In Week 7, the Dallas Cowboys crushed the Washington Commanders 44-22. The offense-defense both looked good. Yet, even as fans in Cowboys Nation celebrated, one familiar voice had more on his mind than just victory. Cowboys legend Dez Bryant decided it was time to speak his truth.

“No shot at [Matt] Eberflus. I love the Cowboys. But by far, this is the weakest defense Dak has ever played with. And to see Dak show up the way he’s showing up, playing at a superior level, MVP level, by the way. He is my MVP, by the way,” he said.

He praised Dak Prescott but didn’t sugarcoat what everyone in Big D has been thinking: the defense is not living up to the star on its helmet. And frankly, the numbers back him up. So far this season, Matt Eberflus’ Cowboys have been hard to watch on defense.

They’ve given up the most passing yards in the league, allowing a whopping 269 per game. Opponents are slicing through them for 8.3 yards per attempt and have already tossed 15 passing touchdowns. To make it worse, they’ve managed only two interceptions through six games, as per SI.

Still, Dak Prescott made sure the headlines weren’t all bad. He looked sharp, composed, and totally in command. Three touchdown passes. No interceptions. Big-time plays everywhere, including a 74-yard pass to CeeDee Lamb that sent the fans roaring. However, Dez also had a message for Jerry Jones.

“What I want is, come on, Jerry, let’s go get a couple of players that can help out. All we need is a decent defense. If we get a decent defense, hey, man, we can make a run.”

Hard to argue with that, however, Eberflus’ unit showed glimpses against the Commanders.

Matt Eberflus’s early defensive adjustments worked

For weeks, the Cowboys defense stuck to the same zone-heavy approach, one that every offense seemed ready for. They played zone coverage 85 percent of the time and man on just 7.8 percent, according to Sharp Football Analysis. They also blitzed only 21 percent of the time, ranking near the bottom of the league, as per SI.

But against Washington, things looked different right from the start. In the first quarter, defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus made a bold switch, and it’s already paying off.

In the first 16 minutes against the Commanders, they lined up in man coverage on 56 percent of their snaps. That’s a massive jump from their usual plan. They also turned up the heat, blitzing 30 percent of the time. For once, it looked like Eberflus trusted his guys to go make plays instead of sitting back and reacting.

And the new approach didn’t fade. It carried well into the second quarter, where Dallas held Washington’s QB Jayden Daniels in check. Outside of two big plays to Jaylin Lane and Chris Moore, the Commanders got almost nothing going through the air. The Cowboys even sacked Daniels once.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones hinted earlier this week that adjustments were coming. “When we have adjustments, they have been successful. But it calls for adjustments. The good news is [Eberflus] has had a lot of experience. He’s had some good days, he’s had some bad days. That’s what we’re getting here.”

And now, it looks like those changes are paying off for Matt Eberflus.