Cowboys DC Matt Eberflus explains why team played more man-coverage vs. Commanders

The Dallas Cowboys are gearing up for what could be a physical matchup when they meet the Denver Broncos in Week 8.

The Broncos are a team that is no stranger to getting into the backfield and has an offense on the rise. On the other side, the Cowboys' defense has been the worst in the league, while the offense has been the best.

However, that all changed last week. The Cowboys' defense looked like a completely different unit in their win over the Washington Commanders. On the season, the Cowboys have given up 401 yards per game. Against the Commanders, the defensive unit gave up 341 yards, with a lot of that coming in garbage time.

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Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus has received a lot of scrutiny over the start of this season. But his unit's performance last week has fans believing that there's hope within the defense.

On Thursday, Eberflus spoke with the media about his unit's approach to the game with the Commanders, and it feels like the hope is that the defense can be more than one-dimensional.

Cowboys DC Matt Eberflus on playing more man-coverage against Washington: “Every week is different. Last week we played more man-to-man because it was the right thing to do. … It’s important as we go forward that we have multiple things in our package that we can do, pressures,… pic.twitter.com/Xqy8zw1FcC
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) October 23, 2025

"Every week is different. Last week we played more man-to-man because it was the right thing to do. It’s important as we go forward that we have multiple things in our package that we can do, pressures, man-pressures, zone pressures and all the like. But the guys did a good job executing," Eberflus said on the team playing more man-coverage this past week.

Patience Is Needed

Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus. | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

Those comments make it clear that Eberflus feels his unit has the ability to bring multiple defensive styles to their package.

It would be easy to count out this unit before they even have a bye week. But one can also say that this is a new coordinator still finding his way with his new team. The potential is there for the defense to still be better than they were this past week.

Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus during training camp at the River Ridge Fields. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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