The Dallas Cowboys’ defense has been dreadful through the first six weeks of the NFL season, ranking at the bottom of the league in every major stat category.
Frustrations have been building with the defense’s performance, with both the level of play and scheme responsible for its failures.
One player who is ready for everyone to take accountability is Kenny Clark, who joined the team at the end of the preseason as part of the trade with the Green Bay Packers that included Micah Parsons.
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Clark recently spoke to the media about the team’s defensive struggles and the message that defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus had for the unit.
Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus on the sideline during the first quarter at AT&T Stadium. / Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images
“Just the details of the defense,” Clark said, via DallasCowboys.com. “We went through everything. Holding each other accountable and focusing on the details of what we need to do. Everybodyâs just looking in the mirror and figuring that stuff out.
“Anytime somebodyâs running the ball like that, itâs definitely frustrating. Weâre all competitors and want to put our best foot out there. So anytime something like that happens, itâs frustrating.”
The Cowboys’ offense has been playing at an elite level, but unless they are perfect, it is difficult to win when the defense isn’t getting a stop.
Clark knows that everyone needs to step up their game.
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Dallas Cowboys defensive tackles Kenny Clark and Osa Odighizuwa react after a sack against the New York Giants / Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images
Six weeks into the season, it is a tough pill to swallow that the team is still ironing out the details with Eberflus’ scheme. Like Cowboys fans and NFL analysts, Clark isn’t sure why things aren’t clicking for the defense, but he knows that it needs to change fast.
If the defense can get it together, the Cowboys could suddenly become a very dangerous team.
âHonestly, Iâm not sure. Thatâs a good question. Thatâs the biggest question of them all,â Clark said. âItâs just us holding each other accountable and just getting to the bottom of that. We canât go all year playing defense like this, especially with how our offense is playing. If we can match that, weâre going to be a really tough team to beat.â
The next opportunity for the Cowboys to show improvement comes in Week 7 against their former defensive coordinator, Dan Quinn, when the Washington Commanders come to town. Kickoff is set for 4:25 p.m. ET on FOX.
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