The Cowboys rank seventh in the NFL in sacks per pass play, and somehow their pass rushers aren’t getting held. Or more accurately, they are not getting caught.
Only three times this season have officials flagged Dallas’ opponents for holding on a pass play.
The last time came in Week Two against the Giants, but the Cowboys declined the holding call on Nate Solder as Kavon Frazier sacked Eli Manning anyway. Thus, the last time the Cowboys defense benefited from a holding call on a passing play came in the season opener.
Officials twice penalized the Panthers for holding in the first quarter.
The Cowboys are aware they have gone nine weeks without opponents being penalized for holding on a pass play. That’s 325 passing plays if you’re keeping track at home.
“Of course we are [aware],” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said on his weekly radio show on 105.3 The Fan. “You know we analyze and assess every penalty. We have to do that for no other reason than to get our players sensitive and point out the cost of a penalty. But I believe these things come in batches. I really do. And, so, it just tells me we may go through a spot here as we get toward the end that all of a sudden there’s, not makeup, but all of a sudden there’s a higher sensitivity about how that’s going against us. Maybe it will turn for us. I’d a lot rather be sitting here in this spot with no penalties called against us, and we couldn’t take it back anyway, and 5-5 and with what’s ahead of us and us wearing them out. ‘How could this happen? We’re not getting any holding penalties to our benefit here.’ I like this spot. Let’s hammer it.”
The Cowboys went through an eight-game stretch last season when opponents were flagged once for offensive holding and that was a garbage-time foul against Falcons receiver Mohamed Sanu.
This season, officials have called Cowboys’ opponents for only eight offensive holding penalties -- three on passing plays and five on running plays -- in 10 games. The Cowboys, by comparison, have seen 15 holding penalties on their offense, including five on right tackle La’el Collins.