LAS VEGAS — This town is a place of entertainment. Of lights. Of winning, and losing, and the constantly shifting odds between them.
And if the big advertisement for David Copperfield at the MGM Grand — just down the street from Allegiant Stadium — didn’t make it obvious, it’s a town of illusions, too.
Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown saw an example of an illusion during Monday’s 33-16 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. A defensive line that’s struggled in Dallas for years was instead dominant. Overshown, playing a few yards behind that line, had one of the best views of the show in the entire stadium.
“It looked like a magic show,” Overshown said. “As soon as you seen one of them do something, it was another one. Like they just kept pulling the tricks out of the bag.”
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The performance from the Cowboys’ defensive line — sparked by the addition of former All-Pro Quinnen Williams at the trade deadline — has prompted a new question: Will Monday’s showing be a disappearing act, or a part of the show moving forward?
There’s a reason for Cowboys fans to be optimistic about Dallas’ defensive line moving forward. Consider what Cowboys veteran edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney said when asked about the addition of Williams and the impact he had in his team debut on Monday.
“You saw it. Dominate on the inside, baby,” Clowney said after the win. “Make them one-dimensional. That’s all you can ask for. The guy came in and did his job. Him, Osa and Kenny, we’ve got three of the best defensive tackles in the league.”
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For this franchise, the idea of having a dominant defensive line has felt recently like it could only be found by magic. It’s been elusive.
This year, the Cowboys made their search a focus. They signed Osa Odighizuwa to a big extension. They made the franchise-altering decision to trade star pass rusher Micah Parsons rather than pay him. When they decided to trade him, they made it known that they wanted a proven defensive tackle in return. They ultimately landed Kenny Clark.
Williams was also someone they were interested in when they talked to teams about a potential Parsons trade. Months later, the Cowboys added him, too, for the price of a first-round pick, a second-round pick, and former first-round pick Mazi Smith, who proved to be an example of their elusive hopes to build a strong interior.
Immediately, Williams made an impact. He had seven pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. He finished with 1.5 sacks, becoming the fourth player since 1982 — and outside of the strike year in 1987 — to have 1.5 sacks in their first game with the Cowboys.
Williams’ impact was felt by his new teammates, too.
“Immediately. From the first play you were able to feel his presence,” Odighizuwa said.
Both in the pass rush and the run defense. They didn’t run it often, but they struggled when they tried. Rookie first-round pick Ashton Jeanty, a Frisco Lone Star alum, had six carries for seven yards. He was also tackled for a safety when rookie Donovan Ezeiruaku knifed in a huge hole in the Raiders’ offensive line and made the stop with the help of multiple other Cowboys defenders.
The Cowboys showcased a lot of changes from the last time they played. When it came to their defensive front, however, it felt like Williams was the difference. He looked like the final missing piece to the Cowboys’ defensive line project, even if he didn’t look at it that way himself.
“I don’t think that one guy can change anything,” he said. “I think the team itself, the guys around you, all 11 on the field, the coaching staff in general, makes the difference. One man don’t do nothing. It’s not golf. It’s not tennis. Everyone on this team has to do a job, everybody in this organization has to do a job to the best of our ability to win football games.”
His teammates would say, however, that he made their job easier. Odighizuwa said he noticed how nice it was to not be double teamed as often as he previously was this season. It’s a byproduct not only of Williams, but of the Cowboys’ willingness to play more five-man fronts. Clark agreed, saying guys were able to win their one-on-one matchups against the Raiders.
“It was great,” Clark said about playing next to Williams. “I just think that front is going to be nasty and we just have to keep building off of this.”
Williams has helped in other ways, too. Odighizuwa said he quickly came in and was a powerful voice in the team’s defensive line room. Williams has said that he used to watch film of Clark when he was in college and Clark was in Green Bay, but Clark revealed he, too, has watched plenty of film of Williams from afar.
“My first year playing in a 4-3 [defense] was last year,” Clark said, “and he was pretty much the only one I watched.”
The two have traded insider tips when it comes to playing on the inside, Clark said. They did it throughout Monday’s game as they both picked up nuances of the Raiders’ offense — especially in Las Vegas’ play-action game — and sought to stop it.
Williams’ impact isn’t limited to just the defense, either. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was visibly excited when asked about Williams after the game.
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“I don’t know if there’s words for him,” Prescott said. “Special individual. From the moment he walked into the building, I’ve got a match and putting the time in taking care of the body. That’s somebody that challenges me and just being a professional and inspires me in everything that he’s doing. The conversations that we’ve had, discussing, what he expects out of an offense and the way that he plays, and vice versa. Super impressed with him.
“To have him as a teammate now, we’re very, very fortunate. And he’s going to continue to be the man that he is, and he’s raising everybody’s focus intensity. You saw it tonight.”
We’ll see if it was just an illusion or not.
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