EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — The Dallas Cowboys gave up 34 points and 380 yards in a season-ending loss to the New York Giants on Sunday, which did little to help defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus’ job security.
It was the first time in Cowboys history that they gave up 30 points per game. Owner Jerry Jones said before the game that the defense’s woes were beyond Eberflus, but he offered no guarantee that the assistant would return to coach Brian Schottenheimer’s staff moving forward.
advertise
“There’s a lot more to it than that,” Jones said before the 34-17 loss moved his team to a 7-9-1 record. “Don’t blame it all on the flu. This took five or six years to show up.”
Dallas enters the final week of the season with the worst scoring and pass defense in the NFL and ranks 30th out of 32 teams in Eberfus’ first season. He joined after 2.5 seasons as coach of the Chicago Bears before being fired in late November 2024.
If the Cowboys move on from Eberflus, they could have four D coordinators in the next few years. Mike Zimmer is one of the people who will take over as head coach of the Wizards when Dan Quinn leaves after the 2023 season and has fulfilled that role.
“I can prove to you that we haven’t had a satisfactory defense in five or six years, really,” Jones said.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL