While a conversation needs to be had about the Dallas Cowboys' offense's poor execution in the last two games, all anyone seems to care about is the defense and whether Jerry and Stephen Jones will swallow their pride and fire Matt Eberflus after the season.
Jerry Jones tends to respond to fan interest and pressure, and Cowboys fans have officially had enough of Eberflus after the defense allowed 34 points to J.J. McCarthy, who posted career bests in passing yards and yards per attempt on Sunday night.
It took longer than it should have, but Jones finally seems to be walking back his conviction in Eberlfus. Team EVP Stephen Jones echoed that during his Monday bit on 105.3 The Fan (h/t to Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News).
"You are what you are, and we rank at the bottom of the league in terms of our defense," Jones said. "It’s obviously something we’re not satisfied at all with … we have to chop wood . . . Not only is this about this year, but it’s about seeing what we are going to be about in the future."
Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones is losing patience with Matt Eberflus
If Eberflus' hot wasn't officially burning hot, it certainly is now.
Jerry Jones beat around the bush when asked about the defense immediately after Sunday's loss, which dropped the Cowboys' playoff odds to less than 1 percent. Amid the word salad, though, Jones did suggest that he would reevaluate Eberflus' performance after the season.
Stephen Jones was much more candid, but that shouldn't be celebrated. It's impossible to sugarcoat this defense.
According to Sumer Sports, Dallas ranks 31st this season in both EPA per play (0.14) and total EPA (122.83). They are 30th with a 47.65 percent success rate, 29th in dropback EPA, and 29th in rush EPA. Only the Cincinnati Bengals, who are having a historically bad season of their own, are saving Eberflus from overseeing the worst defense in football.
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While the defensive personnel needs new starters all over the place, it shouldn't be flirting with the Bengals, Giants, and Commanders of the world.
Eberflus' insistence on abandoning the blitz after early success and playing soft coverage on 3rd and 4th downs and short yardage is maddening. He should know after 14 games that you can't play conservatively with Dallas' personnel. That stubbornness has held the defense back all year.
Brian Schottenheimer appeared to direct some frustration at Eberflus in the second half when Schottenheimer was forced to burn a timeout because the defense looked out of sorts before the Vikings snapped the ball in the red zone.
Keeping Eberflus just to maintain continuity after having three defensive coordinators in as many years would be worse than bringing in a new voice. Get out of the way and let Schottenheimer, who put together a really good offensive staff, hire his own guy.
Thankfully, it sounds like the Joneses are recognizing that they screwed up.