Opponents have found a kryptonite in the Cowboys’ defense, and every play seems to prove it.QQ
One Dallas Cowboys defender was attacked repeatedly in Week 14, and it worked nearly every time for the Detroit Lions.
The Detroit Lions had their way with the Dallas Cowboys in Week 14. They won 44-30, and their offense was able to rack up 408 yards and faced just eight third downs in 12 drives.
Dallas actually held the ball longer and had 76 plays compared to 57, and faced nearly twice as many third downs. They also had just nine more yards despite nearly 20 more snaps on offense.
That’s a sign that Detroit was picking up chunk yardage throughout the night, and it was often against the same defender. Whether in the run or pass, the Lions had success when going after Kenneth Murray.
There are multiple examples of Murray struggling to make plays, including a passing play on the opening drive. On 1st-and-10 early in the game, Murray was juked out of his shoes by Jahmyr Gibbs. To be fair, not many linebackers are making that play, but Murray did himself no favors by dropping too far back, giving himself no chance to make a play on the ball.
Later, while facing a 2nd-and-10 in the second quarter, Murray took himself out of the play on a Gibbs run. By moving in the wrong direction, Murray left a huge hole for Gibbs to gash the defense.
Murray finished with a grade of 31.9, according to PFF, which is actually an improvement on his 29.0 in their Week 13 game against the Kansas City Chiefs. It’s not a new issue either, with Murray earning a 36.8 overall and a stunningly low 29.1 run defense grade.
