The Dallas Cowboys allowed 33 points in Sunday’s overtime loss. Not only was that the second-most points coach Brian Schottenheimer’s team has allowed this season, but it’s also the third time the Cowboys have lost in the past four games.

Overall, the Cowboys’ defense has been one of the worst in the NFL this season under first-year defensive coordinator Christian Parker. They enter Week 9 ranked 27th in points allowed. In fact, PFN’s NFL Defense Impact metric ranks the Cowboys as the worst defense in the entire NFL, earning a paltry grade of 60.6.

Despite those warning signs, team owner Jerry Jones suggests the Cowboys’ defense is on the up and up. But that optimistic mindset has greatly concerned Stephen A. Smith.

Jerry Jones’ Dallas Cowboys Comments Bewilder Stephen A. Smith

The Cowboys’ owner is known for making bold and braggadocious remarks. Yet, sometimes Jones says something that riles up the fan base. That’s more or less what happened recently when Jones said, “I like the way we’re (the defense) trending.”

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Smith appeared on ESPN’s “First Take” to tee off on Jones’ comments, calling them “no sense.”

“I gotta take a trip to Dallas,” Smith said.

He added, “I’ll sit down and take him out to dinner. Talk to my buddy, make sure he’s ok. Some of the things that come out of his mouth, it worries me…. I just can’t believe what I just heard. Dallas’ defense is horrible. They’re dead last in third-down defense. They’re dead last in rushing defense.”

“A multitude of categories, they are either worst or one of the top two or three worst defenses in all of football in like seven or eight different categories, and this man says they’re trending in the right direction? How?”

Jones’ comments do come at an interesting time. After all, the Cowboys just allowed a season-high 467 yards to a Cardinals offense that hadn’t topped 400 yards or 30 points all season. It wasn’t exactly the type of effort that makes one think the Cowboys are about to turn a corner defensively.

Though if there’s one area where the Cowboys may be improving, it’s the pass defense. After watching the Houston Texans go off for 335 passing yards in Week 4, the Cowboys haven’t allowed a team to go over 265 since.

Though, ironically, the Cardinals were that team that recorded 265 yards just last week, the most the Cowboys have allowed since Week 4.

The Cowboys even allowed a whopping 202 rushing yards to the Cardinals on Sunday, which is the second-most Dallas has allowed all season. So again, they don’t seem to be trending sharply in the right direction, though there may be some areas where Jones continues to see improvement. Just don’t tell Smith that, who doesn’t want to hear it.