Getting Defensive: Week 5

Sunday night in Santa Clara, the unstoppable force meets the immovable object.

For the third time in four games in Week 4, Micah Parsons and the Dallas Cowboys defense was absolutely dominant in dismembering the New England Patriots. The Cowboys logged a sack, three takeaways and two defensive scores in a 38-3 rout. It marked the second time this year that Dallas has scored multiple non-offensive touchdowns.

For the record, the Cowboys have scored as many touchdowns on defense and special teams as the New Orleans Saints have on offense. For reals.

Now, however, the Cowboys face their stiffest test of the season – a San Francisco 49ers offense that ranks second in the NFL in yards per game and third in points per game. Cowboys edge-rusher Micah Parsons believes that the Cowboys can put the clamps on any team in the league – provided they bring their “A” game.

“The sky is the limit,” Parsons said, via the team’s website. “This shows that when we prepare and come into games with our energy with who we are, we can be a dominant football team. When we come out soft and underestimate guys and don’t play to our standard, anything can happen. I know we have a great chance of winning football games if we play together.”

The Cowboys are fantasy football’s No. 1 team defense by a sizable margin. The Niners are dead last in fantasy points allowed to the position. Something has to give. It’s a similar story on the other side. The 49ers are fifth in total defense and third in scoring defense, but they face a Cowboys team surrendering the second-fewest fantasy points to defenses.

Both defenses will be in fantasy lineups. But both are also risky plays in Week 5.

THE NO-DOUBTERS

Baltimore Ravens (at Pittsburgh Steelers)

At 3-1, the Ravens are all alone in first place in the AFC North, and the Baltimore defense just played its best effort of the season – a 28-3 thrashing of a short-handed Cleveland Browns team that included four sacks and three interceptions. Now, the Ravens…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/getting-defensive-week-5-102836133.html

Author : NBC Sports

Publish date : 2023-10-03 10:28:36

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