There will be plenty of time to throw more praise on the Dallas Cowboys' offense after their latest statement. They carved through Dan Quinn and the Washington Commanders' defense like a hot knife through butter, but we'd be remiss if we didn't start with Matt Eberflus, whom many fans wanted to be left in Carolina after last week's loss.
Say what you will about the Commanders being down Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel, their top two playmakers for Jayden Daniels, but the Dallas defense turned in its best performance of the season in Sunday's 44-22 win. And it wasn't that close.
Eberflus finally caved and called more man coverage, which Cowboys fans have been begging for amidst breakdown after breakdown in his preferred zone scheme. The change was long overdue, but the notoriously stubborn Eberflus deserves credit for tweaking the game plan.
Cowboys DC Matt Eberflus finally played more man coverage, and it worked
It's one thing to prefer a specific scheme, but the biggest issue with Eberflus continuing to run zone is that it doesn't fit his players. The best coaches are capable of adapting to what their players do well. While Dan Quinn had much better talent to work with, his versatility is what made him so successful during his time calling the Cowboys' defense.
DaRon Bland is a perfect example. While a volatile cornerback, he's much more comfortable playing man. It's no surprise he turned in his best game of the season, tallying several impressive open-field tackles before jumping a Marcus Mariota pass for a pick-six in the third quarter.
Beyond switching to man, Eberflus also dialed up more five-man pressures.
Another sticking point over the first six games is that Eberflus wasn't blitzing enough. The Cowboys don't have the personnel post-Micah Parsons to generate pressure with only four rushers. It resulted in three sacks on Sunday, but sending an extra rusher forced multiple errant throws and throwaways from Daniels. It sounds so simple, but Eberflus had made it look like brain surgery.
It turns out that playing to your defensive personnel's strength is a winning formula. Who knew?
This defense is still a trade or two away before we can start talking about the Cowboys as a playoff team, but Sunday proved it can give the offense, which put up a 40-burger before the third quarter, enough support to win consistently as long as Eberflus is adaptable.
Hopefully, this version of Eberflus is here to stay.