ARLINGTON, Texas — Micah Parsons sounded like he was at the lowest point of his career. DeMarcus Lawrence sounded more frustrated than he has ever sounded in his 11 NFL seasons in the locker room after a game. Understandably, the Dallas Cowboys defense was awful once again on Sunday.

Toward the end of the game, Fox cameras caught a heated exchange between Parsons and Lawrence on the Dallas sideline that only ended when rookie defensive end Marshawn Kneeland stepped in and defused the situation (Parsons downplayed the incident after the game, saying Lawrence had been like a big brother to him and it was just frustration).

The Cowboys fought back and secured a respectable final score, but Dallas’ defense did not do enough and the Baltimore Ravens ended up winning 28-25 at AT&T Stadium.

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Lawrence described the Cowboys’ defense as a heroic game. Parsons said the players tried to be Superman.

“We have the people who can do it, so that’s not the problem,” Lawrence said. “It’s just a matter of doing it. We’ll get it done. … Once we’re out of the minor leagues and back to playing professional football, everything will be fine.”

Reactions weren’t as colorful after last week’s 44-19 loss to the New Orleans Saints, but the play on the field bore many similarities. The story of that game was Saints running back Alvin Kamara having one of the best days of his career and quarterback Derek Carr looking like an All-Pro. On Sunday, it was Ravens running back Derrick Henry who rushed for 6 yards per carry, totaling 151 yards and two touchdowns. And if he didn’t get what he wanted on the ground, reigning NFL MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson gained 6.2 yards per carry and completed 12 of his 15 passes while posting a passer rating of 139.4.

“Same (as last week),” Parsons said. “Right now we just have guys trying to be Superman. Guys just have to do their jobs. We don’t need Supermans. We just need 11 guys playing together.”

Dak Prescott: “We have to help (our defense). I know their level and they don’t want to allow 28 points. But 28 points against an MVP player, an offense like that, that’s a game where we have to score 30 points. We know that. We didn’t do it.”

“…We as players have to be more… pic.twitter.com/TxFZJs7hgJ

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) 23 September 2024

The run defense is clearly the biggest problem. The Saints managed 190 yards last Sunday. The Ravens were even better, finishing with 274 yards and three touchdowns on 45 attempts.

Lawrence said it was especially frustrating because they had a good game plan but failed to execute it on the field.

How do they improve run defense?

“Play pro football,” Lawrence said. “Do what your coaches teach you. Use your gaps, use your blocks, stay in your gap. And I’m all about it. Just the little things we need to get back to, and that’s what we’re going to do this week.”

There were areas that were a little better than the week before. The Saints scored touchdowns on their first six possessions. The Ravens scored touchdowns on their first two, but Dallas forced punts on the next two. Baltimore then took a 21-3 lead on its fifth possession.

The final nail in the coffin seemed to come early in the second half, when the Ravens drove 70 yards in five plays early in the third quarter. Despite that 28-6 deficit, Dallas’ offense finally showed signs of life in the fourth quarter, scoring touchdowns on three consecutive possessions.

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Parsons, Lawrence and Co. had a chance to do their part in the final minutes, but they failed to get off the field. The first opportunity came with 2:18 left. On third-and-6 at Baltimore’s 25-yard line, cornerback Trevon Diggs gave up a little too much of a lead to Baltimore wide receiver Zay Flowers, who caught a 9-yard pass before being hit by Diggs.

“That was just a shitty move on my part,” Diggs said. “I have to make that play no matter what situation we’re in. That’s on me.”

Parsons added: “The game doesn’t depend on that third attempt. If we do what we’re supposed to do, we’ll win the game.”

After using up all their timeouts, the Cowboys had one more chance. But on second and 9, Jackson stopped a quarterback run over the left guard for a 10-yard gain.

“I’ve never experienced anything like this,” Parsons said. “It’s humiliating. … Right now we’re totally down. … The person behind me has to trust that I’m doing my job, and right now that trust isn’t there.”

Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy described the team as a “work in progress.”

“We have to clean up our own house,” he said. “Our house is not where it should be right now.”

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said his confidence in defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer remains “very high.”

What gives him the confidence that the defense will be sorted out?

“Because I’ve seen the players on the field do everything they need to do to make it work,” Jones said. “They just need to do it more together and at the same time.”

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was asked about upgrading the roster and said he doesn’t think it’s a problem. “I like our personnel.”

When asked specifically why he didn’t hire Derrick Henry in the offseason, Jones replied, “We couldn’t afford Derrick Henry.” pic.twitter.com/lkQPFjJX9a

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) 22 September 2024

No matter what is said, it’s hard to believe anyone has the answers right now. It’s one thing to lose a game, but quite another to be embarrassed at home for the second year in a row, and actually the third year in a row, starting with the poor performance against the Green Bay Packers in the wild-card game in January.

Jones was asked if he was worried that teams had a plan to beat the Cowboys.

“No. Not at all,” he replied. “I’m not worried about the plan. Am I worried that teams will beat us on defense? Yes, I am worried about that. You should be too. But a plan? That’s going a bit too far.”

If the defense doesn’t respond better to last week’s loss to the Saints, there’s no telling how it will respond on the road in just four days, with the next game already looming.

“I think we have the guys to do what we need to do,” Diggs said. “We have talent from top to bottom. I’m not worried about that. We just have to do it.”

(Photo by Derrick Henry: Ron Jenkins / Getty Images)