The Dallas Cowboys are receiving some encouraging news as they prepare for their Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals on December 9. Despite being 5-7, the Cowboys have won their last two games with backup quarterback Cooper Rush filling in for the injured Dak Prescott. However, they still have a lot of work ahead to secure a spot in the Wild Card playoffs.
Fortunately, the Cowboys are getting some positive developments this week that could boost their confidence heading into the game against the Bengals.
Dallas Cowboys’ Defense Drawing Praise
As the season progresses, NFL experts and analysts are praising the Cowboys’ defense for its recent improvements.
“The Dallas Cowboys’ defense is not perfect, but it is certainly better than it was at the start of the season,” ESPN’s Todd Archer noted in a December 2 article on the team’s defensive turnaround.
Archer pointed out that the Cowboys were on track to have one of the worst defenses in franchise history, but fortunately, that is no longer the case. Over the past five games, the Cowboys have allowed more than 400 yards only once and surrendered more than 6.2 yards per play just once. Additionally, they’ve held opponents to under a 40% conversion rate on third downs. In general, their stats have improved, and their defense is looking stronger.
A major factor in this turnaround has been the return of edge rusher Micah Parsons. Archer referred to the defense’s improvement as potentially being the “Parsons’ effect.”
“After missing four games with a high left ankle sprain, Parsons has played in the past four games and has 5.5 sacks,” Archer said, adding that Parsons leads the team with 6.5 sacks despite missing 17 quarters of playtime due to injury, which is a remarkable achievement.
Defensive End Could Return, But Not Immediately
In a December 2 feature for The New York Times’ Athletic, NFL analyst Saad Yousuf shared that Parsons “hinted at some breaking news” during his postgame interview, suggesting that the Cowboys might have veteran defensive lineman DeMarcus Lawrence back from his foot injury for their upcoming game against the Bengals.
This would be another positive development for the Cowboys. Lawrence hasn’t played since Week 4, so his return could be a significant boost.
Yousuf noted that, “the Cowboys’ defense and specifically defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer have been tough to evaluate this season because of the injuries,” but he added that “the Cowboys’ defense could be getting healthier during the home stretch.”
However, a Lawrence return might be a bit premature. On December 2, Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones dampened expectations for Lawrence’s immediate return, telling 105.3 The Fan that it’s “probably a long shot” for Lawrence to play against the Bengals. He also mentioned that, while a return this soon is unlikely, “I certainly expect to see him sooner than later,” as reported by Jon Machota of The Athletic.
As David Halprin of Blogging the Boys points out, the Cowboys are underdogs to the Bengals, so they will need strong performances on both offense and defense to secure a win.
