Story thread · 4 reports / 4 sources

It's same ol', same ol' with Cowboys defense as hype gets pushed aside by reality

nbcdfw.com · 21h · first reportShare

Same old Dallas defense. Even with a new defensive coordinator — the youngest in franchise history in 34-year-old Christian Parker — and an overhaul of the roster, the Cowboys were just as bad as a year ago in a season-opening 28-20 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday night. Maybe worse, if that’s even possible. The Giants had the ball three times in the second half. They had two eight-minute touchdown drives, then ran out the final 5:21 on the third possession. New York was 9 of 10 on third down for the game before Jaxson Dart’s kneel-down on third down on the final play. Receivers ran free in the secondary, just as they did a year ago when the Cowboys gave up the most points with the fewest interceptions in franchise history. The run defense was porous in key moments — just as it has been for years now. There was so much hype about the arrival of Parker and first-round draft pick Caleb Downs. So much hype about the Cowboys sticking to the business of football in the offseason while