Last season, the linebacker position was a strength of the Cowboys’ defense. Leighton Vander Esch was a Pro Bowler as a rookie and Jaylon Smith came into his own as a starting linebacker, making 121 tackles with two forced fumbles and four passes defensed.
Suffice to say, linebacker won’t be a strength for Dallas on Sunday afternoon against the Rams. Vander Esch is out and Sean Lee is questionable to play, leaving Smith to man the middle without his fellow running mates.
It’s not a good sign for Lee’s availability that the Cowboys promoted Chris Covington to the 53-man roster Saturday, too. Luke Gifford, who’s an undrafted rookie linebacker, would replace Lee in the starting lineup if the veteran can’t play.
Cowboys are promoting LB Chris Covington to 53-man roster today, source said. LB Sean Lee (thigh/pectoral) is listed as questionable to play Sunday vs. Rams after missing entire practice week. Undrafted rookie LB Luke Gifford would work at Sam LB in base defense if Lee out.
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) December 14, 2019
The best counter to a weak linebacker corps is to run the football, which the Rams have done well in recent weeks. Todd Gurley has rushed for at least 79 yards in three of his last four games and appears to be finding his footing as a workhorse running back once again.
His increased role should continue against the Cowboys, who at the very least will be without one starting linebacker. Smith isn’t playing particularly well, himself, missing 11 tackles this season – a rate of 8.4%. Cory Littleton, for comparison, has only missed four tackles this year and has a missed-tackle rate of 3.4%.
Gurley isn’t an easy player to tackle, by any means, especially for a backup linebacker who hasn’t played much this year. As a result, the Rams should once again lean on the run and go with a heavier lineup that features Tyler Higbee and Johnny Mundt.
Running the ball successfully will help negate the Cowboys’ pass rush, specifically DeMarcus Lawrence and Robert Quinn at defensive end. Preventing them from pinning their ears back and rushing Jared Goff by forcing them to respect the run is a great way to keep Dallas’ defense on its heels.
It’s no coincidence that the Rams have won the games in which Gurley has been more effective, and Sean McVay should at least give him several opportunities early on in Sunday’s game to test Dallas’ linebackers if Lee is out.