Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence notched three sacks against the Giants on Monday night. The Dallas defense is one of the best in the NFL. With Micah Parsons not feeling excellent coming into Monday night's game, the rest of the unit needed to step up; they did with a huge night from the former Pro-Bowl edge rusher Lawrence.
Lawrence registered three sacks and seven pressures, a site to see. A common theme we see every week from the Cowboys defense, although lately, it has been from Parsons. The three-sack performance from Lawrence marks his eighth career multi-sack game. However, what we saw last night from him is something many have been waiting on for a few years.
Three matches his single-game career high for the number of sacks in one game; he also notched three in 2017 and 2018.
Yes, although he was hurt a season ago, he has equaled the total number of sacks he registered a year ago in just one game on Monday night. Lawrence left this game with around 10 minutes remaining in the third quarter with a possible foot injury but returned in the 4th and, as of now, seems just fine.
“I'll be back out there next week.”
Parsons still leads the team with four sacks, but Lawrence is now right behind with three. The pass rush gets another favorable matchup against Washington next week, who has their fair share of offensive line problems.
It's kind of fun having faith when the defense steps onto the field. I remember not long ago when the offense had to score almost every time they touched the football, even to have a chance. It felt like the game was over even when it started because they couldn't stop anyone.
Dan Quinn has this group rolling, and it was fantastic to see Lawrence show up in a big game when Parsons was a little under the weather.
That is the type of player he can be, and as noted many times, Parsons does not even have to register a sack to make an impact; him just being on the field is enough to create havoc.
I said last week Dorance Armstrong would finish second in sacks behind Parsons, but after the performance from Lawrence on Monday, maybe this was the spark he needed to feel like his old self again.
The key for DLaw and the rest of the defense is health. Dallas has overcome injuries on offense because the defense is flying around. If they lose a guy like Trevon Diggs, Parsons, or Lawrence for an extended time, the defense may take a bit of a dip, but everyone is playing as well as they possibly can.
With a very tough stretch on the way for Dallas that includes the Rams and Eagles on the road, it would be great to see
More must-reads: