The Dallas Cowboys took a clear step forward in Week 2, but nobody inside the building is acting like the job is anywhere close to finished.
After a rough primetime opener against the New York Giants, Dallas answered with a stronger showing in Sunday night’s home opener against the Washington Commanders. The bounce-back was real. The defense, though, still left plenty on the table.
The Commanders piled up 24 first downs against the Cowboys, and even after Jayden Daniels left with an injury, Dallas had trouble putting the brakes on Washington’s offense. Marcus Mariota came on in relief and threw for 111 yards and a touchdown in the second half, finishing with a QBR of 84.0. Daniels also hurt Dallas with his legs before the injury, rushing for 69 yards and proving hard to corral.
After the game, head coach Brian Schottenheimer pointed to the areas that looked better while making it clear the defense has a long way to go.
"Overall, I thought the communication was better. There’s certainly things to clean up.
We certainly did a poor job of containing Jayden (Daniels), but he can do that. He does that to a lot of people.
That’s really where the rush yards got away," Schottenheimer said. "And then we got some things to improve on third down.
I thought we really rushed the passer well. I don’t know what the pressure numbers were.
I know we didn’t get any sacks, but (Daniels) and Marcus (Mariota) were both moved off the spot quite a bit. So, I felt good about that.
"But there’s always things to clean up. We certainly have not arrived. We got a lot of work to do."
That’s the right tone for a defense that’s trying to climb out of the basement. Dallas brought in Christian Parker to remake the unit, and he’s only just getting started. After finishing last season with the league’s worst pass defense and the No. 30 overall defense, the Cowboys were never going to flip the switch overnight.
Through two weeks, the growth has been gradual, but there are signs the operation is moving in the right direction.
The next test will be a big one. In Week 3, Dallas gets Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens in the league’s first-ever game in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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Cowboys Rookie May Have Given Dallas A New Answer On Defense
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The most memorable moment came when Barham forced a fumble that led to a touchdown, the kind of play that can change how a staff views a young defender fast. There were also a few uneasy moments along the way, including a brief exit because of injury and a stretch of illness on the field, but the broader takeaway was hard to miss: Dallas may have found a rookie who can handle more than expected when the defense needs answers. [Read more 🡒]