Jerry Jones is very frustrated and weary of the ongoing scrutiny. With the Dallas Cowboys sitting at a disappointing 3-3 record, including an alarming 0-3 at home and a devastating 47-9 loss to the Detroit Lions before their bye week, the criticism continues to mount. The atmosphere surrounding the team feels increasingly urgent and tense.
However, as they come back from a vital break, the situation isn’t as dire as it may seem. The Cowboys are only 1.5 games behind in the NFC East and just one game away from the last wild-card spot in the conference.
Crucially, there are still 11 weeks left in the season.
Therefore, the Cowboys’ season isn’t over — at least not yet. They have ample opportunity to reverse their fortunes. Whether they can achieve this is the topic of discussion for Fox Sports NFL writers David Helman and Ralph Vacchiano in this week’s Cowboys Corner.
What has taken you most by surprise about the Cowboys in their first six games?
Helman: I anticipated a slight decline in the Cowboys’ defense, considering they lost depth along the defensive line in free agency and entered the season with limited experienced linebackers. However, I didn’t foresee such a drastic collapse, particularly in their ability to stop the run.
The statistics are alarming. The Cowboys rank third-worst in run defense success rate and have the highest Expected Points allowed against the run, both indicators of poor efficiency. They’ve stopped the ball carrier at or behind the line of scrimmage only 9.5% of the time, the lowest in the league. Additionally, they’ve allowed 25 explosive runs (gains of 10 or more yards), ranking them as the 10th-worst team in this category, and the situation is even worse considering nine teams above them have played more games.
To be frank, it’s been a catastrophe. It may be unreasonable to expect Mike Zimmer to completely rectify the situation after the bye, but some level of improvement is essential for any chance of success.
Vacchiano: There are numerous aspects to discuss, but I’m particularly shocked at the drastic decline of their defense. The unit was already struggling before the losses of DeMarcus Lawrence and Micah Parsons. I incorrectly assumed the transition from defensive coordinator Dan Quinn to the accomplished Mike Zimmer would be seamless.
That hasn’t been the case. It’s challenging to gauge the impact right now, especially given the hits from those injuries. However, I can’t stop thinking about the 44-19 home loss to New Orleans in Week 2, where they allowed touchdowns on the first six possessions against a team that was clearly inferior. This was likely an early indicator of trouble for the season, as the Cowboys’ one-dimensional offense wasn’t equipped to carry the team to the playoffs alone.
While it’s true that injuries have skewed the situation, the Cowboys are yielding an average of 28.0 points per game, with only the struggling Carolina Panthers performing worse. They sit 24th in overall defense (336.5 yards per game) and 27th against the run (143.2 yards). Last season, they had the fifth-best defense in the NFL and welcomed back CB Trevon Diggs. Despite not making significant offseason changes, they didn’t initially suffer a major drop-off until injuries struck.
I’m not sure if all the blame falls on Zimmer, but he certainly has a significant challenge ahead for the remainder of the season.