The Dallas Cowboys’ defensive performance through the first six weeks of the season has been a significant topic of discussion among the fan base. Cowboys fans aren’t happy with defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus and want him out the door after seeing his unit struggle again, this time against the Carolina Panthers in a three-point loss.
After Sunday’s loss, Dallas owner Jerry Jones did not speak to the media, which caused a stir on social media because he always has something to say after a game. On Monday, we didn’t hear from Jerry, but instead from Stephen Jones, who reinforced the organization’s belief in Eberflus and put the players on defense on the hot seat.
“This comes down to execution. We can certainly do it. This is a work in progress. We have the personnel," Jones said on 105.3 The Fan when asked about the defensive personnel, viaJon Machota of The Athletic. “We got called out before the game and didn’t do a lot about it. We got work to do.”
Cowboys’ Brass Puts Onus on Players, Not Eberflus, After Week 6 Loss
While Jones is right about it coming down to the players executing at the end of the day, as they are the ones on the field. Where Jones is way off base, however, is by casting no blame on the shoulders of Eberflus, as he creates the game plan on defense every week.
Former Cowboys RB Rico Dowdle told Dallas in as many words before Sunday’s game what he was going to do, and he did it to the tune of 239 scrimmage yards and a receiving touchdown. It was his second-straight game with 230-plus scrimmage yards.
The players failed to stop him as the Panthers dominated the Cowboys on the line of scrimmage and at the point of attack. However, Eberflus should’ve come up with a better game plan to stop the former Dallas RB.
Let’s say the Cowboys contained Dowdle and made the Panthers’ offense one-dimensional; it will change the trajectory of the game. But that wasn’t the case, and the Panthers were able to play their game and walk away with the win.
It would be one thing if Sunday’s defensive performance was a one-off, but we’ve seen this unit fall short and give up big plays throughout the other games this season. While Stephen Jones can blame the players for not doing their job, he needs to look at Eberflus, too.
If it's the players, then the next step should be acquiring better options either through trades or via free agency. However, that might not change things, especially if the bigger issue is the defensive coordinator.