49ers at Cowboys: Can DeMarvion Overshown's 'Dumbsday Defense' Get Smart?

FRISCO - Brian Schottenheimer is in over his visor. Dak Prescott doesn’t possess the clutch gene. DeMarvion Overshown is an undisciplined knucklehead. And, sure, Jerry Jones the owner should fire Jerry Jones the general manager.

All could be true - yet totally meaningless - if the Dallas Cowboys don’t improve dramatically on defense.

Then: Doomsday Defense.

Now: Dumbsday Defense.

After last season’s disaster in which the defense was one of the worst in the NFL and most embarrassing in franchise history, coordinator Matt Eberflus was fired and the unit underwent an extreme makeover. Christian Parker was hired, Caleb Downs was drafted and Quinnen Williams, Rashan Gary and Joey Porter Jr. were acquired via trade.

The bar was raised, and the Cowboys have tripped right over it. Again.

Through nine games Parker’s outfit isn’t noticeably better than the group that got Eberflus ridiculed and run out of town. The Cowboys rank 26th in points allowed (26.2 per game), 30th in total yards (372) and 31st in rushing yards (147).

You want a tell-tale stat of a losing team? This season the Cowboys’ defense has both the NFL’s most penalties (31) and second-fewest takeaways (4). Overshown infamously running onto the field last week in “blue sweats and a stocking cap” epitomizes this Cowboys’ defense: They rarely force turnovers, and when they do they minimize them with a penalty for celebrating like they’d won the Super Bowl.

That, my friends, is what you call a liability. It’s flat out dumb.

It’s this same kind of inept defense that turned stellar quarterbacks Don Meredith, Danny White and Tony Romo - with Dak trending the same direction - into merely stat-stuffing footnotes.

(Random-sorta-related thought: What on Earth has happened to former rookie sensation Jaishawn Barham? After starting the first six games, his snaps have steadily declined and last week against the Colts he was on the field for only three plays. Hmm.)

Winning in the NFL isn’t rocket science. It’s defense. Though the rules are irrationally slanted to promote scoring and mitigate stopping, the best defenses usually win. Especially in the playoffs.

Remember the Cowboys’ current defensive ranks and punctuate them with this stinging stat: It has been a year since they held a team under 20 points. The last time it happened was Week 11 of 2025 in a 33-16 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. That’s a franchise-worst streak of 16 consecutive games allowing 20+ points.

I fully acknowledge that the eras are different, but contrast those hideous numbers to the Cowboys’ glory years. In each of their five Super Bowl seasons, their defense produced at least nine - and as many as 15 - games with opponents held under 20 points.

Essentially 10 games per season vs. 0 times in a calendar year. The search for the Cowboys’ struggles stops here.

In 1971 (Super Bowl VI) the Cowboys’ original Doomsday Defense held 11 of 17 teams under 20 points and the last six under 14. In three playoff games they surrendered just one touchdown and only 18 points, and two of those on offense via safety. The defense was ranked No. 3.

In 1977 (Super Bowl XII) the Cowboys held 12 of 17 teams under 20 points, and gave up only 23 total in three playoff wins. The defense was ranked No. 5.

In 1992 (Super Bowl XXVII) the Cowboys held 12 of 19 teams under 20 points, and allowed 47 points in three playoff games. The defense was ranked No. 1.

In 1993 (Super Bowl XXVIII) the Cowboys held 15 of 19 opponents under 20 points, and surrendered 51 points in three playoff wins. The defense was ranked No. 5.

In 1995 (Super Bowl XXX) the Cowboys held 9 of 19 teams under 20 points, and gave up 55 points in three playoff wins. The defense was ranked No. 3.

The blueprint is obvious: the Cowboys have never won a Super Bowl without a Top 5 defense. Good luck to Schottenheimer, Dak, Overshown and Jerry trying to do so with a laughingstock group that is ranked near the bottom of the league and hasn’t held an opponent under 20 points since before the last time we were making plans for Thanksgiving.