FRISCO, Texas — Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said this week that his players are tired after Rio de Janeiro and Houston. Defensive tackle Quinnen Williams is not one of them.
The Dallas Cowboys host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday night, four days after a 34-30 win at Houston and 11 days after a loss in Rio de Janeiro. Williams loves football and gets a prime-time game against Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles.
“I’m not tired. I’m not tired. I love football. I look more forward to the opportunity and get a chance to play again, get to play prime time. Get a great team, get to [face] Todd Bowles,” Williams said. “So it’s an amazing opportunity for me.”
Quinnen Williams Says He’s ‘Not Tired’ On Cowboys’ Short Week
He has done this before. The Jets once opened a season with three games in 10 days, and Dallas played three games in 11 days last season.
“I can only speak for myself. I can’t really speak for everybody in the locker room. I enjoy it, man. I done this before. At the Jets, we had three games in 10 days, I believe so. And last year, I believe we had three games in 11 days, I believe, so last year here with the Cowboys,” Williams explained. “So I’m kind of used to that. So it’s pretty fun. Like I said, I’m just looking for the opportunity, the next opportunity to get better and to be able to compete and to be able to win football games.”
His routine does not change on a short week.
“Yeah, I just stay in the same routine. The things I do every single week, the things I kind of attack every single day, every single week,” Williams said. “So it’s kind of, yeah, that’s about it.”
Every game he plays is a big deal, prime time included.
“Oh, yes, yes. Every single game I play in, I get opportunities to play in, it’s a big deal,” Williams said. “So I just try to take it one game at a time.”
Quinnen Williams Sees Cowboys Defense Moving In Right Direction
Williams sacked C.J. Stroud for an 11-yard loss on third-and-3 early in the fourth quarter Sunday. He finished with 4 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and a quarterback hit in 38 snaps. It was his first sack of the season and his first multi-TFL game since Dallas acquired him in a trade last season, according to DallasCowboys.com.
Schottenheimer said Tuesday that Williams played outstanding and that the inside rush will feed the outside rush. Two sacks against Houston, and a better run defense, are what encourage Williams most.
“Getting a couple sacks last week, getting the quarterback down, that’s the biggest one I can see,” Williams said. “And just getting better every single day, every single opportunity, stopping the run especially, getting better at that, and just continue the journey, continue moving forward.”
A couple of weeks ago, Williams talked about needing to be dominant. He is not there yet.
“I just feel like I’m going in the right direction. I got a lot of things to grow on, a lot of things to do,” Williams said, “and keep going in the right direction.”
Houston ran for 62 yards on 19 carries. Tampa Bay starts rookie Jalon Daniels, who ran for 55 yards against Green Bay. Containing a mobile quarterback takes all four rushers on the same page.
“Just rushing as one. All four of us got to be on the same page,” Williams said. “We run in games when we just rush them straight and do things like that and collapse in the pocket.”
Dak Prescott Raises Williams’ Urgency On Defense
Williams danced after his sack. He feels good, and having Dak Prescott on the other side raises the urgency for him as a defensive captain.
“Yeah, I feel good. I’m feeling good. No, thank my God. Thank my God. So he’s balling, MVP quarterback to me,” Williams said. “So it raised the intensity on my side, on my mental, to be having a quarterback like that on the other side, knowing that he’s going to put up points, knowing that he’s going to be out there on the MVP level. As a defensive captain, as a defensive leader, it’s super urgent to get better every single day, I suppose.”
Dallas is 2-2 and hosts the 0-4 Buccaneers on Thursday at AT&T Stadium, with kickoff at 7:15 p.m. CT on Prime Video.
