(Editor's Note: Time to check the mail! The DallasCowboys.com staff writers answer your questions here in 'Mailbag' presented by Miller Lite.)
Will the Lions be the biggest test the Cowboys' run defense has faced and will face the remainder of the season? They've looked great since the addition of Quinnen Williams, but how do you think they'll do against Detroit's two-headed rushing monster? – Michael Fornaro/Linwood, NJ
Nick: Well, let's take it a step further. Yes, this not only is the biggest test for the run defense, this very could be the toughest test for the Cowboys … the rest of the season. Now, I get it, we're not supposed to look too far down the road. But the schedule has been out for months. We know who's left and this game against the Lions might be the last time the Cowboys will enter the game as the underdog. And who knows, if the Lions keep losing players, maybe that won't even be the case by kickoff.
My overall point, is the Lions pose the biggest threat overall to the Cowboys, than any other team on the remaining schedule. Now, why is that? That leads me back to your question. Yes, the Lions run the ball better than just about anyone in the NFL and they've got the best 1-2 punch in the league in Gibbs and Montgomery. This will be a huge challenge for the Cowboys' defensive line and front seven. But let's be honest – the Cowboys will be a huge test for the Lions, too. Especially with the injuries Detroit has on the O-line, it will be hard to move the Cowboys off the ball. The key to this game will be how well Logan Wilson, DeMarvion Overshown, Kenneth Murray and Marist Liufau run to the football. How they get to the ball, is how well the Cowboys will stop the run. How well they do that, will determine if they can win this game. And if they can do that, the Cowboys might seriously be in the driver's seat to make a realistic push to the playoffs.
Patrik: It might very well be, and that's kind of interesting to consider when factoring in how the Cowboys have faced Saquon Barkley not once, but twice, this season, and they effectively shut him down on both occasions — pre- and post-Quinnen Williams. They've also seen other quality RB talent, such as Ashton Jeanty, since the bye week and he had a nightmare game against the Cowboys' defense. That said, man oh man is Gibbs a freaking problem. He's a home-run hitter who hits the home run basically once per game, and that's not counting the explosive plays that don't end with a touchdown, but do very much flip field position. And then there's Montgomery, the bully of the two, so the two-headed rushing monster, as you accurately labeled it, will indeed show the world exactly where the Cowboys are with their rushing defense. No other backfield on their regular season schedule has what the Lions are bringing in the backfield. Pass this test and ... whew.
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