Ted Nguyen's Film Room: The Cowboys defense and Colts offense appear on their way to being elite

The Dallas Cowboys are on top of the NFC East after winning three games in a row, while the Indianopolis Colts are back in the playoff race after winning five games in a row. The Cowboys defense has always been solid but looks like it is taking the next step as a unit. Everyone knows about the prolific Saints, Chiefs and Rams offenses, but the fourth-highest scoring team in the league is the Indianapolis Colts. The Cowboys defense and Colts offense have some weaknesses and more to prove before they can truly be considered elite, but both units look like they are on the way to that lofty status.

Cowboys defense

Michael Irvin’s rant about the Cowboys being back may have come a game too late. He made his impassioned speech right before the Cowboys lost to the Tennessee Titans on Monday Night Football. Since then, the Cowboys have won three straight games. The offense has played better with the trade for Amari Cooper, who’s been a spark plug for the unit, and a greater focus on getting their best player, Ezekiel Elliott, the ball. But quietly the Dallas defense has kept this team afloat and is a big reason why the Cowboys are back in the playoff hunt.

The Cowboys are fourth in the league in points allowed per game (19.4). They are fifth in rushing yards per game (93.6). They are sixth in sack percentage (7.81 percent). In their three-game win streak, they are averaging (1.6) takeaways per game, which would tie them for eighth in the league.

The secret to their success is they are playing fundamentally and assignment sound football. Each player is doing his job and they aren’t beating themselves, which is allowing their talent to shine through. Their run defense is legit; it’s not like they are playing with huge leads and forcing opponents to abandon the run. Opponents are running the ball an average of 24.6 times per game (16th in the NFL) yet the Cowboys are giving up only 3.7 yards per rushing attempt (fifth in the NFL).

The dynamic duo of Jaylon Smith and this year’s first-round draft pick, Leighton Vander Esch, looks like one of the most athletic linebacking corps in the NFL. Smith is starting to look like the top-five pick he was projected to be before his nerve injury.

On this wide zone play, the defensive line did a good job of stalemating the offensive line and didn’t give up any ground. It shut down the frontside gaps and forced running back Adrian Peterson (No. 26) to cut back. Smith (No. 54) did a good job of redirecting with the cutback. He struggled with change of direction last year so this sort of play shows that he’s making progress physically. Smith also displayed an understanding of leverage here by getting his head on Peterson’s sideline arm and forcing him back to the middle of the field where Vander Esch would clean up the tackle.

On this play, the Falcons tried to fool the Cowboys with a reverse. Vander Esch sniffed out the play and didn’t fall for the backfield fakes because he remained disciplined and read left tackle Jake Matthews (No. 70), who was the first uncovered offensive lineman. The run fake was to the left and Matthews released downfield to the right to lead block for the reverse.

Vander Esch used perfect hand placement by striking Matthews with his inside hand to create separation while keeping his outside hand free. There were huge lanes for the runner on the outside and inside of Vander Esch but he played both lanes perfectly while warding off Matthews. As the runner tried to cut back outside Vander Esch displayed some remarkable athleticism by taking a step back and then exploding forward to wrap up the runner.

Vander Esch’s game against Atlanta was one of the best games from a linebacker that I’ve seen in a long time. He was slipping by blockers with power and speed to make tackles in the run and screen game. He was lockdown in man coverage and looked like he was all over the field in zone coverage with his lightning fast breaks. With Sean Lee in and out of the lineup with injuries, Vander Esch has been a revelation.

The addition of Kris Richard as a defensive backs coach has paid dividends. The secondary looks like a cohesive, well-coached unit. Under defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli, the Cowboys have been mainly a Cover 2 zone team and were often predictable and easy to game plan against. Richards has infused the single-high Cover 3/Cover 1 system with which Seattle has had so much success.

Cornerback Byron Jones, who is arguably the Cowboys best defensive back, played the scheme as well as you could possibly play it in the clip above. The Cowboys were in cover 3-Mable, meaning the defense is in regular Cover 3 to the three-receiver side. Jones, who is on the single receiver side, has tight end Zach Ertz (No. 86) in man coverage unless he runs a short in breaking route. Ertz ran a drag across the field so Jones dropped off him into a deep third and nearly intercepted a pass intended for Golden Tate (No. 19), who ran a deep crosser from across the field.

This concept was designed to beat Cover 3-Mable. Quarterback Carson Wentz likely thought Jones was going to follow Ertz across the field or stay shallow enough for him to get the ball to Tate but Jones did his job and almost came down with the intercpetion.

The most notable difference in the Cowboys defense this year and last year is how well they disguise their coverages. They often won’t give away their coverage until the ball is snapped.

Here, the Cowboys show a two-deep safety look initially. Quarterback Matt Ryan is likely thinking that the defense could have been in a Cover 2 zone or 2-man, which means the middle of the defense could be open. He looked like he wanted to go to tight end Austin Hooper (No. 81) running a dig route but as the ball was snapped, safety Jeff Heath (No. 38) rolled down to help in the short to intermediate middle of the field. Vander Esch looked like he had the route covered even without Heath’s help. Ryan was forced to go to his next read but the defense had every route smothered.

On this play, the Cowboys once again showed a two deep look initially but rolled into a Cover 3 after the ball was snapped. Quarterback Colt McCoy thought that the defense was in a Cover 2 zone, which would mean there would be a void in the short middle of the field for tight end Jordan Reed to run a “sit” route. Reed found the hole in the zone but free safety Xavier Woods came screeching down from his deep alignment to cover the inside wall zone, which he’s responsible for in a Cover 3. Both Woods and Smith sandwiched Reed and forced an incompletion on third down.

The smothering man coverage and disguising are causing quarterbacks to hesitate and hold the ball, which means the Cowboys talented pass rushers have more time to hunt. All-Pro Demarcus Lawrence is dominating the edge as usual and interior defensive lineman Tyrone Crawford is doing a good job of pushing the pocket. Both players combined for four sacks during the Cowboys’ win streak.

Here, the Redskins slid the protection to Lawrence. Lawrence went inside on a stunt and beat center Chase Roullier (No. 73) with his speed. By sliding the protection toward Lawrence, the Redskins left Crawford in a one-on-one matchup with left guard Jonathan Cooper (No. 72). Crawford beat Cooper with a “forklift” move and both Lawrence and Crawford played a little game of “meet me at the quarterback.”

The Cowboys have playmakers at every level of their defense. Defensive end Randy Gregory looks like he’s starting to find his groove, which will add to an already good pass rush. Their biggest weakness is giving up big plays in the play-action game. They play an aggressive brand of defense and that aggressiveness could burn them. They’ll have to be more disciplined with their reads on Thursday night because Drew Brees and the New Orlean Saints are one of the best play-action teams in the league and they’re coming to Dallas to try to extend their 10-game win streak.

Colts offense

Protecting Andrew Luck is the key to the Colts offense. Perhaps one of the greatest turnarounds of the NFL season so far is the Colts pass protection. In 2016, the last season that Luck was healthy, he was sacked 41 times. In 2017, his replacement Jacoby Brissett was sacked 52 times. Through 11 games this year, the Colts have given up only 11 sacks. They had a five-game streak without giving up a sack that finally ended when Luck was sacked Sunday by the Dolphins’ Cameron Wake. So what has led to this significant improvement?

Talent

During their five-game streak without a sack, the Colts had three starters who didn’t start a game for them last year: Left guard Quenton Nelson, right guard Mark Glowinski and right tackle Braden Smith.

The Colts drafted guard Nelson sixth overall in 2018 and he hasn’t disappointed. Aside from his solid pass blocking, he puts together a devastating reel of pancake blocks every week.

The other rookie starting on the offensive line is right tackle Smith. The Colts drafted Smith as a guard but he was forced to move to right tackle in training camp because of injuries. The Colts seem pretty happy with his development and want to keep him there.

Glowinski came to Indianapolis last year after a few years as a Seattle Seahawk. He didn’t start a game for the Colts in 2017 but was inserted in the lineup this season after right guard Matt Slauson was injured in Week 5.

Center Ryan Kelly, a 2016 first-round pick, is recovering from a knee injury but has been very good when healthy. When he’ll return is unclear.

Creative and effective screen game

The screen game could be an excellent tool to deter the rush. It causes defenders to hesitate and think twice about rushing the quarterback with reckless abandon. However, running screens in the NFL requires creativity and a high level of execution. Only the best offensive coordinators in the league can consistently get screens to work because their screen concepts have built-in layers of deception.

In the NFL, defenders will swarm simple, uncreative screens faster than sharks swimming toward blood. Head coach Frank Reich has brought over a creative and effective screen game from his time in Philadelphia.

Here, the Colts line up in an unusual formation with four eligible receivers to one side. Running back Nyheim Hines lined up out wide, close to the sideline while three receivers including T.Y. Hilton were in a bunch alignment inside of Hines. Before the Dolphins could figure out how to line up against this formation, Luck snapped the ball and quickly threw to Hilton on the tunnel screen. The defense didn’t line up enough players over the bunch and the only two perimeter defenders who were over the bunch were easily blocked. The offensive line released downfield and created a wall for Hilton to run behind.

Short passes and plan for the blitz

Reich has also done a good job of giving Luck answers against the blitz. Luck and the offense are doing a good job of recognizing blitz and executing the plan.

In this clip, the Colts have a “snag” concept called to the offensive left. Usually, Luck would go to this concept first before looking backside. However, he noticed right defensive end Charles Harris (No 90) slid inside while linebacker Kiko Alonso (No. 47) crept toward the line of scrimmage right before the ball was snapped. Tight end Eric Ebron, who was lined up in the right slot, seemed to also see the blitz and made a sight adjustment by running a short slant right into the void left by the blitz.

The play netted only 8 yards but that’s a solid gain and Luck wasn’t hit on the play.

Coverage indicators

Reich also helps Luck make quicker decisions by giving him tools in the form of coverage indicators before the snap. Quarterbacks could get clues to what the defensive coverage is through the use of unique formations and motion.

On this play, the Colts lined up receiver Ryan Grant in the backfield. Cornerback Bobby McCain (No. 28) lined up over Grant in the box, which was a big indicator the Dolphins were in man coverage. As Grant motioned outside, McCain followed him, which confirmed for Luck that the coverage was man. Luck trusted his best receiver Hilton could beat rookie Minkah Fitzpatrick and threw him a perfect back shoulder fade, which set the Colts offense on the 1-yard line. Luck threw a touchdown on the next play.

By having a clear picture of what the coverage is before the snap, Luck was able to figure out where he wanted to go with the ball quicker. He could hit passes in rhythm without hesitation. On the big play to Hilton, he knew he wanted to throw to Hilton before the snap, finished his drop and threw the ball decisively without taking a hitch step.

Luck’s ability

Luck has been more willing to check the ball down on early downs but when the Colts need him to make a play, he still has the ability to buy time and hit downfield throws. Only now, he just chooses when he wants to extend plays with more discernment than he did in the past.

On third-and-9, tied 24-24, with two minutes left, the Colts needed a big play to get into field-goal range. Luck dropped back and looked like he wanted to take a shot to Ebron but changed his mind and pulled the ball back based on the coverage or because he sensed the pressure and thought he couldn’t make the throw while getting hit.

Luck was able to stumble away from defensive tackle Akeem Spence (No. 93), who had him at point blank. Luck regained his balance, changed direction to the left and threw a perfect deep ball across his body to receiver Chester Rogers for a 34-yard gain. This pass set up the forever clutch Adam Vinatieri for the game-winning field goal as time ran out.

Injuries realigned the Colts line into the unit that went five games without a sack but the Colts will likely play another game without their center Ryan Kelly. Their next opponent, the Jaguars, are struggling but still boast a talented pass rush that will test the resolve of this Colts line. Luck has to continue to help the line by properly reading defenses and making quick decisions. The system has shown early results. Luck has to continue to trust it.

Filthiest Move of the Week

At first glance, this move may not look that impressive, but look at it in slow motion. Consider the tight space Saquon Barkley was in. After he broke the defenders ankles, he exploded through a secondary that looked completely dumbfounded by his speed.

(Photo: Matthew Pearce / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)