Dallas fell 24-16 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who were playing with backup quarterback Jalon Daniels. It was another frustrating result for a defense that struggled last season.
Jerry Jones, though, said the unit remained “right where we started” and that the loss hadn’t created any new concerns.
Brian Schottenheimer sounded more troubled.
“Certainly, Jerry’s going to have his opinions and I respect his opinions certainly,” Schottenheimer said, according to Jon Machota of The Athletic.
The coach then pointed to problems Dallas needs to address, including getting defensive stops on third down and protecting the football.
“You got to get off the field on third down. We have to not turn the football over,” he said. “I mean, you can’t be minus-3 and win a game in the National Football League. That’s not going to work.”
That puts responsibility on both sides of the ball. A defense struggling to end possessions gets little help when its offense keeps giving the ball away.
As Grey Papke of Larry Brown Sports noted, defensive penalties and a lack of takeaways have also been concerns for Dallas.
Jones may see the same issues he already knew about. Schottenheimer clearly sees work to do.
After losing at home to a team searching for its first victory, the Cowboys have given both men plenty to discuss.
