The Dallas Cowboys got the win they desperately needed, pulling away from the Washington Commanders in the second half en route to a 37-20 victory.
Coming off an underwhelming opener, Sunday was a gotta-have-it game for Dallas. Falling to 0-2 could have put the season in a hole that would have been incredibly difficult to climb out of before the calendar even turned to October.
The vibes in Dallas are back, even if the defense still has a lot to be cleaned up before earning fans' trust. It was another alarming showing from Christian Parker's unit, but that did not stop Jerry Jones from telling the media postgame that "we're better than we've been the last two years on defense." (h/t Jon Machota, The Athletic).
The Cowboys hadn't even made their way to the locker room before Jones managed to sour the victory.
Jerry Jones needs to stop forcing compliments on the Cowboys' defense
There's no reason to put lipstick on a pig that is still finding its way.
Are the Cowboys even more talented than they've been on defense? That's debatable. Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, and Jourdan Lewis were still on the team in 2024. Parsons is better than Quinnen Williams, the D's current best player, and Lawrence and Lewis are better than Caleb Downs, Kenny Clark, and Donovan Ezeiruaku.
The 2025 defense was obviously a disaster in every aspect, but why does Jones feel the need to keep complimenting this unit?
During his Friday appearance on 105.3 The Fan, Jones guaranteed a better performance from the defense, saying, "The improvement from where we played on Sunday [on defense] will be there. I’ll go on record saying that."
Jones is confident by nature, but we feel pretty confident that not a single member of Cowboys Nation is confident in the defense. The final numbers may look fine, but this game was very much in the balance before Jayden Daniels' devastating elbow injury right before halftime.
Jayden Daniels torced Dallas' defense before his elbow injury
The Commanders were yards away from tying the game at 17-17, and they were going to get the second-half kickoff. If Daniels' foot had never been stepped on and Washington converted on 3rd-and-1, or if Dan Quinn simply elected to kick a field goal, Dallas would've had to fight tooth and nail to pick up a win.
Before his injury, Daniels completed 11 of 17 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown. Whether the Cowboys were in man or zone coverage, Daniels had no issue connecting with his receivers.
Even more alarming than Dallas' pass defense was its inability to contain Daniels on the ground. The third-year QB rushed seven times for 69 yards, averaging a whopping 9.9 yards per carry.
The Cowboys gave him a runway and dared him to take it. Daniels would let routes develop before taking off once Dallas' secondary had its back turned in coverage. From there, all he had to do was make one defender miss.
Even Marcus Mariota found sucess against the Cowboys' defense
The defense didn't even hunker down when Daniels departed. The lack of a running threat made a stark difference, but Marcus Mariota found plenty of success through the air, going 9-of-11 for 111 yards and a TD, good for an 84.3 QBR.
If not for a missed field goal, the Commanders would have scored on three of their first four possessions with Mariota running the offense. This was a 10-point game at the start of the fourth quarter.
Maybe the Cowboys eventually prove Jones right. There is enough talent on this defense to believe better days are ahead, and Christian Parker will get better with experience, but they have not earned the benefit of the doubt. Not even close.
That's what makes Jones' postgame comment so frustrating.
Instead of letting the defense build confidence and prove itself on the field, he is once again getting out over his skis. Dallas just won an important game, but nothing about Sunday's defensive performance warranted a victory lap.
Add us as a preferred source on Google