It’s rare for the Dallas Cowboys to even consider a midseason coordinator change, but after Sunday’s defensive meltdown against the Carolina Panthers, it suddenly feels possible.
Matt Eberflus’ defense once again looked disorganized and undisciplined, leaving many fans to wonder whether Jerry Jones might finally break tradition and pull the plug early.
The Cowboys’ 30-27 loss to the Panthers featured all the hallmarks of a broken defense: poor tackling, zero adjustments, and a lack of composure when it mattered most.
Carolina’s offense, led by former Cowboy Rico Dowdle, racked up 239 total yards – 183 of them on the ground – while rookie wideout Tetairoa McMillan torched the secondary for two touchdowns on just three catches.
The straw that broke the camel’s back
The fatal blow came late in the fourth quarter. With 2:31 left in a 27-27 game, Dallas faced a critical fourth-and-four at its own 40-yard line.
A stop could have set up the offense for the win. Instead, Eberflus called a soft coverage that left DaRon Bland eight yards off Hunter Renfrow – and backpedaling at the snap.
Renfrow made the easy catch for a first down, and Carolina drained the clock before kicking the game-winning field goal.
It was a sequence that perfectly encapsulated everything wrong with the Cowboys’ defense this season – a lack of aggressiveness, accountability, and adaptability. Still, history suggests a change is unlikely.
The Cowboys’ history bodes well for Eberflus
The Cowboys haven’t replaced a defensive coordinator midseason since 2010, when Jerry Jones fired head coach Wade Phillips and shifted play-calling duties away from Paul Pasqualoni.
Even then, it was technically a reshuffling, not a firing. Now, with first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer standing by his embattled coordinator, Dallas may be stuck riding this out.
“Yeah, absolutely. No question about it,” Schottenheimer said when asked if the team had the right personnel for Eberflus’ scheme. Whether that confidence lasts much longer may depend on how many more heartbreaks the defense can afford to endure.
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