Dallas Cowboys

Cowboys vs. Packers: Clash of the Big Men

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Like someone who’s received a sudden, unexpected influx of wealth and has no idea what to do next, the Cowboys find themselves with a good problem to have. Do they keep playing their hot rookie QB or do they go back to their accomplished veteran once he’s healthy?

Good problem or not, it’s the type of decision that makes you glad you’re not Jason Garrett. (Or Jerry Jones?) Whoever decides on Dallas’s QB, and whatever he chooses, the decision comes with a nice cushion: an offensive line that has been regarded as the NFL’s best for most of three years now.

The O-line is responsible for the juicy factoid that you’ve probably heard a dozen times this week: Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott are the first rookie QB-running back tandem to accrue more than 1,000 yards passing and 500 yards rushing in their first five games. Make no mistake about those numbers: the Cowboys’ offense is driven by its ground game, and this week it goes up against a Packers D that, by a wide margin, leads the league against the run. In fact, it’s allowed the second fewest rushing yards through four games (171) of any team in the Super Bowl era (they had a Week 4 bye).

So what will give? Green Bay’s front seven is athletic and schematically diverse. But it also hasn’t been tested. Green Bay’s four opponents this year—the Jaguars, Vikings, Lions and Giants—rank 23rd or worse running the ball. Yes, the Packers themselves have contributed to those low rankings. But in games against other defenses, those four teams are averaging just 90 yards on the ground. This defense has not seen a rushing attack remotely as potent as Dallas’s.

Elliott struggled in his first two outings but came to life in Week 3 after coaches emphasized being more patient when attacking the hole; the 21-year-old needed to allow his O-line’s punishing blocks more time to unfold. Those blocks happened to get better in Week 3, as the line ironed out many of the uncharacteristic inconsistencies that had plagued it in Weeks 1 and 2. (The biggest of those: not sustaining double-teams inside.)

Left tackle Tyron Smith might be the most gifted blocker in football, but this line’s success hinges on center Travis Frederick and right guard Zack Martin. Because of the great Cowboys lines of two decades ago, there’s a perception that the best O-line is the one whose five behemoths can most thoroughly drive defenders into the ground. And there’s some truth to that. But in today’s NFL, quality O-line play is about agility and mechanical proficiency.

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The Cowboys employ a zone-based running game. The essence of a zone running game—or at least an “outside zone” game such as Dallas’s—is that the offense flows one way and the O-line pins defenders back the other way. The most important block is made by the center, who must snap the ball and immediately cross the face of a much bigger defensive tackle (called a “reach and seal” block). If he doesn’t, the rest of the line can’t flow and there’s congestion in the A-gaps (the running back’s starting point). Frederick this season has been the league’s preeminent reach-and-seal blocker.

The other aspect of zone running is double-teams. Whether it’s outside zone or the more north/south-oriented inside zone, offensive linemen must be able to double a defensive lineman and figure out on the fly who works off that double and up to the linebacker. This is where Frederick and Martin are so dominant together. The more athletic a blocker is, the more adept he’s likely to be at working up to a linebacker. This is true on the front side of a play and especially on the back side, where the angles and spacing are more fluid. Backside blocks are generally where three-yard runs become 20-yarders (Elliott leads the NFL with five of these). Naturally, backside blocks mean offensive tackles are more involved. And so in this sense, there isn’t a more valuable player than Tyron Smith.

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All of this directly benefits Elliott. And, indirectly, Prescott, who has the luxury of orchestrating a passing game that’s balanced by a strong rushing attack. And of course, the line helps Prescott more directly with its pass protection. The Cowboys’ pass blockers can all win in one-on-one scenarios. This (usually) includes less-heralded left guard Ronald Leary and right tackle Doug Free. Such reliability is why the Cowboys have felt comfortable having Prescott use spread empty backfield formations that Tony Romo has mastered. Prescott, to his credit, has done well in the pre- and post-snap phase out of empty sets. Trusting your pocket when dropping back makes a world of difference here.

If you don’t believe the Cowboys have the NFL’s best O-line, it’s probably because you believe the Packers do. Indeed, that group—David Bakhtiari, Lane Taylor, JC Tretter, T.J. Lang and Bryan Bulaga—has been nothing short of spectacular, particularly in pass protection. They’re why people haven’t fully noticed that Aaron Rodgers and his receivers, despite the return of Jordy Nelson, have continued to play unevenly much of this season. Yes, the Packers’ aerial attack has been sharper than it was in 2015. But it’s still not where it was a few years ago. There’s a fragmented feel to it.

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There are two reasons for this: 1) Green Bay’s receivers still aren’t great against man coverage, and 2) Rodgers isn’t a rhythmic, on-schedule quarterback. He can compensate with otherworldly sandlot skills, but when those don’t work a QB can quickly fall on the wrong side of the fine line between playing loose and playing without discipline. Undisciplined doesn’t just mean turnovers. It can also mean a failure to hit open receivers on time and within the constructs of play designs. Since the start of 2015, Rodgers has had more bouts of undisciplined play than all his other seasons combined. (And it shows in his numbers. From 2008 to ’14, Rodgers completed 65.9% of his throws and 8.3 yards per attempt. Since the beginning of 2015, he’s completed 59.8% and averaged 6.6 yards.)

But when your blockers are giving you six seconds to throw, the timing of the offense can become so loosely defined that a quarterback can’t help but play within it. That’s what’s been happening in Green Bay—not just last Sunday against the Giants, but every week. The Packers’ O-line has been impermeable on passing downs.

There’s no evidence things will change this week. The return of defensive end Demarcus Lawrence helps the Cowboys’ pass rush, but collectively, it still has a long way to go. And, like most teams, the Cowboys will be reluctant to boost that pass rush by blitzing Rodgers; pressure packages aren’t a prominent part of defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli’s system anyway.

While more enticing storylines loom large—Prescott vs. Romo, Rodgers and his receivers finding better rhythm—don’t lose sight of the trenches. The two best all-around offensive lines in football will share the field on Sunday, which is why the loser will still very much be in the thick of this early NFC race.

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