Dallas Cowboys: 3 X-factor players for Week 3 vs. Seahawks

1. Dallas D-Line

This season was supposed to be different for the Dallas Cowboys defensive line. With Rod Marinelli out as defensive coordinator, they finally made some big investments in the defensive line which included signing Gerald McCoy and Dontari Poe in free agency. Unfortunately, McCoy was hurt before he ever took a snap and has since been released.

Even with McCoy out, Dallas thought their defensive line would be a strength with DeMarcus Lawrence being joined by Poe as well as Aldon Smith and Everson Griffen. However, after two weeks, the defensive line has been average, at best.

In Week 1, this was due to the Los Angeles Rams scheme getting the ball out of the hands of Jared Goff quickly. With him doing this, the defenders in Big D had hardly any time to get after him. In Week 2, it didn’t appear as though that was the case.

Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons took their share of deep shots and even with a backup right tackle in the game, the pressures were few and far in-between. That simply cannot be the case in Week 3.

Russell Wilson is playing far better than Ryan is and giving him time in the pocket will be deadly. As much as the secondary is going to be tasked with keeping D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett bottled up, the line has to do their part as well. Defensive backs can’t cover all day, so they need to get after Wilson to not only generate pressure but to also keep him from carving the corners up with the deep ball.

It’s hard to envision any position group having more of an impact on this game than the Dallas defensive line. If they make Wilson uncomfortable, they have a chance to slow him down. If not, he’s going to have a field day.