DALLAS — The Dallas Cowboys defense made a statement in its 43-3 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday afternoon at AT&T Stadium.
Three different Cowboys cornerbacks came up with an interception as Trevon Diggs and Anthony Brown picked off quarterback Matt Ryan while Jourdan Lewis intercepted backup Josh Rosen.
“That was fire," said Diggs, who also finished with two tackles and a pass breakup. "It’s just exciting. We’ve got a special group.”
Lewis and Brown had identical days with three tackles and three pass breakups to go along with their takeaway. The big game from Brown gives the former 2016 sixth-round pick from Purdue a single-season high three interceptions.
"He’s somebody that comes into work, does his job, doesn’t say too much, just executes," Diggs said. "You see it on the field. He’s one of the best on the team. Watching him and seeing how he goes about his work is a great thing to see. All of the work he puts in, it pays off for sure.”
The breakout game from Lewis in 2021 was a testament to his hard work behind the scenes, according to Diggs.
Said Diggs: “Super big. Super big making stops on third down, fourth down, doing everything flying all over the field. He had an amazing game.”
What helped Lewis have a productive afternoon was doing his job from play to play; adhering to a theme throughout the secondary of playing within the moment, not getting too far ahead and not fixating on the past.
"I just took it one play at a time and understood that each play was a different sequence," said Lewis. "So, you’ve just got to play the game like that, in the moment. That’s what we did all game and you saw the results.”
Coach Mike McCarthy told reporters after the victory, which moves Dallas to 7-2 on the year, that he loves the way Lewis fights.
"J Lew [Lewis] is so competitive and I thought he played probably one of his better games today," said McCarthy. "His tenacity also, I think that’s a big part of his presence as a leader also in our locker room. J Lew was excellent today.”
The Cowboys defense limited the Falcons to 214 yards total offense. Both quarterbacks combined for 10-of-27 for 131 yards and three interceptions.
Lewis expects such performances to be the norm for the Cowboys' secondary going forward, especially given the cohesion between the cornerback trio.
“It’s a group full of dogs," Lewis said. "We love playing with each other. We love competing with each other. You can see from AB to Trevon, to all of us, we’re just competing against ourselves, trying to get better and dominate.”
Do you think the Cowboys’ secondary has been a nice surprise so far in 2021? Share your thoughts with Mark on Twitter @therealmarklane.