FRISCO, Texas -- Three games remain in a Dallas Cowboys season that probably will see them miss the playoffs for a second straight year.
Fair or not, most of the blame will go to a defense that has not done enough and that puts the future of defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus in question.
The Dallas defense is 31st in points per game (30), 29th in yards allowed (374.9) and 32nd in passing yards allowed (254.8). The only statistical improvement of note from 2024 is the run defense, which is giving up 120.1 yards per game and still just 18th in the league.
"This is the NFL," Eberlus said. "Everybody's being evaluated throughout the whole league in every organization. That's part of the job."
As the Cowboys (6-7-1) enter Week 16, one change Eberflus will make for Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Chargers is moving from the sideline to the coaches' booth. Eberflus said he and coach Brian Schottenheimer have discussed that possible move for a few weeks.
"I've done it before, but it's really a chance for me to get good perspective, get good information, see the game develop in terms of the information given to me."
Throughout much of the season, owner and general manager Jerry Jones has lamented that the Cowboys are on their third defensive coordinator in three years, from Dan Quinn to Mike Zimmer to Eberflus.
But in the past week, Jones' tone has changed, opening up the possibility of a fourth coordinator in four years.
Speaking to 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday, Jones said the final three games "should be a big criteria" toward Eberflus' status.
"Seems like we're always saying that about these quarterbacks; that some of them haven't played this well, but when they play us, they play better," Jones said on 105.3 The Fan. "I think that's telling too. Candidly, just to be very up front about it, I think if we could have gotten this defense in better shape earlier that we could be sitting here with the kinds of wins that would have not had us in this tight spot."
Jones deserves some of the blame, since the trade of their best defender, edge rusher Micah Parsons, was not made until a week before the regular-season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles. It was a shock-to-the-system move considering the timing. Though Parsons did not practice during training camp, a significant portion of the defense was going to revolve around him.
At the time of the trade, the Cowboys said the pressure lost individually with Parsons' departure could be made up with schemed pressure. That has never been a big part of Eberflus' style, which hasn't changed much this season. According to ESPN Research, the Cowboys have sent five or more pass rushers 28% of the time, slightly above the league average (27%). The Minnesota Vikings, last week's opponent, have done it 46% of the time, most in the NFL.
In the past two losses (Detroit Lions, Vikings), Eberflus called blitzes on nine of 16 first-quarter dropbacks by Jared Goff and J.J. McCarthy. In the 48 dropbacks in quarters two through four, the Cowboys blitzed seven times.
After putting up 52 sacks last season under Zimmer, the Cowboys have 29 this season, led by the 5.5 from defensive end James Houston, who joined the Cowboys at the starting training camp. The Cowboys have gone from 22 takeaways last season, which is far below what was accomplished under Quinn, to 11 in 2025.
"It's a frustrating thing for me because I know we preach it," Eberflus said. "I know we talk about it. We practice it. I know they come in bunches and our guys have been working diligently at it, and you never know when it's going to spring open."
To Jones' point about the opposing quarterback play, there's this:
Against the Cowboys, Russell Wilson threw for 450 yards and three touchdowns in a Week 2 loss for the New York Giants. He was benched after one more game. New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields threw for a season-high 282 yards against the Cowboys and had two touchdowns. He did not have another game with more than one touchdown pass before he was benched late last month. The Arizona Cardinals tied for their most points scored (27) this season with quarterback Jacoby Brissett. He averaged a season-high 8.4 yards per attempt against the Cowboys, and it was one of three games in which he was not intercepted.
McCarthy threw for a season-high 250 yards against the Cowboys, averaging 10.4 yards per attempt. He has not topped 7.5 yards per attempt in his other seven starts.
Schottenheimer was the under-fire coordinator before when he was with the Jets and Seattle Seahawks.
"We all understand the business we're in. It's the National Football League. I think Flus is a great coach. We have not played well enough in that area," Schottenheimer said. "But my biggest thing is I've been Flus. I've been through those people saying, 'What about Schotty?' That's part of it. We're used to it. My job is to help Flus and the entire staff come up with a great game plan and try to play the best we can these next three weeks and that's what I'm committed to doing."
History indicates something will be different in 2026.
Since 1989, when Jones took over as owner and general manager, there have been six seasons in which the Cowboys have given up 400 or more points (2024, 2020, 2013, 2012, 2010, 2004).
In the following season, there was a coordinator change or scheme change.
The Dallas defense has already given up 420 points this season.
"It's pretty simple -- you focus on your job and where your feet are," Eberflus said. "You've got to do a really good job of compartmentalizing everything."