DONE IN DALLAS: One brutal Jerry Jones remark all but seals Matt Eberflus’ fate as the Cowboys’ defensive clock quietly runs out.QQ
It feels over for the Cowboys’ DC.
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The Dallas Cowboys’ losing streak reached three games after they fell to the Los Angeles Chargers 34-17 on Sunday. It marked the sixth time this season that Matt Eberflus’ defense allowed 34 or more points in a game, and Cowboys fans are counting down the days until Eberflus is gone.
Thankfully, the losing streak has changed Jerry Jones’ tune on Eberflus. Previously defensive of Dallas’ former linebackers coach, Jones has not pulled any punches with the media when asked about the continued struggles on that side of the ball.
That continued after Sunday’s demoralizing loss. Here is what Jones said when he was asked about his decision on Eberflus’ future, via The Athletic’s Jon Machota.
“I might not couch it as difficult. (Evaluating him is) something we have to do.”
Cowboys DC Matt Eberflus is clearly living on borrowed time
While Jones said he will not make a change at defensive coordinator before the end of the season, the hay seems to be in the barn regarding Eberflus’ future.
Again, it wasn’t long ago that Jones said Eberflus is someone he wants in the “foxhole” with him. Jones repeatedly called Eberflus a great coach early in the season, as the defense struggled to a historically bad start, allowing 30 or more points in five of the first eight games.
Not only has the praise vanished, but Jones has gone on the offensive. While firing Eberflus with two games left won’t accomplish anything, it’s quite clear that Jones is not only mulling a change but might have already made up his mind to hand Eberflus his walking papers.
It’s impossible to pinpoint the Cowboys’ worst defensive outing of the year, but Sunday’s dud was right up there.
Justin Herbert entered the game tied as the most sacked quarterback in football. The Cowboys didn’t sack him once. It was the first game this season that Herbert wasn’t sacked. If you thought that was bad, the Chargers’ 452 yards of offense are a season high, while Herbert’s 79.3 percent completion rate is his new best of the season.
This won’t surprise anyone, but Dallas posted the worst defensive EPA of any team this week (pre Monday Night Football) at 0.415, the second-worst defensive success rate at 55.6 percent, and the worst dropback EPA at 0.774, per rbsdm.com. The 29th-ranked team posted a 0.549 dropback EPA, which shows that the Cowboys are all alone at the bottom of the pack.
While Herbert is a great quarterback, he’s had a wonky season due to a depleted offensive line. He looked like an MVP on Sunday. It’s the same song and dance every week.
That Jones’ tune has done a complete 180 compared to just one month ago proves Eberflus is living on borrowed time. It’s just a matter of how soon after the season that he gets fired.
