DETROIT — Since the big trade that brought Quinnen Williams to Dallas, the Cowboys had allowed less than 22 points per game before arriving at Ford Field to face the Detroit Lions, but that all changed in Week 14 on Thursday Night Football; and that led to the Cowboys suffering their first loss since Week 9.
The defense looked a shadow of the version shown on video against the Las Vegas Raiders and, more importantly, against the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles and Patrick Mahomes and his Kansas City Chiefs — the Lions finished with 44 points, the most allowed by the Cowboys defense so far this season.
That left Williams and the entire unit searching for answers after the loss.
“I have to watch the tape, but as a defense, man, we’re a lot better than giving up 44 points,” the three-time Pro Bowler said. “We have a great defense. We have a great defensive line, and we have to do our job to the best of our abilities, execute at our best and just make more plays, especially in this defensive line room. We have the ability to do that.”
There was no stopping running back Jahmyr Gibbs, who punished Dallas again and again every time he took the ball in space. And David Montgomery showed up, too, with a 35-yard touchdown run in the second quarter that punished tight end Jake Ferguson for fumbling a few plays earlier.
The running game wasn’t the only thing that worked for Detroit: receivers Jameson Williams and Amon-Ra St. Brown accumulated 96 and 92 receiving yards, respectively, on a night where Jared Goff threw for 309 yards and a touchdown without interceptions, with a rating of 111.0 through the four quarters.
“Any time you lose, especially allowing the amount of points they scored, it’s hard to take,” Williams said. “But we have guys in the defensive line room who are going to watch the tape, accept the criticism, take responsibility and not let it happen again.”
After coming out of their rough post-bye week stretch (at least in the first four games) with a 3-1 record in 17 days, it’s time for the Cowboys to recover and prepare for what’s next: just five games to prove they still deserve a playoff spot, and needing some help to do it.
For the defense, as Williams made clear, it’s about just that: restart.
“There’s always going to be a little bit of a letdown after a loss, especially when we’ve been having so much success and winning the last few weeks, and then you lose this week,” the All-Pro said. “That affects, but everyone here assumes responsibility. We all demand each other.
“Everyone is going to watch the recording, improve and correct what needs to be corrected.”
