Through the first five games of the 2026 season, the Dallas Cowboys have not been 100% great.
Their biggest headache right now is the defense. First-year defensive coordinator Christian Parker leads the way; Dallas is on a historical run they don’t want. They have allowed at least 375 yards in each of the first five games, tying for the eighth-longest streak in NFL history and the longest in franchise history.
This led to important changes, including adding Mike Pettine to the defensive coaching staff. The hope is that Pettine can help Parker, but has Parker truly been as bad as everyone thinks compared to last year’s Matt Eberflus nightmare?
Dallas Cowboys’ Defense With Matt Eberflus vs. Christian Parker
105.3 The Fan’s Bobby Belt went into the defensive stats from last year and this year. He looked at Eberflus and Parker’s first five games as defensive coordinator to see how bad it was.
Across 14 statistical categories, Parker has six that beat Eberflus. Parker beat Eberflus at points allowed, yards allowed, third-down percentage, completion percentage, passing yards, and passing touchdowns allowed. Eberflus had Parker beaten on yards allowed per play, sacks, yards per pass attempt allowed, interceptions, passer rating, rushing yards, and yards per rushing attempt allowed. They tied with 6 rushing touchdowns allowed.
The Cowboys are ranked dead last in run defense (168.4 yards per game) and 31st in total defense (395.4 yards per game). They are also ranked 20th in pass defense (227 yards per game) and 26th in total defense (27.2 points per game).
Cowboys Seeing Their Defense Struggle in Different Areas From Last Year
Better pass defense shouldn’t come as a surprise. Parker’s background is in the secondary, as shown by what he did with the Philadelphia Eagles. He developed two All-Pro cornerbacks, Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell.
The Cowboys have struggled most with the front seven. They have been getting gashed on the ground and not producing the sack numbers they need. This unit has only had five sacks in five games, which isn’t good.
Pettine is coming in at the right time to help his young coach and fix things. Not all hope is lost after the Cowboys’ struggles last year, so there are positives to the situation.
Dallas needs a bounce-back week, and it’s a bad one, with the Green Bay Packers on the schedule. The defense needs to find a way to get rolling faster than it has been. Another repeat of the last five games, and players and coaches could be on the line.
Stats Support Cowboys’ Cold Hard Truth on Christian Parker’s First 5 Games