FRISCO, Texas — As the Cowboys front office made their decision on a new defensive coordinator, Mike Zimmer's plan to stop the run was the main selling point. Week 1, that box was checked. Week 2, not so much.
Dallas allowed 190 rushing yards against New Orleans at 4.9 per carry, after they held Cleveland to just 93 yards in the season opener. It was a frustrating turnaround for a defensive front that has struggled over the last few years in the same category. It is especially trying for those that have been aiming to repair the run defense for a while now.
"Probably the worst game my career, to be honest," defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa said. "Doesn't matter what week it is, play a game like that, it's going to be upsetting, going to be frustrating."
But what went wrong up front in Week 2? Was it a lack of execution? Lack of scheme understanding? Not necessarily, according to Odighizuwa, who says it all comes back down to fundamentals and technique.
"It's not a scheme issue. Everybody understands the scheme," Odighizuwa said. "Playing blocks and being able to stop the run. Just think we could have done a better job of just preparing for those blocks and knowing which ones I'm going to get. Knowing how to play them better job using my hands."
Players on both the defensive line and even the second level each voicing the same sentiment from Odighizuwa – The trust in Zimmer is still there. Especially when everyone does their job.
"We're going to play the game plan," linebacker Eric Kendricks said. "I think that was especially taken away from last week. I want to move on for sure but everyone's got our own job to do and we got to do that to the best of our ability. Take ownership and move on."
Moving on is exactly what Dallas has on the mind this week. Taking their lessons learned and applying it to the upcoming gameplan against teams like Baltimore, Detroit, and San Francisco who all finished in the top-5 for team rushing last year. Unfortunately, there's not a ton of time to implement change because Dallas faces those three teams over the next five games.
"You don't have time. You don't dwell on it really," Odighizuwa said. "You watch the film, you write down the things that you got to work on, take the things that you want to improve on until the next week, and then you got to move on."
Dallas made one roster move to bring back a familiar face, signing Carlos Watkins off the Washington practice squad while moving Jordan Phillips to injured reserve. Watkins has been back in the building no more than 24 hours and the veteran has already adjusted to the mindset needed to turn the unit around.
"I take pride in stopping the run." Watkins said. "We still have to play good with our hands, eyes and feet. For the most part, just being a D-lineman, it's things schematically that are a little different. But those three things can take you a long way playing."
This week doesn't get any easier for the Cowboys front, as they welcome in the Baltimore Ravens, who finished 2023 as the NFL's top rushing attack. While it marks an opportunity for a big-time bounce back, the focus in the locker room remains on taking care of the internal responsibilities.
"Obviously presents a challenge, but like I said, this is the NFL," Kendricks said. "Every week's going to be a challenge. We got to play accordingly. We got to do our job and we're going to play whatever we get."
All in all, this mindset from the front seven will be the only hope for drastic improvement.
