This 2025 NFL season has been a tale of two teams with the Dallas Cowboys. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer has the offense firing on all cylinders, but, unfortunately, defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus isn't doing him any favors on the other side of the ball.
The Cowboys' defense may have reached a new low on Sunday. They gave up 30 points to Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers to drop their record to 2-3-1. That's why, as much as owner/general manager Jerry Jones continues to claim he still trusts Eberflus, it's getting harder to believe him.
"He's had tremendous experience. He's dealt with adversity. He's had some great successes," Jones said on Tuesday's 105.3 The Fan appearance (h/t @jonmachota). "I jumped at it when we had the chance to get him. I still feel as strongly (about him as the day we hired him)."
According to Cowboys insider Calvin Watkins, Jones then added that Eberflus is "who I want in the foxhole with me."
Jerry Jones' Matt Eberflus Praise Rings Hollow
Earlier in the season, Jones claimed that a big part of the Micah Parsons trade was their need to get better against the run. The Cowboys' giving up 216 rushing yards to the Panthers may not be what was in his mind, especially with former Dallas running back Rico Dowdle logging a career-best 183 rushing yards on 6.1 yards per carry.
Young had a perfect passer rating and completed all 10 of his passes when trailing, according to Pro Football Focus, and he had one of the best games of his disappointing career with 199 passing yards, three touchdowns, and one interception.
To make things even worse, Eberflus doesn't seem to have his players' confidence. Veteran defensive back Trevon Diggs admitted on Sunday that he feels like the defense has "no identity," yet Eberflus has been either unwilling or unable to make the necessary adjustments. If these are the issues that the Cowboys are dealing with in mid-October, they'll only get worse come the season's second half.
Granted, a lot of that has also been due to poor execution, with the aforementioned Diggs having the worst year of his career. It doesn't help that players like linebacker Jack Sanborn and safety Donovan Wilson have also been on the wrong end of some big plays, making Eberflus' job even harder.
Whatever the case, the fact of the matter is that this team is giving up a whopping 30.7 points per game, the second-most in the NFL. The Cowboys also rank last in both total yards (428.7) and passing yards (269.5) allowed per game, giving fans even more reasons to wish that Jones would wake up and cut his losses with Eberflus.
Something has to change before it's too late, and after watching Jones skip his post-game media availability, the 82-year-old billionaire's patience might finally be running out.