The Packers allowed 35 points in their disastrous Week 3 loss to the Falcons. They’ve allowed 34 total points in the 3 games since.
The effectiveness of defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon’s disguises have played a huge role. And on Sunday night against the Packers, he had Dak Prescott seemingly viewing the game through a kaleidoscope.
Throughout the night, defenders would start in one spot at the snap and finish somewhere completely different. Players came out of nowhere in coverage. Free rushers got home. It must have felt like there were 12 or 13 defenders on the field at times for Prescott.
It doesn’t matter who you are as a quarterback. If the picture is constantly changing, it just makes life tougher. It’s difficult to get into the right play at the line based on the pre-snap look. It’s difficult to trust what you’re seeing. Your processing and ability to react are slowed since what you think the defense is doing pre-snap might end up being something completely different.
The end result is what you saw on Sunday night; a Cowboys offense that couldn’t get into any type of rhythm.
This first play at the start of the second quarter was arguably the biggest of the game because it had to create uncertainty in Prescott’s mind. And it kept Dallas from putting badly-needed points on the board.
Dallas faced a 3rd-and-8 from the Packers’ 17-yard line. They aligned in a 3x1 formation. Green Bay responded with a single-high blitz look that showed 7 potential rushers on the line of scrimmage:
They would drop out into zone at the snap, however.
Focus on safety Evan Williams, though. He was initially showing blitz on the line of scrimmage but then raced nearly 15 yards to the deep middle of the field:
Prescott didn’t account for him at all. Williams was able to undercut the throw that Dak thought would be open, and the result was a huge interception:
Check it out from the end zone angle. Williams (#33) was all the way to Prescott’s left on the line of scrimmage. You can see Dak staring down the middle initially and then looking right to his #3 inside receiver, never seeing Williams at any point after the snap:
Defenders seemingly coming out of nowhere…That’s the type of play that can spook a quarterback for the rest of a game.
But Gannon wasn’t done toying with the Cowboys.
Take this 3rd-and-7 in the 3rd quarter. The Packers were again showing pressure with 6 defenders on the line of scrimmage:
The Cowboys blocked it as illustrated below: