Dallas Cowboys fans are beside themselves after they thought it couldn't get any worse than the infamous '13 seconds' that haunted Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. Somehow, the Cowboys broke that record when Lamar Jackson threw the ball down the field to an open Zay Flowers.
Tyler Loop hit a 56-yard field goal to win the game. It's the continuation of a string of mistakes, and Brian Schottenheimer HAS to make changes.
We've seen this since Week 1, when the Giants ran the same four plays to Devin Singletary, and the Cowboys couldn't stop him. But it goes deeper than that. What are the three major issues the Cowboys need to clean up?
Christian Parker doesn't know his defense like we all thought
It was a long honeymoon for Cowboys fans when it was announced that former Eagles passing game coordinator Christian Parker would be the new DC. His all-out warning to the rest of the NFC East has now fallen on deaf ears. He has all the pieces to a winning defense, but we all forgot one thing.
There are a lot of new players on this defense, and plenty of them are young. Caleb Downs has made some rocking plays, including 10 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble. But he's still green, and it's important to be patient with him. He could be an all-time great someday, but don't get too ahead of yourself.
The Cowboys have new faces like Cobie Durant, Jalen Thompson, Dee Winters, Rashan Gary, Otito Ogbonnia and Jaishawn Barham. Not to mention, they just got former Steelers CB Joey Porter Jr. in a trade. Lots of new faces, and it's a lot more work for Parker than we all thought.
It was a total collapse in the last seven seconds against Baltimore, and a terrible stretch during the Giants game, and Cowboys fans have their eyes on Parker.
Jaishawn Barham has to play more
Talk about a fourth-down stop, and standing up to arguably the best running back in the game.
Rookie's making big plays with a big impact 💥@dallascowboys | @JaishawnBarham pic.twitter.com/sKxn9vK6ZO
— NFL (@NFL) September 29, 2026
This, followed by some goal-line heroics, made the Week 3 loss even more heartbreaking because it felt like the rookie's efforts came up empty.
He took over for DaMarvion Overshown's green-dot duties and had the time of his life in Brazil. He recorded four solo tackles and three assisted tackles in the Ravens game. Of course, no one is saying he should take over Overshown on the field entirely, but Barham has earned a full-time spot on this team.
The Cowboys' lackluster defense is still around
You want proof? They are currently ranked 30th in defense.
Now, I get it. It's only three games, but this isn't the defensive improvement we were promised a few months ago. Analysts picked Dallas to win the Super Bowl because of their improved defense.
And then, the Cowboys decided to continue their Eberflus habits, and they couldn't bring down Singletary or Cam Skattebo. Can they get pressure on the quarterback? Can they make routine tackles? We'll figure that out soon.
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