Cowboys Defense 'Set The Tone' For Blowout - Coach Mike McCarthy
The Dallas Cowboys flexed its defensive muscle on Sunday night as coordinator Dan Quinn's unit produced what he likes to call a "kick-ass performance." While the Indianapolis Colts kept it close for three quarters, 33 unanswered points in the fourth quarter saw the final score read 54-19 in Dallas' favor.
With the win, Dallas moved to 9-3.
The fourth quarter was unlike anything we have seen from a defense, and head coach Mike McCarthy knows the unit deserves a lot of praise for the blowout win.
"I think really the defense set the tone ... with the takeaways and the run game," McCarthy said. "It starts up front and I think our perimeter players just continue to make plays throughout the game. We were able to break it open there in the fourth quarter."
They broke it open, all right. With a little under four minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Colts opted to go for a two-point conversion after scoring a touchdown which would have tied the game. Fast-forward 15 minutes, and Dallas was up 54 to 19.
Unsung heroes in rookies Damone Clark (forced a fumble) and DaRon Bland (two interceptions), and Malik Hooker (two takeaways) were all the catalysts for the fourth-quarter explosion. After only creating four turnovers in the last four games, the Cowboys snagged five against the Colts.
"Everybody practices it [getting turnovers]," McCarthy said. "But we put a lot of emphasis into a lot of time into a lot of extra video, and our guys just eat it up. You can see the aggressiveness of our defense, and we still had some other opportunities too."
Quinn's unit was back to its best on Sunday night. With three sacks, two forced fumbles, three interceptions, seven quarterback hits, and six tackles for loss, that points to a well-rounded effort. They also kept another star running back under 100 yards rushing.
With Saquon Barkley (39), Dalvin Cook (72), and Jonathan Taylor (82), three premier running backs have all been kept in check during the three-game winning streak.
Sunday night was one for the record books, and while Dallas' Dak Prescott-led offense gets a great deal of attention ... to a great degree, McCarthy has Quinn's kick-ass unit to thank for it.
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