’ve had help. One problem caused another problem.”
The Cowboys Are Expected to be Without Randy Gregory & DeMarcus Lawrence vs. Chargers
We will see if Williams is able to back up his trash talk but the wideout is off to a strong start to the season. Williams notched eight receptions for 82 yards and a touchdown against NFC East foe Washington in Week 1.
The Cowboys defense will have its hands full with the defensive line playing short-handed. DeMarcus Lawrence suffered a broken foot and is out for the foreseeable future. Randy Gregory is on the COVID-19 list putting his status against the Chargers in doubt. All this puts even more pressure on the Cowboys secondary as the team may find it challenging to get to quarterback Justin Herbert.
Offensively, the Cowboys will be without starting right tackle La’el Collins for the next five games as he serves a suspension. The good news is the Cowboys will have Zack Martin back in the lineup after missing Week 1 as he tested positive for COVID-19. Dallas once again finds itself as an underdog as Los Angeles is a 3.5-point favorite, per OddsShark. Prior to Lawrence’s injury, McCarthy discussed some of the challenges the Cowboys have already had keeping players on the field.
“It’s a challenge,” McCarthy noted, per ESPN’s Todd Archer. “We all go through it. I’ve always paid attention to statistics and analytics, and it gives you some direction when you’re trying to build a roster and how you’re allocating snaps and so forth. Really, the health and continuity of your offensive line, if you look at it historically, equates to winning. That’s something you pay attention to.”