The Dallas Cowboys are off to a 1-3 start this season and have one of the worst defenses in the NFL already. While still having Micah Parsons in town would undoubtedly help, it’s time for Cowboys fans to come to the harsh realization that this team was never going to be a contender.
"We weren't getting there, plus we weren't covering them," owner and general manager Jerry Jones said about Dallas’s pass rush and coverage. "That's a bad combination."
The bad and the ugly
Dallas got routed on Sunday in Chicago by the Bears, 31-14. The score makes it seem much closer than the game actually was. The difference in this game was the turnover battle. While the Bears never turned it over, the Cowboys were forced into four.
Chicago QB Caleb Williams carved up Dallas’s defense like a Thanksgiving turkey, passing for 298 yards and four touchdowns. He finished the game with a QBR of 86.6 and a passer rating of 142.6. The Cowboys had no answer for Ben Johnson’s offense in Week 3 to the tune of 385 total yards.
Through the first three games of the season, this Cowboys defense has allowed 92 points which is the fourth worst total in franchise history behind the 1963, 2000 and 2020 teams. Already this season this Cowboys defense has given up the fifth most points in the league.
Nothing comes easy
The schedule doesn’t get any easier in Week 4 with Micah Parsons coming back to visit Big D with his new team, the Green Bay Packers. The Packers also lost in Week 3 and will be looking to get back in the win column after being held to 10 points on offense by the Cleveland Browns. Green Bay lost the game 13-10 after winning their first two games to open the 2025 season.
Regardless of whether they have Parsons, this defense is not good in Dallas and the team needs to pick up the energy overall. The offense moves the ball but ultimately spins its wheels by not being able to finish off drives. And the defense has just been downright atrocious in almost every aspect.
"We didn't play well enough to win," head coach Brian Schottenheimer said. "That's why we're sitting here with a loss. They converted third downs; we didn't. They protected the ball; we didn't. They hit explosives; we didn't. This game is one of those games you look at and, yeah, it's humbling; it sucks, but we didn't play very good. Got to play better to win in this league."