Sunday's thriller did not determine who won the Micah Parsons trade, but the Dallas Cowboys certainly came out as the biggest winners in their 40-40 draw against the Green Bay Packers. For one Dallas linebacker, though, there is a lot to work out.
Marist Liuafu, the second-year linebacker out of Notre Dame, had the biggest hit of the night, and one of the biggest of the season, when he decked rookie Matthew Golden on a punt return. The hit provided an immediate spark the Cowboys needed. Unfortuntaely for Liufau, it was his only positive contribution of the night.
Late in the fourth quarter, Liufau made an egregiously late hit on Packers running back Emmanuel Wilson and was flagged for a personal foul. It gifted Green Bay a fresh set of downs, and the 15 yards proved costly, as they scored a touchdown just a few plays later. Maybe Eberflus was onto something by limiting Liufau's playing time to start the year.
Marist Liufau nearly cost the Cowboys a loss against the Packers
It was an unforgivable mistake from Liufau, as he took an extra three or four steps to make the hit after Wilson dropped the pass. There was plenty of time for him to ease up. If he did, the Packers would've been faced with a 3rd-and-6 seemingly out of field goal range.
Liufau plays with his hair on fire at all times. The Cowboys need that heat-seeking missile energy on the field, but not if he can't harness that emotion. That over-aggression led to a missed tackle from the young linebacker earlier on that same drive.
Nobody thought that Eberflus would get credit for favoring other linebackers over Liufau to start the season. Maybe there's a method to his madness in Liufau's case. The 24-year-old looked like an impact player in the making during the preseason, but it's clear Eberflus and the defensive staff don't trust him despite the limitations of the linebacker room.
Liuafu clearly has the athleticism and physicality to be an impact player. But he must learn to play under control without making reckless decisions. He was flagged in Week 1 for getting into it with Eagles defensive back Cooper DeJean. Even though fans rightfully thought that DeJean should've gotten flagged for taking off Liuafu's helmet, he has to know the second guy always gets blamed.
The Cowboys were able to escape without a loss this time, but Liufau won't be seeing any increased snap share anytime soon if this keeps up.