The Dallas Cowboys' defense is bad, and Jerry Jones knows it.
Through six games, only the Baltimore Ravens have allowed more points than the Cowboys, who have surrendered the most yards, passing yards, and first downs per game in the NFL. Additionally, Dallas ranks third-worst in yards allowed per play, fourth-worst in rushing yards allowed per game, second-worst in defensive penalties, and dead-last in defensive penalty yards in the league.
But Jones, the much-maligned team owner, believes they'll turn it around.
“It’s going to get work. It has room for improvement,” Jones said on 105.3 The FAN, via The Athletic's Jon Machota. “You can tweak defenses and make [a] dramatic difference. … We’ve had three different coordinators over the last three years. That’s my fault. … I think our defense will improve and it will improve to the level of preventing some scoring.”
As expected, Jones is also a believer in first-year defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, whose unit allowed former Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle to rush for 183 yards and tally 56 yards and one touchdown through the air during last week's 30-27 loss to the Carolina Panthers.
“He will get there,” Jones said of Eberflus. “He’s trying to eliminate those explosive plays. … We know Eberflus. … What you really want more than anything is at times like these, you don’t want people that break and run. You want them to hang in, stick in there, look pragmatically, make the adjustment if necessary, but do it begrudgingly because Flus has a plan. It hasn’t worked. It always looks bad when it doesn’t work. … If you can’t take that, you can’t coach in the NFL.”
A Cowboys assistant from 2011 to 2017, Eberflus returned to Dallas as Brian Schottenheimer's DC after being fired as the Chicago Bears' head coach during the 2024 season. In his first season with Chicago, Eberflus' defense ranked worst in the NFL in points allowed before improving to 20th the following year. The Bears finished 13th in scoring defense in 2024.
This week, the Commanders are coming into town; Washington, among the best rushing teams in the NFL, ranks seventh in points scored.
