Cowboys’ DeMarcus Lawrence Sends Message to Eagles Offense

Getty Dallas Cowboys defensive end Demarcus Lawrence

The Dallas Cowboys and DeMarcus Lawrence know exactly how difficult it can be to defend against the Philadelphia Eagles offense. The Eagles have a wide array of weapons, but one of their most successful strategies has been the “Brotherly Shove.”

Though some defense have complained about the controversial play, Lawrence made it clear on December 7 that he wasn’t protesting.

“I ain’t in the complaining business. I ain’t got time to complain,” Lawrence said, according to Yahoo’s Jori Epstein. “Whatever you put out there in front of me, I’m gonna try my damndest to defeat it.”

The shove is a “re-engineered quarterback sneak,” according to The Guardian, the paper of the University of California-San Diego, in which two players line up behind the quarterback to push him for extra yardage. The Eagles have converted on 93% of plays involving the shove, according to The Guardian, which wrote in a story published October 30 that “the Eagles do it better than anyone else because” they have the right mix of personnel.

The NFL’s commissioner, Roger Goodell, would like to see the play — also called the “tush push” — banned permanently, according to a December 2 story by The Athletic’s Dianna Russini.

Even though “injuries aren’t happening as much despite big bodies ramming into each other,” teams are not necessarily against the play, Russini wrote.

Micah Parsons Speaks Out on Holding Issues

Even though Lawrence isn’t complaining, fellow defensive end Micah Parsons is making clear his thoughts about another trend in the NFL: holding penalties. Parsons echoed the sentiments of Pittsburgh Steelers defensive TJ Watt, who compared holding to NBA defenses using the “Hack-a-Shaq” strategy, in which teams intentionally their opponents’ worst free throw shooter.

“It’s comical, you know,” Parsons told reporters on December 6. “T.J., you know, he’s good. It’s something that we should not even call out anymore. We all see what’s going on. We don’t got to say it. The fans, the media, the reporters, they all see it. It is just something they are not making an emphasis on. And you know, they’re getting away and they want teams to score lots of points. At the end of the day, that’s what they want.”

Parsons is having another exceptional season, despite the issues he’s described. Parsons has 11.5 sacks with a forced fumble and 2 passes defended. At his current pace, he’ll set a single-season career high of 16 sacks.

Cowboys OT Terence Steele Looking to Bounce Back Against Eagles

If there’s any player with the most to prove on Sunday, it’s offensive tackle Terence Steele. Steele had one of the worst games of his career against Philadelphia in the 28-23 loss, giving up 12 pressures and four sacks as Heavy’s Sean Deveney covered.

To put it in perspective, the Cowboys gave up 5 sacks total in that contest. Steele was just handed a $82.5 million contract extension earlier this fall, locking him in as the team’s franchise right tackle for years to come.

Steele hasn’t had any other critical failures this year, but the Cowboys need him to be at his best against the best competition. It’s harder to find a more talented defensive line than the Eagles’ group.