The Dallas Cowboys secondary didn't have its best game against the Seattle Seahawks, something that was clear right from the start when WR D.K. Metcalf broke free for a 73-yard receiving touchdown when matched up against CB DaRon Bland.
The Seahawks wide receivers found varying levels of success against Dan Quinn's unit as they produced over 400 yards of offense and put 35 points on the board.
The difference-maker? The Cowboys made plays late in the game. Stephon Gilmore relatively contained Metcalf when he started traveling with him. DeMarcus Lawrence got a key tackle for loss on fourth down that then sparked the offense's game-winning touchdown drive. And while Micah Parsons closed the game with a timely pressure, Jourdan Lewis had two massive pass breakups that helped Dallas survive an upset.
When talking to Kyle Youmans and Isaiah Stanback on the official team's show Cowboys Game Night, Lewis offered some insight about his approach to facing a talented group of receivers.
"I just knew that I had to fight," Lewis said. "We talked about fighting all week, and just competing with those guys. We knew that we had a long week of preparation for those guys, and I knew that Geno wanted to get the ball to them (...) we knew it was going to be one-on-ones and time for us to step up when we needed to."
Lewis' two pass breakups were certainly one of the few defensive highlights of the night on a long game from Quinn's secondary.
As is often the case, the defensive coordinator caught a lot of criticisms on social media during the game for wanting to keep playing man coverage and adjusting very little to the Seahawks' WR core. The argument is more than fair because Quinn's defense surely struggled, as @FootsDaKing points out on Twitter/X:
However, Lewis inadvertently hinted that none of that is changing soon despite their rough night, claiming the unit takes pride in playing man-to-man.
"It's just keep fighting," responded Lewis to a question about the message from the sideline during such a game. "Honestly, (DB coach Al Harris) knows who we are. He knows how talented this group is and going out there and competing every down with some of the best of them. So, we go out there and take pride in playing man-to-man, and we go out there and fight every single possession.
Sure, Lewis won't be in charge of making (or not making) adjustments to the defensive scheme. But it's surely a reflection about what the identity of Quinn's defense is all about. Moving forward, betting on any drastic changes to the scheme would be a wild strategy from fans.
Expect the Cowboys to keep playing the style of defense they love to play. And that includes a whole lot of man coverage in a Cover 1 world.
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