The Dallas Cowboys’ defense struggled yet again, giving up more than 400 yards to the Carolina Panthers. While the offense has been performing at a high level, the unit under defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus looked completely out of sync. However, this time, after another defensive letdown, the coach received some support from the locker room.

As John Machota shared, safety Juanyeh Thomas said, “We got the best offense in the league, literally. They’re gonna score.” He further declared, “We gotta get the stops. That’s on us. We gotta respond in a great way at home (on Sunday). And we will. I promise you that.”

Eberflus showed promise against the New York Jets in Week 5. The defensive team sacked quarterback Justin Fields five times and gave up only 22 points. However, the Cowboys had communication issues and mistakes in Week 6.

They allowed the New York Giants to score 37 points against them. Missed calls in both the run and pass games have contributed to 49 explosive plays allowed this season. This is the second-most in the NFL after the Miami Dolphins’ stats (50). Additionally, according to Stathead, the Cowboys’ defense has already surrendered 2,470 yards in just six games this season, the worst start in franchise history. It’s even 10 yards more than what the 2020 squad allowed during the same stretch, a year remembered for its defensive struggles (led by coordinator Mike Nolan, and the team finished with a 6-10 win-loss record).

About the recent mistakes, veteran cornerback Kaiir Elam believes that they are better than this. “To be a good defense, you have to communicate at a high level and execute,” he shared. “There were a lot of guys open and a lot of schematic things that we got to clean up.”

And rookie linebacker Shemar James believes that the mistakes that have cost the games can be fixed easily. “You can have 10 guys doing the right thing,” James said. “But if there’s that one guy that’s maybe not in that particular zone drop or maybe not in that particular gap and it’s a big play, a busted play.”

Head coach Brian Scottenheimer, too, sympathized and backed up the DC, saying that he has faith in the coach. “Matt Eberflus is a damn good football coach,” he said. However, after the Cowboys’ defeat against the Panthers, where quarterback Dak Prescott’s perfect game went down in the loss, the chatter of firing coach Eberflus has grown louder.

And the Cowboys’ owner, Jerry Jones, is aware of the growing scrutiny.

What does Jerry Jones think about Matt Eberflus amid the Cowboys’ defensive struggles?

Not just the locker room or the head coach, Jones has also expressed his complete faith in Eberflus. His words come from experience.

Before his stints with the Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears, Eberflus was the Cowboys’ linebackers coach from 2011-17 and worked closely with defensive coordinator Rod Marinneli.

After the Bears fired him midseason, the Cowboys owner took the opportunity to have the coach back with the team. But still, the owner is confident in his DC and his skills. “But he’s had his tail kicked,” he said during 105.3 The Fan. “That’s who I want in the foxhole with me, because there’s no such thing as having all the answers.”

However, as mentioned above, the stats that show the Cowboys’ defensive struggles gave 2,470 yards through the first six games, tell a different story. Anyway, despite these alarming numbers, both the locker room and ownership have expressed their faith in the defensive coordinator. Whether that confidence will pay off or backfire, only time will tell.