Cowboys defense must allow offense to stick with run game to beat Commanders

"The viability of the 2025 Dallas Cowboys being a team in playoff contention is on the line as the team plays a late afternoon kickoff from AT&T Stadium for the first time in week seven. The Cowboys will stay in either this timeslot or primetime for the following seven weeks after this Commanders game, and it will take a complete team effort to avoid going into this stretch at 2-4-1."

"If it feels like things have already reached a fever pitch with how much national and local coverage has gone into stating the obvious about how bad the Cowboys defense has been, the sobering news is there's still room for it to get worse. The Commanders offense presents challenges in all of the areas this defense has looked helpless to stop, making this yet another game the Cowboys will need near flawless execution on offense to win."

"The Cowboys defense is trying to play a new zone scheme under Matt Eberflus with a lot of carryover players from Dan Quinn's non-zone, much more aggressive defense. The Quinn defense is still playing a style that will be familiar to Cowboys fans in this matchup against their former DC, but just how much the Cowboys can take advantage on offense will depend on how many big plays and points their defense is giving up again."

"The lasting image from the loss at the Carolina Panthers was the defense getting bullied on a drive that ended with the home team kicking a winning field goal as time expired, but prior to that the offense also had one of its worst sequences of the season to take matters out of their own hands with a punt. The Cowboys were without both Tyler Booker and CeeDee Lamb, both expected to play against the Commanders."

Playoff viability for the 2025 Cowboys hinges on their Week 7 late-afternoon game and a seven-week stretch of similar timeslots. The defense has struggled adapting to a new zone scheme under Matt Eberflus while many players carry over from Dan Quinn's more aggressive, non-zone approach. Washington's offense attacks the same weaknesses the Cowboys have failed to stop, increasing the burden on the offense to score and create big plays. A recent loss in Carolina featured the defense being bullied and an offensive sequence that ended in a critical punt. Injuries affected availability, though key players are expected to return.

Read at Blogging The Boys