When the defense fails to force a turnover and the Cowboys only managed one in their previous defeat, how come they are now 0-4? Is that unexpected? Even though this defense is among the best in the league, they appear to depend entirely on these huge plays. In what way do they alter the trend? Bennie Walters/Lawrence, Louisiana
Nick Harris: We’ve seen that season. Mike McCarthy preaches complimentary football as a major priority for the squad in being able to drive towards wins. When the Cowboys lose the turnover fight, which usually leads to long, continuous drives by opponents that end in points, they are 1-5. On this team, when one side of the ball is playing well, the other side usually follows suit. Naturally, reversal play produces opposite outcomes.
Patrik: Yes, but the work gets more difficult. Although it’s not unheard of for a side to win without having the ball taken away, I believe the real factor here is the turnover margin rather than just the number of turnovers. That means that, depending on the circumstances, it may be a wash if the Cowboys steal the ball twice but then give it back twice. Having saying that, this defense’s strength lies in its capacity to both pressure the quarterback and intercept passes. The issue with those four losses was that the Cowboys lost the game due to poor execution, self-inflicted mistakes, and a dearth of takeaways. The difficulty is that you have to play nearly flawless football yourself if you’re not turning the other team over. It is not possible to have all three of those things happen and yet win the game.