INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Dorance Armstrong can be easily overlooked on a Dallas Cowboys defense with Micah Parsons, Trevon Diggs and DeMarcus Lawrence.
But on the first two drives Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams, Armstrong stood out. On the third snap, Armstrong easily slipped past guard David Edwards to sack Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford and force a fumble that Lawrence scooped up and returned 19 yards for a touchdown.
.@TankLawrence recovers the fumble and takes it to the house!
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📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/dCuo7DIlNd pic.twitter.com/Ukn181bBqN— NFL (@NFL) October 9, 2022
For all the good the Cowboys’ defense has done in the first four games, coordinator Dan Quinn has lamented the missed opportunities on takeaways. Facing a subpar line that has left Stafford exposed, the Cowboys got their first defensive touchdown of the season and the first recovered fumble as well.
A year ago, the Cowboys had six defensive touchdowns, including a 40-yard interception return against Washington by … Lawrence.
Armstrong ended the Rams’ second drive by blocking a Riley Dixon punt that the Cowboys turned into a Brett Maher field goal and a 9-0 lead with 8 minutes, 43 seconds left in the first quarter.
Quite the first quarter for @Dorance_ALegend! First a strip sack, now a blocked punt!!!
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— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) October 9, 2022