After the Dallas Cowboys pulled off a dramatic win over the Texans on the road in Week 4, quarterback Dak Prescott approached star defensive lineman Quinnen Williams and gave him a quick hug, telling him, “I love you.” Williams, after watching the defense get shredded for 397 yards on just 52 plays, was feeling apologetic and emotional. “We’re gonna get better,” Williams told his QB. “We’re gonna get better, bro.”
Prescott was keeping the confidence high. “I know you are. Let’s go on that run we talked about,” he said.
The reason Williams was feeling a little sheepish about the win was clear. No matter what you think of the details behind Pro Football Focus’ ratings system, the site’s overall ranking are pretty spot on, and right now, the Cowboys have the No. 3 offense in the NFL by the site’s measures. They have the No. 32 defense.
Cowboys Defense Shows More Life
Individually, Williams may have played his best game of the season against the Texans after struggling in the first three games of the year, with questions being raised about whether he was the right scheme fit and whether Cowboys new defensive coordinator Christian Parker needed to make adjustments to the system. Williams put some of that to rest, but still, it was not an ideal showing for the Cowboys vs. Houston.
Williams is still vowing improvement. It starts with him.
As he told reporters on Wednesday: ““I feel like I’m going in the right direction. I got a lot of things to grow on, a lot of things to do. Keep going in the right direction. I’m feeling good.”
The fact that the Cowboys were able to log two sacks on CJ Stroud, after getting just two sacks in the first three games, was encouraging, too. “Getting a couple sacks last week, getting the quarterback down, that’s the biggest one that I can see,” Williams said. “Just getting better every single day, every single opportunity, stopping the run especially.”
Quinnen Williams: Dak Prescott ‘Is My Guy’
Williams was also asked about his interaction with Prescott after the Texans win. He has a firm grasp of the situation–the Cowboys have an elite offense, and need to defense to at least be decent to get where this team wants to be.
He said: “(Dak Prescott) is my guy. He’s balling. MVP quarterback to me. It raises the intensity on my side, on my mental, having a quarterback like that on the other side. Knowing that he’s gonna put up points, knowing that he’s gonna be out there on an MVP level, as a defensive captain, as a defensive leader, it’s super urgent to get better every single day.”
Cowboys Star Sends Heartfelt Message to Dak Prescott