The Dallas Cowboys failed to capitalize their 2023 season, despite entering the playoffs. And this year, Dak Prescott’s team looked determined to fulfill the dream of winning the Super Bowl after 1995. After all, post the win against the Browns, the QB told the reports, “Hold up my part of this deal. Just deliver that. That’s my motivation,” referring to the Super Bowl. However, the last matchup’s horrific outing 19-44 against the Saints has definitely caused chaos in the locker room, compelling them to revisit their game.

Nevertheless, the team is ready to play against the Baltimore Ravens at AT&T Stadium on Sunday, September 22. But are they seriously ready for this battle? The last game’s play and score have surely built up doubt in the hearts of Dallas fans. And even the former NBA small forward felt the same.

The Dallas Cowboys’ defense is in serious trouble, according to the NBA legend

In a recent episode of Speak on September 20, 2024, NBA legend Paul Pierce joined the hosts Joy Taylor and Keyshawn Johnson to talk about what’s going wrong with the Cowboys. And during their analysis, the major part affecting the team’s performance, as per them, is the franchise’s defense. Why? Well, their defense allowed 432 total yards against the Saints. Therefore, speaking about the Cowboys’ poor defense and the team overall, Pierce highlighted that the defensive team has been weak lately, especially over the last five games, going back to last season.

In addition to that, he pointed out, “They’ve been like tissue paper, you could just walk through them…..and then you got Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry coming in. So I like the fact that you know Michael Parsons is stepping up, letting everybody know, ‘hey this is it right here.’ This can make or break their season. Right now because if they lose this game and they get run over again, the defensive confidence is going to be gone.”

But according to Pierce, playing at home should give Dak Prescott and the team an advantage. However, as they have allowed over 40 points in their last two home games (one against the Saints and the other 48 points in the Wild Card Round against the Packers), the fear is still there. Not only that! The former basketball pro hinted that it seems Dak Prescott’s squad isn’t in the mood to win or use their muscles.

Which is why, he compared the team’s situation to home guests raiding your fridge, and making themselves comfortable. Hence, Pierce’s overall urge for the America’s Team is to finally step up and defend their turf. Even other analysts or reporters, like Dallas staff writer Nick Eatman, have predicted that Dak Prescott’s team couldn’t succeed.

They highlighted that the team has “issues in their own running game and there’s no way they can be one-dimensional and expect to beat this 0-2 Ravens team that can’t be happy about their current situation.” Amidst all this tension and uncertainty, the Cowboys team appears a bit relaxed for the upcoming game.

The last blowout of Dak Prescott’s Cowboys hasn’t resulted in panic in the locker room

The Cowboys are going to be facing an early challenge as they head into Week 3 after a tough 44-19 loss to the Saints. In this situation, many teams would have been stressed out or panicking about their next game. However, to everyone’s surprise, this isn’t the case for Dak Prescott-led Cowboys. Why?

Well, coach Mike McCarthy met with the team to talk about their performance, and as per reports, the Cowboys aren’t panicking. Because for them, the upcoming matchup is important. Proving this point, from their squad, Zach Martin stepped up and emphasized the need to focus on the next game and not dwell on the loss.

He expressed, “There’s a lot of things said and written on a week-to-week basis, so the big thing is not letting that bleed into the locker room.” However, Jourdan Lewis somewhat stressed learning from their mistakes, and he “just don’t want it to be a roller coaster.” So what do they want? Lewis pointed out that “we wanted to be a gradual line of progression. And I feel like we regressed.”

Nevertheless, the team is determined to stay positive and improve. But let’s not forget that their next big test is against the Ravens. The team, which “has recorded more than 250 yards rushing three times in six games against” Dallas. And according to the NFL history, “no team has more games with at least 250 rushing yards when facing a single non-conference opponent than Baltimore against Dallas.” So, only a win could get the Cowboys back on track.

Until then, do check out our latest Think Tank exclusive interview with Doug Sanders. It’s packed with insights on the current NFL season, college football, NIL, and much more.