Cowboys HC Brian Schottenheimer makes his feelings known on DC Matt Eberflus after disastrous 30-27 loss to Panthers

Dallas coach Brian Schottenheimer backed Matt Eberflus after the Cowboys’ 30-27 defeat to Carolina on Sunday. He believes the defensive coordinator can turn things around despite mounting criticism.

Schottenheimer addressed reporters after the game at Bank of America Stadium.

"Matt's a great coach," Schottenheimer said. "Everywhere he's ever been he's had good defenses. It's not just Matt by himself. Matt's trying. The players are trying. This is not a lack of effort."

Looking to predict NFL playoff Scenarios? Try our NFL Playoff Predictor for real-time simulations and stay ahead of the game!

Even though Dallas' top wideout, CeeDee Lamb, was not in action the last few games, the team still produced some impressive offensive performances. However, the defensive issues have persistently kept the Cowboys' ceiling low this season.

The flaws on the defensive side were highlighted with Matt Eberflus's fourth-down gamble

After tying the game, the Cowboys were faced with fourth-and-4 just beyond midfield. Instead of pressing coverage on the fourth down, Matt Eberflus played soft coverage, and DaRon Bland was far off on Hunter Renfrow.

Bryce Young threw the ball short to Renfrow, who caught the pass and gained the first down. The Panthers ran the clock down and Ryan Fitzgerald kicked the game-winning field goal from 33 yards.

Carolina racked up more than 400 yards of offense, easily moving the ball for much of the game.

Those lapses echoed earlier weeks as opposing quarterbacks consistently found success. Philadelphia was efficient, Russell Wilson threw for 450 yards in Week 2 and Caleb Williams lit up Dallas in Week 3. Similar issues surfaced against Jordan Love and Justin Fields in subsequent weeks.

Carolina’s scoring included a late touchdown pass to Tetairoa McMillan and an earlier receiving score from Rico Dowdle. Dallas briefly forced a third-down stop in the final minutes. However, Trevon Diggs benefited from a missed pass interference call before the decisive fourth-down conversion erased the momentum.

Public frustration is mounting, including Skip Bayless, who had a message for Jerry Jones and his team on X.

“IF POSSIBLE, THE DALLAS COWBOY DEFENSE LOOKS WORSE THAN EVER. JERRY SHOULD GO DOWN AND FIRE EBERFLUS RIGHT NOW. THIS IS JUST SO EXCRUCIATINGLY EMBARRASSING,” Bayless tweeted on Sunday.

Dallas still found offensive success. George Pickens hauled in a touchdown from Dak Prescott, and Jake Ferguson scored earlier on a 19-yard pass. Brandon Aubrey remained steady, converting multiple field goals.

Edited by Victor Ramon Galvez