Dallas Cowboys 2023 Games

Cowboys’ defensive snap counts: A solid effort stifled powerful Chiefs offense

Other than a near-disastrous end-of-half touchdown surrendered to KC, the Dallas defense likely turned in its best game.

By VAfan@vafanbtb Nov 7, 2017, 2:00pm CST

NFL: Kansas City Chiefs at Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys beat the Chiefs at home 28-17.

Defensive Overview

This might have been the defense’s finest day, other than for the last two seconds of the first half, when the Cowboys allowed Tyreek Hill to score from the KC 44-yard line. That had to be one of worst plays in Cowboy’s history!

Aside from that last play of the half, KC came into the game averaging 29.5 points and 377 yards per game, but could muster only 267 yards and 10 points. Dallas shut down the NFL’s leading rusher, Kareem Hunt, who gained only 37 yards on nine carries. Tyreek Hill had only one catch for eight yards other than the end of half play. And Travis Kelce was held to seven catches for 73 yards. Plus, Jeff Heath got the first interception of Alex Smith on the season.

Defensive Line

Player	Pos	Age	Games	Gm1	Gm2	Gm3	Gm4	Gm5	Gm6	Gm7	GM8	Total	Season	Percent
DeMarcus Lawrence	DE	25	8	34	45	56	48	49	52	37	42	363	525	69%
Maliek Collins	DT	22	8	50	48	60	49	34	40	31	40	352	525	67%
Tyrone Crawford	DE	28	8	23	37	51	40	37	40	36	40	304	525	58%
Benson Mayowa	DE	26	7	29	40	31	35	23	0	27	19	204	525	39%
Taco Charlton	DE	23	8	26	33	20	22	8	37	22	18	186	525	35%
David Irving	DE/DT	24	4	0	0	0	0	45	36	36	44	161	525	31%
Brian Price	DT	23	8	10	33	17	21	14	25	20	9	149	525	28%
Stephen Paea	DT	29	4	39	46	31	29	0	0	0	0	145	525	28%
Richard Ash	DT	25	4	0	0	0	0	0	27	24	12	63	525	12%
Damontre Moore	DE	25	3	0	0	26	21	11	0	0	0	58	525	11%
Charles Tapper	DE	24	2	11	25	0	0	0	0	0	0	36	525	7%

My son noted, off a comment he read on BTB, that Dallas hadn’t had an offensive holding call registered by an opponent in the last four games. I’m not sure where you check those game-by-game stats. But you can check the total penalties by team at this site, and it’s not pretty. Dallas has been called for 16 offensive holding calls this year, to 6 for opponents. The overall penalty imbalance is 500 yards overall against Dallas, and 351 yards against Dallas’s opponents. That’s the second largest spread in the NFL, behind only Seattle. I note this because it seemed like the Cowboys pass rushers never were able to get holding calls, despite being held.

Benson Mayowa returned in this game, but didn’t have much impact. Taco Charlton had fewer snaps, but his first NFL sack. DeMarcus Lawrence was held without a sack for the first time, but David Irving continued his streak, and now has six sacks in four games, as many as the Cowboys’ leader had last year. Brian Price got hurt and needs surgery, so he’ll go on IR. The Cowboys will need to find a replacement.

Here’s the production.

David Irving, three tackles, a tackle for loss, a quarterback hit, a pass defensed, and a sack for loss of five yards.
DeMarcus Lawrence, two assisted tackles and a quarterback hit.
Taco Charlton, one tackle, a tackle for loss, a quarterback hit, and a sack for loss of three yards (leading to a fourth-down interception).
Benson Mayowa, one assisted tackle.
Brian Price, one assisted tackle.

Linebackers

Player	Pos	Age	Games	Gm1	Gm2	Gm3	Gm4	Gm5	Gm6	Gm7	Gm8	Total	Season	Percent
Sean Lee	LB	31	6	56	77	75	0	0	49	57	54	368	525	70%
Jaylon Smith	LB	22	8	36	68	54	69	33	32	17	17	326	525	62%
Anthony Hitchens	LB	25	4	0	0	0	0	50	41	26	28	145	525	28%
Damien Wilson	LB	24	8	17	23	16	27	11	18	11	19	142	525	27%
Justin Durant	LB	32	5	2	1	32	48	27	0	0	0	110	525	21%
Kyle Wilber	LB	28	5	0	3	0	2	13	7	1	0	26	525	5%

With Sean Lee and Anthony Hitchens, the Cowboys run defense has been solid. Lee finally has taken over the snap count lead from Jaylon Smith, who has been relegated to 17 snaps each of the last two games. HItchens has only had 26 and 28 snaps over that same period because either five or six defensive backs have had more.

Here’s the production.

Sean Lee, eight tackles, four assists, two tackles for loss.
Damien Wilson, two tackles, three assists.
Anthony Hitchens, one tackle, three assists.
Jaylon Smith, three tackles.

Secondary

Player	Pos	Age	Games	Gm1	Gm2	Gm3	Gm4	Gm5	Gm6	Gm7	Gm8	Total	Season	Percent
Anthony Brown	CB	24	8	50	77	81	69	59	60	58	56	510	525	97%
Byron Jones	S	25	8	56	76	81	61	60	62	56	57	509	525	97%
Jeff Heath	S	26	8	56	77	78	55	49	59	43	47	464	525	88%
Orlando Scandrick	CB	30	7	9	0	69	69	58	58	58	56	377	525	72%
Jourdan Lewis	CB	22	7	0	65	48	56	48	58	51	44	370	525	70%
Xavier Woods	S	22	7	0	34	43	16	21	15	37	24	190	525	36%
Nolan Carroll	CB	30	2	56	25	0	0	0	0	0	0	81	525	15%
Kavon Frazier	S	23	7	18	10	22	22	0	7	1	1	81	525	15%
Chidobe Awuzie	CB	22	3	38	5	0	0	9	0	0	0	52	525	10%
Ben Benwikere	CB	26	1	0	0	0	0	0	4	0	0	4	525	1%

Byron Jones had an awful game. His 15-yard penalty on the kickoff just before half helped give KC the field position it needed to have a chance at the ridiculous Tyreek Hill TD pass. On that same TD play, his 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty helped KC gain field position on the second half kickoff that led to KC’s only other touchdown of the game. And he was covering Travis Kelce on that other touchdown.

Did anyone else notice that teams have avoided Jourdan Lewis in the passing game the last couple of weeks? It seems like Anthony Brown is much more likely to be targeted.

Chidobe Awuzie continues his absence with hamstring issues. The Cowboys need him to get healthy.

Here’s the production.

Orlando Scandrick, three tackles, two assists
Byron Jones, two tackles, three assists
Anthony Brown, four tackles.
Xavier Woods, two tackles and a pass defensed.
Jourdan Lewis, two tackles.
Jeff Heath, one tackle, an interception, and a pass defensed.

Special Teams

Player	Pos	Games	Gm1	Gm2	Gm3	Gm4	Gm5	Gm6	Gm7	Gm8	Total	Season	Percent
Damien Wilson	LB	6	19	27	27	29	22	19	25	21	189	227	83%
Kyle Wilber	LB	6	19	27	27	29	22	18	24	21	187	227	82%
Rod Smith	RB	6	17	19	23	20	16	16	19	17	147	227	65%
Jeff Heath	S	6	17	20	22	20	22	19	5	17	142	227	63%
Kavon Frazier	S	5	18	19	23	19	0	16	19	17	131	227	58%
Xavier Woods	S	6	13	17	14	20	17	11	19	15	126	227	56%
Keith Smith	FB	6	6	19	17	18	16	14	17	14	121	227	53%
Byron Jones	S	6	14	12	17	16	13	14	15	11	112	227	49%
Geoff Swaim	TE	6	12	15	18	14	11	10	12	12	104	227	46%
Anthony Brown	CB	6	11	15	16	17	12	8	13	11	103	227	45%
James Hanna	TE	6	6	16	11	12	13	6	8	8	80	227	35%
Ben Benwikere	CB	4	0	0	12	8	16	13	15	12	76	227	33%
Ryan Switzer	WR	6	8	10	11	11	10	6	9	6	71	227	31%
Noah Brown	WR	4	0	11	6	9	0	7	7	0	40	227	18%
Damontre Moore	DE	3	0	0	10	11	11	0	0	0	32	227	14%
Jourdan Lewis	CB	4	0	8	1	0	2	5	5	2	23	227	10%
Sean Lee	LB	4	1	8	4	0	0	1	6	3	23	227	10%
Chidobe Awuzie	CB	3	13	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	16	227	7%
Nolan Carroll	CB	2	13	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	15	227	7%

The Cowboys did a very good job covering punts, with Tyreek Hill gaining no yards. Kavon Frazier and James Hanna stuffed Hill and D. Thomas for no gain on two punt returns.

The most absurd penalty was called on Xavier Woods for an “illegal blindside block” when Woods made textbook shoulder-to-shoulder block on the KC player covering the punt. It negated Ryan Switzer’s best return and backed Dallas up to its own 13-yard line late in the third quarter. But Dallas overcame the penalty by driving 87 yards for its final TD.

A week after Mike Nugent kicked four field goals in the rain, he had no attempts in Dallas.

2016 Defensive Snap Counts

Defensive snaps Game 1 - New York Giants

Defensive snaps Game 2 - At Denver

Defensive snaps Game 3 - At Arizona

Defensive snaps Game 4 - Los Angeles Rams

Defensive snaps Game 5 - Green Bay

Defensive snaps Game 6 - At San Francisco

No article for Game 7 - At Washington