{"id":733457,"date":"2026-02-06T12:52:30","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T12:52:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/733457\/"},"modified":"2026-02-06T12:52:30","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T12:52:30","slug":"super-bowl-matchup-proves-defense-is-back-in-style-can-the-cowboys-follow-the-trend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/733457\/","title":{"rendered":"Super Bowl matchup proves defense is back in style. Can the Cowboys follow the trend?"},"content":{"rendered":"

SAN FRANCISCO \u2014 By this point you\u2019ve probably heard the viral quote from former Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence<\/a>. The one he said after signing with the Seattle Seahawks this past offseason. The one where he expressed his excitement about joining a new team because he knew, after 11 seasons in Dallas, that he wouldn\u2019t win a Super Bowl there.<\/p>\n

Fair, considering the Cowboys haven\u2019t won a Super Bowl since the 1995 season. Even more fair when you consider that the Cowboys had just finished 7-10 in 2024 and were starting a new regime with a first-time head coach. Lawrence didn\u2019t have the luxury of waiting. <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t have long to play this game,\u201d Lawrence said this week before he plays in his first Super Bowl. \u201dI have to win now, and I understood what Seattle was building up here, and I just wanted to be a part of it.\u201d <\/p>\n

In doing so, Lawrence might\u2019ve also signaled the best way for the Cowboys to get back to the Super Bowl, too.<\/p>\n

Cowboys<\/p>\n

Be the smartest Cowboys fan. Get the latest news.<\/p>\n

By signing up, you agree to our\u00a0Terms of Service<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n

Related<\/p>\n

\"Dallas<\/p>\n

Themes in the NFL come and go. Positional value, as the running backs of yesteryear would tell you, can change drastically over time. Fads, as the tush push or wildcat have shown, can be fleeting. It\u2019s long been said that defense wins championships, and yet, offenses in this new era have been the dominant forces. <\/p>\n

Until recently. The Seahawks and New England Patriots, set to square off for the Lombardi Trophy on Super Bowl Sunday<\/a>, have some similarities that go against the offensive-first grain. They\u2019re both defensive-led teams guided by defensive-minded coaches. Adding in the playoffs, the Seahawks (17.1) and the Patriots (17.3) are first and second, respectively, in points allowed this season. <\/p>\n

Defense will, once again, win a championship. Which is something that might scare Cowboys fans after this past season. The Cowboys had their worst defense in franchise history, nearly allowing double the amount of points Seattle\u2019s defense has allowed per game this year (30.1). They fired Matt Eberflus and welcomed in 34-year-old, first-time defensive coordinator Christian Parker, who will be tasked with turning around a defense<\/a> that should have a lot of new faces next season.<\/p>\n

But there is a semblance of hope for the Cowboys \u2014 even as distant as it may seem.<\/p>\n

Related<\/p>\n

\"Seattle<\/p>\n

The Cowboys had a fundamental shift on defense prior to the start of last season, moving edge rusher Micah Parsons in a bold and polarizing move for draft picks and Kenny Clark. They then flipped some of those picks for Quinnen Williams, who was the Cowboys\u2019 only defender at the Pro Bowl this past week. Add in the extension they gave Osa Odighizuwa and the Cowboys have made it clear that their foundation is the defensive line. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s a good starting point. Just ask Patriots defensive tackle Milton Williams. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re closest to the quarterback. I don\u2019t care what kind of quarterback you are or how talented you are: If we have pressure right in your face, it\u2019s really not too much you can do. We\u2019ve seen it with the greatest: Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes last year.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"New<\/p>\n

New England Patriots defensive end Milton Williams talks to the media during a news conference Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, in Santa Clara, Calif., ahead of the Super Bowl 60 NFL football game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. (AP Photo\/Charlie Riedel)<\/p>\n

Charlie Riedel \/ AP<\/p>\n

Williams not only saw it; he experienced it. He had two sacks and a forced fumble and recovery to help spark the Eagles to a dominant 40-22 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt really doesn\u2019t matter the challenge of the quarterback. We\u2019ve seen some special players. If you get interior pressure up the middle, you can throw a wrench in everything they\u2019re trying to do,\u201d said Williams, a Crowley alum now trying to win his second-straight Super Bowl<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe team is going to go as far as we go. I feel like the defensive line has that type of an impact on every game. If we can dominate up front, the sky is the limit for us as a team and what we can accomplish. We put it on us every week.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seattle\u2019s defense has a similar advantage. Leonard Williams, Jarran Reed, Byron Murphy II and Lawrence might not have the individual pressure numbers, but collectively they\u2019ve done well in both the pass rush and against the run. The Seahawks and Patriots have a combined 21 games this season where they didn\u2019t allow over 100 rushing yards. <\/p>\n

Of course, Seattle and New England aren\u2019t limited to only having impact players on the interior defensive line. The Colony\u2019s Christian Gonzalez was a Pro Bowl corner for New England this season. Seattle\u2019s linebacker room and secondary is filled with impact players. <\/p>\n

The Cowboys have a lot of work to do before they can get back to this juncture. More time than Lawrence could afford, probably. But if they\u2019re looking for optimism that they\u2019re at a good starting point, then the way the interior defensive lines play for both Super Bowl teams should provide it. <\/p>\n

Twitter\/X: @JoeJHoyt<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Actor,<\/a>Watch: NFL Honors host Jon Hamm takes a jab at Jerry Jones over Micah Parsons trade<\/a><\/p>\n

The actor, best known for Mad Men, hosted the awards ceremony and opened the show with some jokes, including one at Jones\u2019 expense.<\/p>\n

\"Texas<\/a>Texas Tech assistant coach C.J. Ah You reportedly joining Pittsburgh Steelers\u2019 staff<\/a><\/p>\n

Ah You, 34, had reportedly interviewed with the Cowboys for an assistant coaching position before he interviewed with Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n

Find more Cowboys coverage from The Dallas Morning News here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SAN FRANCISCO \u2014 By this point you\u2019ve probably heard the viral quote from former Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":733458,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2066],"tags":[2886,96665,230,229,257,2461,7,6,6736],"class_list":{"0":"post-733457","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dallas-cowboys","8":"tag-brian-schottenheimer","9":"tag-christian-parker","10":"tag-cowboys","11":"tag-dallas","12":"tag-dallas-cowboys","13":"tag-dallascowboys","14":"tag-football","15":"tag-nfl","16":"tag-quinnen-williams"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116023784283062612","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/733457","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=733457"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/733457\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/733458"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=733457"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=733457"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=733457"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}