Through three weeks of the NFL season, it’s no secret that the Dallas Cowboys may have the worst defense in the league. They’ve looked atrocious and rank last or near the bottom in almost every defensive category. It’s reached a point where even former Hall of Famers like Cris Carter are beginning to notice.
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Perhaps the biggest piece of evidence that the Cowboys may have the worst defense in the league is that Russell Wilson and Caleb Williams both balled out against them. Both QBs have struggled to start the year. But once they ran into Dallas, they looked like elite talents.
When the former wide receiver analyzed the situation, he couldn’t help but criticize the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator, Matt Eberflus.
“When Eberflus went to Chicago, they were so bad that I forgot he was a defensive specialist. And somewhere in the transition between him going to Dallas as the former Bears head coach and now the comeback. I’m not surprised they performed that way,” Carter said on Fully Loaded.
Eberflus was the head coach for the Chicago Bears from 2022 to 2024. He was fired after Week 13 when Chicago lost to the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving. The coach’s biggest misstep was poor clock management, refusing to use his third timeout down the stretch while in field goal range. It played a major factor in the Bears’ loss, which came by just three points.
That’s why Carter isn’t surprised that the Cowboys are struggling defensively. Eberflus isn’t bringing anything new to the table. After all, his defense made Russell Wilson turn back the clock.
“I’ve seen that defense in the first two weeks. Russell Wilson almost dropped 500 on them last week,” Carter said. Later on, the Hall of Famer joked that if any QB wants to find their form, the Cowboys’ defense can help.
“If you want to get healthy, Dallas’ defense is around the corner. You want an easy score? Dallas’ defense is around the corner,” Carter said.
Carter’s words came off as jokes, but so far in the season, they ring true. The Cowboys are dead last in the league in opposing passing yards per play and per game. They’re also allowing teams to convert on third down 53.66% of the time, another league low. They’re even in the bottom five in opposing points, yards, and TDs allowed per game.
Naturally, Carter pointed out that the Cowboys’ defensive woes are partly the result of trading away Micah Parsons.
“That’s definitely one of the top 5 worst trades ever. It’s going to go down in history. And when you see every game, damn, they need a rush… They just sent the most explosive pass rusher that he drafted out to Green Bay.”
It’s a tough reality that Cowboys fans have to live with. Even though most knew the defense wasn’t going to be as good as it was without Parsons, nobody imagined it would be this bad. Injuries, a poor scheme, and overall underperformance have hindered them so far.
It’ll be interesting to see what the Cowboys answer with next week. Sunday was a flat-out embarrassment, but they have the chance to make amends immediately in a Sunday Night Football matchup against the Green Bay Packers. That’s right, it’s a revenge game for Parsons and the Cowboys. The star pass rusher will want to show he was better off moving on, while the team will aim to prove they’re better off without him.
