For Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer, the Cowboys defense, from a scheme standpoint, is set up just fine. It is the third iteration of a Cowboys defense in the past three years, as the team has gone from coordinator Dan Quinn to Mike Zimmer to, now, returning former coach Matt Eberflus running the D.
But given how poorly the team has played defense to this point, allowing 30.7 points per game–27th in the league–in the first three weeks, there are reasons for alarm bells to be ringing. It’s no fluke that teams have piled on the points, as Dallas has given up 397.7 yards per game, which is 30th in the NFL.
The problem is that it is not just fans and media who are having their doubts about this defense. As coach Brian Schottenheimer said, it’s players, too.
“I don’t have any reason why not,” Schottenheimer told reporters on Monday. “I think when you’re not playing well, there’s gonna always be doubts. … Confidence in this league is interesting because it comes and goes fast when you’re playing in such a competitive league. I don’t think it will take long for us to get the confidence back, but I would understand why guys might be like, ‘Oh, what about this? What about that?’
Cowboys Making Changes
The notion of playing a simpler defensive scheme has been raised, and it could be that Eberflus’s defense will have to be streamlined. The team has had more than a month of training camp and now three weeks of games to get it right, but there is not much indication it’s sinking in with players.
“I feel like every week it’s something new you see until you see everything, and then it’s like, alright, this is all that they got,” Trevon Diggs said. “We’ve just got to get adjusted to it. Whatever is called, we have to play it. We have to execute the calls. We have to get off the field on third down. We have to eliminate the big plays.”
Diggs did express some confidence that it would turn around.
“We’re going to get it,” he said. “We’re going to get it right. I have faith in all these guys. All of them: D-line, linebackers, DBs. We’ve been doing it in the past. We’ve just got to put it on display.”
GettyDJ Moore #2 of the Chicago Bears celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys
Pass Rush a Major Problem for Defense
But the question is, when. It won’t do the Cowboys much good to “get it” in Week 10 if they’re sitting with a 3-7 record at that point.
It’s not just that the Cowboys defense has struggled to stop teams. In the past two weeks, they have not been able to stop teams that have been struggling offensively otherwise. They gave up 37 points to a Giants team that has scored 15 total points in its other two games.
The Bears have been somewhat better offensively, with 45 points in their other two games. But the Cowboys did not sack Caleb Williams at all, the first time in his career he was not brought down.
Cowboys Getting Hurt by Big Plays
Schottenheimer said there is a plan in place for changes, though he was not specific on what those changes will be. But the Cowboys have a penchant for getting gashed by big plays. Limiting those would be a good start.
“We’re not giving up 16-, 17-, 18-yard explosives,” Schottenheimer said. “We’re giving up 35 and 40 and 45, and at the end of the day, that’s not good enough, man. Had good meetings. We talked through things. We’re changing up things.”
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