ARLINGTON, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys blew a 14-point lead twice against the Arizona Cardinals in a 33-30 overtime defeat. And owner Jerry Jones had many fingers to point during the ugly aftermath.

"It just really is glaring in a negative way how we could be where we were and end up losing that ball game," Jones said. "We had a great chance right at the end to win the game, and had everybody out there that can win games for us, and of course. didn't get it done. So it was a couple of games within the game really that was also telling, and we just just did not play well enough at all to win that ball game. Not well enough after you had the lead the way we did and had the opportunities we had to win that ball game. So it's an indictment of the whole show."        

The jarring thing about Dallas' defensive collapse and their overall defensive struggles in 2026 is that the Cowboys' front office made an effort to ensure something like this wouldn't happen after their 2025 meltdown. Defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus was fired and replaced by Christian Parker. Jones traded for Rashan Gary, signed two new safeties and a new cornerback, drafted two defensive players in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft (Ohio State safety Caleb Downs and UCF edge rusher Malachi Lawrence), and traded for Joey Porter Jr.

Yet, they still profile as one of the NFL's worst defenses across the board. 

Should the spotlight be on Caleb Downs? 

Dallas traded up one spot to draft Downs 11th overall to be a focal point of its new-look defense, working in the hybrid nickel corner/safety role. It's a role that earned Eagles defensive back Cooper DeJean a first-team All-Pro selection in Philadelphia last season. Trey McBride, a 2025 first-team All-Pro who leads the NFL with 66 catches in 2026, was far from impressed with Downs on Sunday. 

After he beat Downs for a 15-yard gain on third-and-6 with 2:30 left in the first half on Sunday, McBride taunted him.

"First-round pick? You're a first-rounder?," McBride said to Downs, via Fox Sports. "For what? For what? First round for what?" 

That was far from the only miscue for Downs in Sunday's loss. Downs had an angle to tackle Tyler Allgeier behind the line of scrimmage, but he took a bad pursuit angle and completely whiffed. Allgeier exploded through the Cowboys' defense for a 63-yard rushing touchdown, Arizona's first of the day. That play gave the Cardinals the belief they could actually pull off their eventual comeback. 

Downs was also bullied on a block down the field on a 52-yard run by Allgeier down the left sideline. Allgeier is now the first player this season with multiple runs of 50-plus yards in a single game. 

Obviously, the Cowboys allowing an NFL-worst 152.8 rushing yards per game is a team effort, but Downs certainly has a hand in that effort. He did also team up with defensive tackle Kenny Clark to stonewall No. 3 overall pick running back Jeremiyah Love on a fourth and goal at the one to force a turnover on downs on Sunday. Overall, Pro Football Focus assigned Downs a 68.8 run defense grade through the first eight weeks of the season, which ranks 46th among 98 qualified safeties. 

In coverage, Downs has allowed 20 of the 24 passes thrown his way to be completed (83.3%) for 230 yards and three passing touchdowns, per TruMedia. That's good for a 9.6 passing yards-per-attempt average and a 146.2 passer rating against as the primary defender in coverage. For reference, 158.3 is a perfect passer rating. Among 174 players with 20 or more passes thrown their way this season, Downs' 146.2 passer rating allowed in coverage is the third worst in the entire NFL this season. Only Baltimore Ravens safety Malaki Starks (149.3) and Miami Dolphins cornerback Jason Marshall Jr. (154.2) have surrendered a worse passer rating against as the primary defender in coverage than Downs through eight weeks.

The Cowboys have been an injury-plagued secondary. Porter Jr. suffered an ankle injury on Sunday, and Downs himself didn't finish Sunday's game after entering concussion protocol in the fourth quarter. However, Downs has as big a role as anyone on Dallas' defense in their continued struggles in the opening half of the 2026 season.