Things looking grim for this glaring issue that plagues the Cowboys

Three weeks into the season, the Dallas defense has been one of the worst units in history.

The Cowboys’ defense looked good during their Week 1 victory over the Cleveland Browns. They held Cleveland to only 3.3 yards per play, only allowing two conversions on 15 third-down attempts. It seemed impressive then, but the Browns have been terrible since. 18 points scored is their season high, and injuries to their offensive line and running back Nick Chubb have hampered their play significantly.

The New Orleans Saints’ offense, in full force, proved to be a formidable challenge for the Dallas defense. The Saints executed 56 offensive plays, with a staggering 43% of them resulting in gains of at least seven yards. Alvin Kamara’s four runs of over 10 yards, all on outside runs to the left, were a testament to the ease of New Orleans rushing ability. His 115 rushing yards and three touchdowns, all without a single run over 15 yards, further underscored the dominance of the Saints’ offense over the Cowboys’ defense.

The Baltimore Ravens ran the ball 45 of their 60 offensive plays, rushing for 274 yards. Derrick Henry ran for 151, breaking 12 tackles and scoring twice. Lamar Jackson added 87 yards rushing and a touchdown on the ground, which would be fine if the Cowboys stopped the passing attack. Jackson completed 12 of 15 passes without requiring a single tight window completion, a commanding performance. No players on the Dallas defense played well against the Ravens.

In the first three weeks of the season, they allowed 557 rushing yards, the most since 1963, 5.4 yards per attempt, the most since 1979, and eight rushing touchdowns, the most in Cowboys franchise history. It is possible these problems are talent, scheme, and will-related, and those can’t all be fixed in a single offseason.

Hopefully the trip to New York will offer some reprieve. The Ravens (second) and Saints (fourth) both rank in the top five of Offensive DVOA so far this year. Defense-Adjusted Value over Average basically looks at performance through the lens of opponent strength and game situation.

Cleveland ranks 31st. The Giants are 19th.

You can find Mike Crum on Twitter @cdpiglet or YouTube on the Across the Cowboys Podcast