CLARK URGES COWBOYS DEFENSE: 'WE CAN'T GO ALL YEAR PLAYING LIKE THIS'

FRISCO, Texas — Six weeks into the 2025 season, the Dallas Cowboys' defense has been wildly inconsistent, highlighted by a particularly poor showing in Week 6 against the Panthers. Now, the defensive unit is under immense pressure to improve immediately. Veteran defensive tackle Kenny Clark has publicly urged the team to refocus on the fundamental details, making it clear they cannot continue performing at this level.

In their most recent loss, Dallas allowed a staggering 216 rushing yards, including 183 yards to former running back Rico Dowdle. With a total of 410 yards allowed, this performance is a significant red flag for a defense expected to be among the league's elite.

Clark, who was acquired by the Cowboys from the Green Bay Packers in the Micah Parsons trade, expressed deep frustration. "Anytime somebody's running the ball like that, it's definitely frustrating," Clark said. "We're all competitors and want to put our best foot out there. So anytime something like that happens, it's frustrating."

The Problem Isn't the Scheme, It's the Details

Despite the Cowboys running a four-down front, attack front defense under Defensive Coordinator Matt Eberflus—a scheme Clark is familiar with from his time with the Packers—Clark insists that the defensive structure itself is not the issue.

"No, it's a four-down front, attack front," Clark explained. "Everybody pretty much, in a four-three defense, everybody's got one gap to fill."

The core message that Coach Eberflus relayed to the unit after breaking down the Panthers game focused on the "details of the defense." Clark elaborated that the message was about "holding each other accountable and focusing on the details of what we need to do. Everybody's just looking in the mirror and figuring that stuff out."

Clark Issues a Challenge: Consistency and Urgency

The biggest question facing the veteran-laden Cowboys defense is why basic errors are still occurring six weeks into the regular season. While Clark admitted he isn't sure of the exact cause, he emphasized that the solution lies in increased accountability.

"Honestly, I'm not sure. That's a good question. That's the biggest question of them all," Clark stated. "It's just us holding each other accountable and just getting to the bottom of that. We can't go all year playing defense like this, especially with how our offense is playing. If we can match that, we're going to be a really tough team to beat."

Despite the team's 2-3-1 record, Clark maintains confidence in their potential, drawing on his experience from a previous season with the Packers where they started slow but rallied late.

"You can get real hot, all it takes is us just coming in with the right mindset, right intentions, the right approach," Clark affirmed. "And when we get in these games, just executing. It's going to take everybody just locking in and staying focused on the details because we're very talented. This is not a young defense, we're very experienced, got experience on all three levels."

Clark concluded that the season is far from over and the chance to change the narrative is immediate. "It's the NFL, it's a week-to-week league," he said. "We come out next week and shut the Commanders down; it's going to be a different story. We got to just keep standing, and think of what we're doing. The season isn't away from us from any means, but we've got to definitely just have a sense of urgency and play ball."