FRISCO, Texas — Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton put the Dallas Cowboys defense on his list of the seven biggest concerns for NFL teams entering Week 2 in a column published Thursday. The New York Giants beat Dallas 28-20 on Sunday night at MetLife Stadium in the season opener.
Moton wrote that the Dallas defense looked much like last season’s unit despite the new faces. He pointed to Giants tight end Isaiah Likely, who had the third two-touchdown game of his career, and to short completions in the flat that Dallas could not account for. First-time play-callers should get some grace, Moton wrote, but the Cowboys’ patience with Christian Parker could run thin with the talent on his side of the ball.
Dallas hired Parker as defensive coordinator in January to replace Matt Eberflus. Parker, 34, spent two seasons as the defensive pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach for the Philadelphia Eagles and became the youngest defensive coordinator in franchise history. Under Eberflus in 2025, the Cowboys allowed 511 points, the most in the NFL, and finished 7-9-1.
In April, Dallas drafted defensive back Caleb Downs and edge rusher Malachi Lawrence in the first round. The Cowboys traded for outside linebacker Rashan Gary and linebacker Dee Winters. They signed pass rusher Von Miller, cornerback Cobie Durant, and safety Jalen Thompson, whose deal runs three years and $33 million.
Giants Move The Chains Against Christian Parker’s Defense
New York finished with 394 total yards to 244 for Dallas. The Giants picked up 29 first downs and ran for 165 yards. On third down, they converted 9 of 11 attempts, and they held the ball for 36 minutes and 40 seconds.
Quarterback Jaxson Dart went 23-of-29 passing for 230 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. He added 54 rushing yards on 11 carries. Likely caught all 8 of his targets for 78 yards and 2 touchdowns, scoring from 15 yards out in the second quarter and from 2 yards out in the third. Running back Cam Skattebo, in his first game back from a broken right fibula, had 18 carries for 81 yards and 1 touchdown.
The defense Dallas saw in practice was not the one that showed up Sunday, Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said after the game.
“I thought overall we were really, as a football team, we were pretty poor,” Schottenheimer said. “They were the more physical team tonight. That’s certainly not our standard. That’s certainly not how we see our identity playing.”
“Situationally, they were outstanding,” Schottenheimer continued. “They did a really good job of keeping the ball away from us in the second half. I think they had the ball for 36 minutes and 40 seconds. So, this is a humbling business. We got humbled tonight, and that’s what I told the guys.”
In the fourth quarter, the Giants finished a 13-play, 65-yard touchdown drive with three dump-offs to running back Devin Singletary in four plays. The catches went for 13 yards on third-and-9, then 7 yards, then a 9-yard touchdown. Singletary finished with 4 catches for 22 yards and 1 touchdown.
Dallas played rookies on defense Sunday, and Schottenheimer said the staff has to coach its young players better.
“We don’t push three different times to the f—ing flat route, excuse my language,” Schottenheimer explained.
Pereles reported that the Cowboys posted a 39.7% defensive success rate, the worst of any team that played Sunday. Dallas allowed 29 plays that gained between 5 and 15 yards. The Cowboys ranked 21st in Week 1 pressure rate while blitzing at the seventh-highest rate in the league.
Brian Schottenheimer Backs Christian Parker Before Washington Commanders Game
Getting humbled is part of the business, and Schottenheimer said after the opener that Parker will learn from it.
“I have no question Christian Parker is the right guy for this job,” Schottenheimer said. “He’s an outstanding coach. He will learn from this, just like our young players are going to learn from this. We’re going to play our young players this weekend, too. They’re going to play better, and Christian’s going to call a better game this week and feel better about it.”
Getting everyone on the same page about where the defense went wrong is the fix for Gary, who had 1 pressure on 20 pass-rush snaps against New York.
“We’re a couple plays away, man,” Gary said. “It could be this game coming up. Being able to have all of us on the same page and understanding where we went wrong and what needs to be fixed. We’ve been taking steps in the right direction.”
Defensive lineman Kenny Clark defended Parker at the start of the week. Washington is the second straight NFC East opponent for Dallas, and Clark said every issue from Sunday is something the Cowboys can control.
“Every week’s got to be urgent, and we’ve got another divisional opponent,” Clark said. “The biggest thing is we’ve got to attack the week and make sure we get all of that handled. The best thing about it is it’s all stuff that we can control, and we’ll get that fixed.”
Two defenders hurt in the opener did not practice Wednesday. Safety Malik Hooker had surgery Tuesday on a fractured forearm, and linebacker DeMarvion Overshown strained his hamstring with 12:04 left in the fourth quarter. Schottenheimer put a one-to-two-week timeline on Overshown. Rookie Jaishawn Barham is expected to start in his place and wear the green dot, Clarence Hill of DLLS Cowboys reported.
The Washington Commanders lost 24-22 at the Eagles in their opener. Dak Prescott is 13-2 in 15 career starts against Washington.
Dallas hosts Washington at AT&T Stadium on Sunday at 3:25 p.m. CT on FOX. The Cowboys face the Baltimore Ravens in Rio de Janeiro in Week 3.
