Eric Kendricks’ Wild-Card Heroics Put Cowboys’ Defensive Woes in Harsh Perspective
The Dallas Cowboys came into the 2025 season with high hopes-and on offense, they delivered. Averaging 27.7 points per game, tied for sixth-best in the league, the Cowboys had no trouble putting points on the board.
But football, as we know, is a two-sided game. And on the other side of the ball, Dallas simply couldn’t keep up.
The defense allowed a league-worst 30.1 points per game and gave up more passing yards than any other team at 251.5 per contest. It wasn’t just a weak spot-it was a glaring liability. That imbalance between a high-powered offense and a porous defense ultimately kept the Cowboys out of the postseason picture.
And if there was a moment that perfectly summed up what the Cowboys were missing, it came during Wild Card weekend-only it didn’t happen in Dallas. It happened in San Francisco, where linebacker Eric Kendricks, wearing red and gold, made the kind of game-sealing play that Dallas could’ve used all season.
Let’s rewind. Kendricks led the Cowboys in tackles (138) and forced fumbles (three) last year.
But after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery, he remained unsigned deep into the 2025 season. Dallas didn’t bring him back.
Instead, he landed with the 49ers on November 26 and didn’t see game action until Week 16.
Fast forward to Sunday: 4th-and-11, Eagles driving, game on the line. Kendricks breaks up a Jalen Hurts pass to seal the win for San Francisco.
Not only did he record his season-high in tackles (10), but he also delivered the kind of clutch moment that championship teams are built on. And suddenly, the linebacker Dallas let walk became the glue guy for a Niners defense chasing a Super Bowl.
It’s not just the highlight-reel play that stings for Cowboys fans-it’s what it represents. Dallas lost five games this season despite scoring 20 or more points.
They even tied the Packers in a 40-point shootout. The offense did its part.
The defense couldn’t hold up its end of the bargain. And while no one player can fix a broken unit, Kendricks’ presence might’ve made a difference in some of those one-score games where one or two stops were the difference between winning and losing.
The Cowboys’ defensive struggles were compounded by the pre-season trade of Micah Parsons to Green Bay and the midseason firing of defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus after a Week 18 loss to the Giants. That’s not just a bad season-that’s a defensive identity crisis.
And it’s hard not to wonder what might’ve been if Kendricks had stayed in Dallas. No Cowboys defender topped 91 tackles or forced more than one fumble this year-numbers that pale in comparison to what Kendricks brought to the table just a season ago.
It’s clear the Cowboys need to prioritize defense in the upcoming draft. But as they sit out another postseason, watching a former leader thrive on a playoff-bound defense, the regret is real. Kendricks didn’t just show he still had something left in the tank-he showed he could still change games.
For Dallas, that’s a painful reminder of what they let slip away.