Giants Facing Much Different Cowbys Defense in Season Finale

Personnel-wise, this Cowboys defense is going to look starkly different in week 18 compared to the first matchup.

The most notable absence will be star cornerback Trevon Diggs, who was unexpectedly released earlier this week and has since landed in Green Bay.

Diggs dealt with injury for much of the year, which, unfortunately, has become a trend for him in recent years, but he still started when healthy.

While there isn’t a clear favorite yet to replace Diggs on the outside, it could be seventh-round rookie Trikweze Bridges.

Bridges was drafted by the Chargers but was cut, then joined the Cowboys, and has played significant snaps when the secondary has dealt with injuries.

While he has solid size, Bridges was a cornerback at Oregon who moved to safety at Florida because he was struggling there, only moving back to cornerback due to injuries.

The interior of the defensive line now features former New York Jets defender Quinnen Williams, who lines up alongside Kenny Clark.

Since joining the Cowboys, Williams has been on an absolute tear with 32 pressures in just six games.

Williams’ usage has been like something we’ve never seen from him before, as he’s played more consistently over the offensive tackle than previously.

Rookie cornerback Shavon Revel, a third-round pick who tore his ACL early in the 2024 season, is now back after missing the first matchup.

Revel has struggled to this point in the year, but that isn’t unexpected considering where he currently stands in his recovery.

Fifth-round rookie Shemar James also missed the start of the 2025 season but has since joined the Cowboys defense and grown into a starting-caliber role.

James has also seen his own struggles as a rookie, but they seem better explained by acknowledging that he was a fifth-round pick and that expectations for rookies should have been low.

Veteran edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney was not yet with the Cowboys when these two teams faced off, but he’s solidified himself as a consistent part of the rotation since joining the team.

Still a strong run defender, Clowney no longer has consistent juice as a pass-rusher, though he still shows flashes.

Scheme

For much of the season, including the week two matchup against the Giants, this Cowboys defense lived in cover three.

In recent weeks, however, they have shown more variety in their coverage.

While cover three is still a significant part of their coverage matrix, they’ve opted to play more man coverage in cover one, as well as more two-high looks with cover two and four.

This defense is still near the bottom of the NFL in terms of success, but they have been trying to figure this out by expanding their calls.

For the first month of the season, the Cowboys ranked among the most conservative defenses in the NFL in terms of blitzing.

While they still aren’t a blitz-heavy defense, they’ve worked their way up to have a blitz rate of 27.2%, 16th-highest in the NFL.

That number has been aided by particularly blitz-heavy game plans against the Chargers and Cardinals in the second half of the season, but their typical blitz rate has also risen week to week.

Overview

The Cowboys' defense has improved as the year has gone on, both personnel-wise and scheme-wise.

Their scheme hasn’t evolved much, but the increase in variety has made them less predictable.

The personnel additions on the defensive line improved the overall quality of the defense, but the team still lacks talent on the back end.

Dart and company should still be able to attack this defense that has held opponents to below 25 points just once in the past month of the season.

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