Dallas Cowboys defensive back Caleb Downs (13) breaks up a second quarter pass that Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin (17) had corralled during the second quarter at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, September 20, 2026. Cowboys cornerback Daron Bland (26) combined for the hit.
Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News
ARLINGTON — Cowboys defensive tackle Quinnen Williams had something to say. He’s one of the two defensive captains on the team for a reason. The team considers him a leader, and after the disappointing loss to the New York Giants in the season opener, he sought out cameras and recorders, rather than the alternative.
“The guys we got in our locker room, especially on defense, are unbelievable when it comes down to taking constructive criticism and accountability,” Williams said.
In essence, he wanted his team to look in the mirror. A week later, the reflection revealed itself, as Cowboys owner Jerry Jones described after a 37-20 win over the Washington Commanders.
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“We’ve got to understand,” Jones said, “we’re working with a work-in-progress on defense.”
Jones then said the defense was better on Sunday against the Commanders than it was against the Giants. And while there’s little question about that fact, a larger question looms. Can the Cowboys afford patience with a defense that progresses at the pace they’ve shown in the first two weeks of the season? Unless the offense continues at its current high-scoring pace, then the defense might have to pick up the pace.
“New defense, new coaching staff, new players: we’re still finding the flow and getting our feet under us,” Cowboys safety Jalen Thompson said. “I thought today was a big step.”
The score, and the fact the Cowboys are 1-1 instead of 0-2, would suggest that. The performance offered some examples, as well. The miscommunication issues that plagued the Cowboys a week ago were mostly quelled. They had physicality against the Commanders that they lacked against the Giants, though some credit for that difference goes to the Cowboys’ opponents. At the least, they looked like they were in the right position, which was a concern with rookie third-round pick Jaishawn Barham making his first career start at inside linebacker and as the team’s green-dot communicator.
The Cowboys’ defense allowed the Giants to convert on nine of their 11 third-down attempts in Week 1. This week, the Cowboys allowed a 50% conversion rate.
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And yet, as multiple players said, there’s still room for improvement.
Once again, the Cowboys struggled to contain the running ability of an opposing quarterback. Last week it was Jaxson Dart who ran for over 50 yards. This week it was Jayden Daniels, who eclipsed that mark in one half. He had 69 yards on seven attempts at halftime.
“Jayden did a good job today getting out of the pocket or going through the pocket to the rush. We’ve got to tighten that up, obviously,” Cowboys outside linebacker Donovan Ezeiruaku said.
Daniels was a problem that didn’t persist after halftime, however. On the final play of the first half, he suffered a dislocated left elbow when the Commanders were trying to score from the 1-yard line. Instead of a game-tying touchdown, the Commanders entered the locker room with a touchdown deficit and a second half with a backup quarterback to come. Backup quarterback Marcus Mariota had some success against the Cowboys’ defense. He, too, evaded the pass rush and made some plays. But it wasn’t to the level Daniels displayed in the first half.
If the Commanders had scored at the end of the half, Jones said it would’ve been “a whole different ball game” in the second half. “That’s the NFL. That’s football the way we had it designed.”
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Jones said after Sunday’s game the performance went about the way they expected. The defense — already better than the previous two iterations, according to Jones — did enough. The offense, in true complementary fashion, did the rest. The Cowboys offense started the season with back-to-back three-and-out drives. Since then, the Cowboys have scored on 10 of their last 13 possessions. It may not be GOTI, but it sure looks good.
“It’s a great opportunity for [our defense] to be in too,” Cowboys outside linebacker Von Miller said about the way the offense is playing. “We’ve got a really good offense. Dak went crazy. CeeDee went crazy.”
Miller then turned his attention back to the defense.
“Christian Parker, our defensive coordinator, is gelling in,” Miller said. “It was his first win. Congratulations to him.”
The Cowboys’ defense drew a lot of criticism after the season opener. Parker, their 34-year-old first-time defensive coordinator, did as well. After Sunday’s game, they celebrated Parker’s first win. It was a milestone amid progress defensively, as marginal as it appeared to be.
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“It’s always learning pains and things you have to learn,” Miller said about the team’s remodeled defense, “especially being so young and installing a new defense as well. But we’re already ahead of schedule, in my opinion. We corrected a lot of things from last week. Still have a lot of things to correct from this week.”
So the work in progress continues. And if the offense can play like it did the first two weeks, patience is possible. If progression doesn’t ensue, the Cowboys also have future picks they could use to trade for an instant impact defensive playmaker, especially in their pass rush.
In the meantime, they’ll continue to look in the mirror.
“I think we did a phenomenal job when it came to taking accountability this week,” Williams said. “And like I said, we didn’t do everything perfect. We have to look at the film, learn from it, and continue to build off what we did good, and learn from what we did bad.”
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