The Dallas Cowboys may be in deep waters in their troubles in defense, but Jerry Jones isn’t losing hope. That remains the same even after their loss to the Chicago Bears. “Teams have lost their third game in the NFL and they’ve gone on and participated really well in the playoffs and more than likely have won some Super Bowl,” he said. Before the Dallas fans could praise the owner for his optimism, Jones was reminded of the issues in a tough reality check.

Marcus Spears did the honor as he pointed out the issues in defense. “If you’re always playing from behind as an offense, you’re going to be more prone to turning it over because you’re going to have to do things that teams know you’re going to do, like pushing the ball down the field. So Dallas is not a playoff team,” he argued.

He further added, “And for you to actually believe that after you play Chicago, who we’ve watched for the last two weeks, is asinine. Asinine. So that’s all I have to say about that.” It’s not just the defense. The Cowboys struggled to move the ball with their offense in the 31-27 loss to the Bears, missing the presence of wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. He went down with an ankle injury in the first half of the Week 3 game.

As for the defense, Jerry Jones went from hopeful to critical after the loss, insisting that the team must improve. “Yes, and that’s because you saw (Dak Prescott) out there today,” Jones told the reporter. “And you saw what I think we’re capable of doing in the running game and that type of deal, so yes, I fully do. As we evolve towards the playoffs, we’ve got to get better defensively.”

It has been an issue in the last three games, with the Cowboys allowing 30 or more points in two games. The Bears scored 24 points in the first half. Following the trade of defensive end Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers, the team’s pass rush has struggled, prompting the addition of defensive end Jadeveon Clowney.

If they lose the playoff spot this season, this will be the second time since 2020. Last season, the Cowboys were officially eliminated following the Washington Commanders’ win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 16. Even if the Cowboys had won their remaining three games, their best possible record would have been 9–8, leaving them short of playoff contention.

And Spears isn’t the only one who can see these issues.

Tom Brady calls out Jerry Jones’ Cowboys for their defense

NFL legend and Fox analyst Tom Brady, on the call for the Cowboys-Bears game, highlighted the same issues as Marcus. “There’s not enough guys in the rush, and certainly no coverage. Another wide open receiver. Matt Eberflus is just looking for answers over there. Not rushing well, not covering well, not knowing their way on defense,” Brady said live on the FOX broadcast.

And the injuries are an even bigger issue. Lamb, who sustained an ankle injury in Week 3, is likely to miss the next few games and, most importantly, the one against the Packers.

Rookie guard Tyler Booker also went down with the same injury as Lamb in that matchup. As per Todd Archer, he’s expected to miss multiple games. When asked if either player might end up on IR, the owner didn’t give a clear answer, though he did admit it’s a real problem for the team.

“That’s a setback for us,” Jerry Jones said. “We got enough. We really do. But it is frustrating not just for this game but the fact that you’re looking at potentially games. That’s frustrating.”

So, it seems even if the owner has hopes for the playoffs, there are several issues that the team must fix to keep that hope alive.