The Dallas Cowboys have their first win under head coach Brian Schottenheimer, but it didn't come easy. The New York Giants, who looked absolutely cooked and destined for another awful season, came to fight on Sunday. But the Cowboys escaped with a 40-37 win to start their season 1-1 after nearly upsetting the Philadelphia Eagles last week.
Sure, there's plenty to celebrate for the Cowboys. They seemingly got the steal of the offseason in running back Javonte Williams. Dak Prescott looks like one of the top quarterbacks in the league. But there was one huge takeaway from the game that doesn't sit well for Cowboys fans.
That's the defense coached by coordinator Matt Eberflus.
Cowboys DC Matt Eberflus' Week 2 disaster hints Brian Schottenheimer may have made the wrong hire
Let's preface by saying yes, the Cowboys defense is decimated by injuries, particularly in the secondary, as cornerback DaRon Bland was ruled out due to an ankle injury. Yet, Eberflus didn't really have a plan to overcome the loss of Bland, and the Giants feasted.
Russel Wilson, who looked lost in Week 1 against the Washington Commanders, was on fire for the Giants against the Cowboys' secondary. Wilson attacked the defensive backfield multiple times, resulting in three touchdown passes. Two of those went to Malik Nabers, while the other went to Wan'Dale Robinson. If you wanted to see just how wide open Dallas' secondary left Robinson on his touchdown catch, check out this link.
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Ebeflus was ultimately bailed out because Shane Bowen's defense in New York was equally as abysmal. Not to mention, Wilson threw up a gimme-interception to Donovan Wilson in overtime that helped the Cowboys set up the game-winning field goal by Brandon Aubrey.
In total, Eberflus' defense gave up 506 yards on 65 plays, with the Giants averaging 7.8 yards per play. He stuck with zone coverage despite several miscommunications and blown coverages. While Wilson, Nabers, and Robinson are a solid trio, the Giants have one of the weaker offenses on paper that Dallas will face this season. If Eberflus didn't have any answers for them, what's in store over the remaining 16 games?
Hopefully, Eberflus can shore things up next week when they take on the struggling Chicago Bears. But with Ben Johnson being one of the best offensive minds in the game, he may find a way to take advantage of the openings on defense.