(Editor's note: The content provided is based on opinions and/or perspective of the DallasCowboys.com editorial staff and not the Cowboys football staff or organization.)
FRISCO, TX — OK, so I am going to test my luck to see exactly how far it reaches. One week ago, I used my weekly Science Lab column to plead with the Dallas Cowboys to commit to running the ball, effective immediately, and exactly why they should lean on Javonte Williams (and Tyler Goodson).
They went on to hand the ball off 36 times against the Philadelphia Eagles, scored 38 points in the process, and Williams ran for a career-high 155 yards while averaging 6.2 yard per carry; and that set up Dak Prescott to find CeeDee Lamb in the end zone twice, and George Pickens for a third touchdown.
Thank you, Brian Schottenheimer, and please keep that going.
Hey, Christian Parker, got a second? I just need a moment of your time.
[Note: Stats via NextGen Stats]
NFL Blitz
The 38-21 victory over the Eagles was a must-win that saw, for the first time this season, the offense put together four complete quarters of high-level football. And though the defense has made some very noticeable strides since the beginning of the season, there's a schematic quandary that has burrowed into my mind.
It's an itch that I can't reach to scratch.
Where's the blitz in Dallas?
2026 Cowboys' blitz rate:
- 25.2% (bottom fifth of the league in that category)
Sure, there are other items the defensive unit needs to clean up that I've addressed in other formats, e.g., penalties, that will help elevate the group once cleaned up, but the lack of aggressiveness in terms of sending the blitz at opponents is perplexing to me.
Pass rush splits:
- 3-man rush (4.8%)
- 4-man rush (70%)
- 5-man rush (17.6%)
- 6+ man rush (7.6%)
It's something that's been glaring on tape for weeks now, but I wanted to get through the first seven or eight games before digging to see if the numbers agreed with what the tape told me.
And boy oh boy, do they ever.
Blitz deployment in varying fronts:
- 4-man rush (70%)
- 5-man rush (17.6%)
- 6+ man rush (7.6%)
A Quiet Place
This brings me to a related aside: the Cowboys only run a version of a 3-4 defense in 2026, not necessarily a true version of that front.
Yes, I know, that's what was said in the offseason, that 3-4 would be installed, and it has been,, but true NFL analysts know that nickel is actually base nowadays (because it's a pass-happy league) so, given that reality, it's not surprising to see nickel getting the chunk of the calls from Parker.
Additionally, not all nickel is created equal — a 3-3-5 nickel, for example, differs from the 4-2-5 nickel the Cowboys love to deploy, the former swapping out a lineman for an extra/third inside linebacker over the latter.
But, what made me smirk (mostly because I personally love 4-3 fronts over 3-4 fronts) is the fact the Cowboys' spacing is indeed very Vic Fangio-ish in that it most often resembles a four-man front with a sprinkle of simulated pressure.
Cowboys defensive fronts in 2026 (Yards Per Play Allowed):
- Nickel: 68.2% (6.8 YPP)
- Non-nickel 4-3*: 29.8% (4.7 YPP)
- 3-4: ≈ 2%
Simulated pressure rate:
- Creeper: 6% (second-most in NFL)
- Sim pressure: 2.4% (top-5 in the NFL)
(* mostly denotes spacing)
This is key in helping to distinguish because, without it, you might be misled into believing the 70 percent four-man rush rate is a blitz package, but it's not, it's simply the spacing. And with that clarified, let's get back to the matter at hand:
Where are the actual blitzes?
The Sims
Sure, the Cowboys are simulating pressure at a higher rate than all but four other teams, but you'd be surprised to know that none of those teams are the 6-0 Minnesota Vikings who, as we have this conversation, own one of the best and most fearsome defenses in the league, led by defensive coordinator Brian Flores.
Vikings simulated pressure rate:
- Creeper: 2.4%
- Sim pressure: 1.4%
Flores doesn't bluff. He doesn't care that you know he's going to blitz. The key is in how you don't know where it's coming from.
One moment it's Jason Voorhees with the pressure, and then it's Freddy Krueger. And when you key in on them, it's Pinhead or Leatherface flying toward the QB, or Art the Clown from outta nowhere.
The scary hours in Minnesota needs to find its way into what the Cowboys do on a weekly basis, even if only partly.
Overall QB pressure rate (as compared to Vikings):
- 47.6% QB pressure rate (5+ man rush) (Vikings: 52%)
- 27.8% QB pressure rate (4 men or fewer) (Vikings: 41%)
- 19.8% differential (DAL - third-highest differential in the NFL)
The pressure success rate when sending at least five defenders at the quarterback doesn't differ greatly from Dallas to Minnesota, interestingly enough, but you could fit the Grand Canyon in-between the two different pressure rates when Parker sends only four versus when Flores does.
Reminder: the Cowboys only send five players at the quarterback roughly 18% of the time, and generate pressures on nearly half them, so I'm sure you're picking up the science (math) I'm putting down here.
Without the luxury of getting a bunch of pressure with four or fewer defenders, choosing to not send a blitzer more frequently inherently, and greatly, reduces the amount of pressure quarterbacks feel when facing the Cowboys.
3 The Hard Way
It just so happens that Mike Pettine helped Flores build that monster in Minnesota.
My hope is that, as time goes on and Pettine settles in as senior defensive assistant, he helps Parker turn up the aggressiveness to help keep quarterbacks from comfortably passing from the pocket, especially on third down, where the Cowboys have struggled mightily this season.
The running joke around the league is that the longer the third down against the Cowboys, the greater the chance of success, to the point that some offenses might be comfortable committing a false start or delay of game penalty on 3rd-and-4 to make it 3rd-and-9.
Why? Because there's probably no blitz coming anyway, and the Cowboys are struggling to get sacks.
Pressure rate changes over time:
- Week 1-4: 32.6% (24th in the NFL)
- Week 5-7: 33.6% (23rd in the NFL)
Moving around in the pocket a bit and/or breaking contain entirely — things that have routinely been allowed by the Cowboys from mobile quarterbacks — can create increased coverage windows that end in conversions and keep the defense on the field, and the Cowboys' offense on the sideline.
And then there's the troubling trend that shows the Cowboys call blitz less as the downs progress, not more, regardless of distance, and I'll compare these to the Vikings as well solely for the sake of understanding just how low the numbers truly are as compared to the most aggressive defense in the league that, by the way, averages only a mind-bending 12.3 points per game (the lowest in the NFL).
Blitzes called by specific down:
- 1st: 28% (Vikings: 84.8%)
- 2nd: 24.5% (Vikings: 68.1%)
- 3rd: 22.9% (Vikings: 61.9%)
Struggling to stop teams on third down, but turning the dial down on an already very low blitz percentage … there goes that itch in my brain again.
I simply can't make sense of it, and I'd love for it to change going forward.
A Wooden Nickel
A healthy and whole defense is when the true assessment of Parker can begin, in my humble opinion, so I am admittedly giving grace for the uncontrollables. But two things can be true at the same time, and the other is that I am not giving grace for the lack of aggression regarding blitzes.
We've now established the Cowboys run nickel nearly 70 percent of the time, yes? So, how do they fare in it on third down, where they struggle the most but, also, where they blitz the least??
I'm glad you asked.
Nickel on 3rd-and-mid (3-6 yards) and 3rd-and-long (7+ yards):
- 97.1% frequency rate
- 8.5 yards per play allowed
- 20.6% explosiveness rate allowed (28 total, 4 explosives per game avg)
- 43.4% success rate (29th-ranked behind Commanders)
- 0.32 EPA/Play (worst in the league and more than 0.25 over third-worst defense in that same category)
Other critical defensive stats (allowed):
- 163 total explosives
- 15.6% rate (tied for 31st with the NYG)
- Success rate allowed: 47.4% (lowest in the league behind the Dolphins, but the 49ers is 46.7% only two spots higher)
- Aggregate yards per play: 6.1 (31st-ranked)
Nothing on film or in the numbers indicate anything other than the simple fact that the Cowboys have to get comfortable with the idea of blitzing more often. Even if they approach league average in that area, it would be a marked improvement over what the first seven weeks have shown.
It's one thing if the Cowboys were lacking the personnel, but I don't believe they do.
On paper, this is one of the best defenses in the league, and I believe Parker will turn out to be one of the best coordinators once he gets more stripes on the wall over the seasons to come.
And I'm not saying to never run nickel on third down, because I just told you nickel is base nowadays. But, for me, it's about what you do when you're in nickel — fish from the canoe ... or go hunt for big game?
Hunt, please.
To Be Continued...
I root that belief in the progress being made and in his attention to detail and ability to get buy-in from players. These growing pains were inevitable, but add in a CVS receipt-long list of injuries to the defense and little he's been forced to scheme around those injuries match what I saw in training camp.
At times, it's been a different scheme entirely, and as players begin returning — e.g., DeMarvion Overshown, Cobie Durant, P.J. Locke, Marist Liufau, Dee Winters and Jalen Thompson — the Cowboys will finally (cross your fingers) have their whole defense on the field.
They've allowed 30 or more points in a game only twice this season, and it's the offense that cost the Cowboys wins over the Buccaneers and the Packers.
And as the offense wakes back up, and using the rushing attack as smelling salts to regain their senses, the defense has a big controllable key they can turn here to help take them to the next level.
I am tired of my brain itching so, Christian, what I'm trying to say is … unleash Hell.
And thank you for your time.
