Cowboys’ D seeks to find toughness
FRISCO — Jayron Kearse may, as much as anyone, represent the spirit of the Cowboys defense. He embodies toughness, finishing last season with a shoulder labrum tear, a knee ligament sprain and fluid in his knee and calf. His competitive fire has drawn teammates such as Micah Parsons to describe him as having a “dog mentality.” The safety is highly versatile, able to contribute across multiple positions.
In his third Dallas season, Kearse is a tonesetter.
That was a positive until Sunday.
“For the first (time) since I’ve been here,” Kearse said, “I feel like I was part of the problem and not a problem-solver.”
Offensively, the Cowboys placed added emphasis this week on improving in the red zone. On defense, the focus is rather simple. The unit seeks to reclaim its identity Sunday against the New England Patriots, ridding itself of the stench from a sloppy 28-16 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
A defense that forced seven takeaways in the first two games managed zero. A group that allowed no 20-plus-yard runs ceded four in a 12-attempt span during the first half.
Worse yet, behind the numbers, the spirit was lacking.
“I saw a lot [Sunday] that upset me and hurt as well,” defensive coordinator Dan Quinn said. “But I think one of the things that probably felt like five fingers across the face was, ‘Man, you guys didn’t look like your defense.’ ”
Wilson trying to silence doubters
The last two weeks have been challenging for Zach Wilson on and off the field.
In between the white lines, Wilson has struggled through one of the most challenging stretches of his career. Away from the field, he has dealt with critics from fans on social media to even legendary Jets quarterback Joe Namath. Earlier this week, the former Super Bowl III winner called Wilson’s play “awful.”
“He’s passionate, he’s obviously one of the greats” Wilson said about Namath. “As an offense, we gotta do everything we can do to try and prove him wrong.”
He has thrown for 467 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions while completing 52.4% of his passes. Wilson also has a quarterback rating of 57.