The Dallas Cowboys have officially been met with reality in the 2025 season. It’s only been three games, but after a 31-14 shellacking against the struggling Chicago Bears, it’s safe to say their defense is perhaps the worst in the NFL. If it isn’t the worst, it’s definitely one of them. And this struggle from the unit prompted a vehement rant from one of the most well-known retired defensive coaches out there.
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Calling defense an issue for the Cowboys on Sunday would be an understatement. They looked completely out of whack and like they had no clue how to stop Caleb Williams and the Bears. Ben Johnson schemed up any play that he wanted, and it worked time and time again. By the end of the contest, Chicago had almost 400 yards of offense and went 8-14 on third downs.
The poor defensive showing came on the back of another bad one last week. That time, the Cowboys made Russell Wilson and the New York Giants look incredible. Wilson threw for 450 yards, and the Giants totaled over 500 yards by the end of the game. This is pretty embarrassing when you consider the same Giants team looked quite bad against the Kansas City Chiefs last night.
In response to the Cowboys’ latest embarrassing performance, former defensive coordinator and head coach Rex Ryan had a few choice words. Some harsh ones.
“Just when we thought it couldn’t get worse, this defense comes up with even a worse performance,” Ryan exclaimed on Get Up.
The former head coach then mentioned that he used to see players on the Cowboys’ defense who were elite. They were so good that they were dubbed the “Doomsday Defense.” Well, in response to yesterday’s performance, Ryan came up with a new name for the modern-day Cowboys.
“Dumbsday defense. Dumbsday, why? Because they play so dumb, it’s unbelievable. They have no concept of zone coverage anymore… Are they playing with 10? I don’t know. This defense is absolutely garbage,” Ryan continued.
It was a scathing review from the analyst, but honestly, it was deserved. The Cowboys didn’t just look bad; their play-calling and decision-making were questionable as well. It all but calls into question whether Matt Eberflus is the right defensive coordinator for the job.
Rex Ryan just went OFF on the Cowboys pic.twitter.com/qYa2eT7J4X
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) September 22, 2025
There was one specific drive that completely irked Ryan. He seemingly couldn’t believe the Cowboys allowed it to happen.
“A team ran 11 straight running plays against you. A 19-play drive. I don’t think that’s ever happened in the history of the game. Are you kidding me? That’s how bad this is getting. They’re getting punked. They’re getting the ball thrown all over, ball thrown over their heads; they can’t play anything right now,” Ryan added.
Perhaps the most frustrating thing for fans to watch is the overreliance on zone coverage. It seemed like the Cowboys were content to drop back and not rush Williams, giving him plenty of time to pick apart the defense. The strategy made no sense against a young quarterback who has struggled to handle pressure in his career so far.
That’s why Ryan eventually took a stand and insisted that the Cowboys have to make adjustments. While doing so, he even sounded like he was going crazy.
“Where do you start? You gotta stand for something. Hey, I got an idea. You know, I don’t know, it’s a crazy concept. They’re running 11 straight, maybe we gotta blitz somebody off the edge to get in the backfield. I don’t know, it’s crazy. Let’s play our zone because we’re so smart. No, you’re so dumb! You’re so dumb. I can’t stand it. Do something!”
Even though Ryan is criticized for his controversial comments and behavior from time to time, the critique he had of the defense was justified. The Cowboys allowed Williams to throw for 298 yards and 4 touchdowns yesterday. That’s simply not something that competitive teams who are pushing for playoff spots are going to be doing this year. It was a fun day for Williams, but he took advantage of a defense in disrepair.
Perhaps the scariest thing for Cowboys fans is that it probably won’t get better any time soon. Their third-round rookie cornerback, Shavon Revel Jr, is still on the NFI list with an ACL injury. DeMarion Overshown is also recovering from a knee injury, while DaRon Bland is out with a foot injury right now. And just wait, it gets worse.
Trevon Diggs injured his shoulder yesterday. He’s coming off his ACL tear from last season. Then, just to rub salt in the wound, Kenny Clark, the main return for Micah Parsons, also picked up an injury.
CeeDee Lamb, too, suffered an ankle injury and could miss some time. So, all in all, it seems like the sky is falling in Dallas right now. With no help coming anytime soon, all Jerry Jones can do is continue to look distraught every Sunday in his private suite.
