In the first 10 weeks that new Cowboys defensive lineman Quinnen Williams spent with the Jets this season, he tallied a total of two wins. He’s now been in Dallas for just two games here in November, and Williams has already been part of two more wins.
It just so happened that this win, on Sunday in Week 12, has the potential to be a season-changer, as the Cowboys not only knocked off the defending champion Eagles, but they did so in thrilling fashion: Dallas trailed 21-0 at halftime but rallied to score 24 straight and get a 24-21 win that pushed their record back to 5-5-1.
It’s hardly the driver’s seat on a playoff position. But it’s still in the picture.
The presence of Williams, the three-time Pro Bowler the Cowboys acquired from New York, will have a lot to say about how that picture shakes out. In that regard, the Cowboys got a big scare on Sunday.
Quinnen Williams ‘Banged Up’
That’s because, as he was chasing after Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts on Sunday, Williams made an inside move and had a path at a sack–until Eagles running back Saquon Barkley threw his body weight into Williams’ side, knocking him to the turf with an apparent rib injury.
Williams was in clear pain and left the game, but returned. He conceded that, though he has 70 pounds in size over Barkley, the hit from Barkley really hurt him.
The problem is, the ribs are injured and though Williams is likely to play on Thanksgiving against the Chiefs, he will be in pain as he does so.
“Saquon did get me,” Williams said. “(My ribs) are kinda banged up right now. I’m gonna do some treatment, rehab and things like that and get ready for Thursday.”
Cowboys Turnaround Follows Quinnen Williams Addition
As much as the Cowboys defense has, in general, undergone an overhaul in the past three weeks, fact is, much of the change simply comes from having Williams on the field. He was responsible for eight pressures on Hurts on Sunday, bringing his two-week total with the Cowboys to 15. This team was simply not getting that kind of pressure anywhere on its defensive front.
As Williams said this week, he does not think he is a one-man change agent. But anyone who watched this defense for the first half of the season and then over the past two weeks would likely argue the point with him.
Cowboys Have Strong Supporting Cast
Williams is not ready to accept that much credit for the Cowboys’ turnaround. At least, not yet.
“I don’t think one guy can change anything,” Williams said last week. “I think the team itself, the guys around you, all 11 on the field, [and] the coaching staff makes the difference. One man don’t do nothing. It’s not golf. It’s not tennis. Everybody on this team has to do a job, and everybody in this organization has to do a job to the best of our abilities to win football games.”
“I’m playing with some great individuals: Kenny Clark, Osa, you got Eze, you got [Jadeveon Clowney] over there. The guys around me are playing unbelievable. It helps me; all I needed to do is just do my job.”
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