Troy Aikman is very concerned about the Cowboys' defense: “A little bit alarming”

The Dallas Cowboys were supposed to have turned the page on their defensive struggles but instead, Troy Aikman is already raising a familiar warning sign after a troubling Week 1 showing. The Cowboys invested heavily in the unit, adding Quinnen Williams , Cobie Durant , Jaishawn Barham , Rashan Gary , Caleb Downs , Malachi Lawrence and Von Miller - yet the changes offered little against New York Giants as the team gave up 28 points.

Dallas had entered the season with renewed expectations after rebuilding a defense that surrendered 30.1 points per game but their defeat to the Giants is sparking fears of another tough year, and Aikman did not hide his concern. “A little bit alarming,” Aikman told 97.1 The Ticket’s The Musers. “And it always is more pronounced in Week 1, because there’s so much attention and so much time to prepare. “As soon as the season’s schedule comes out, you know who you’re going to be playing, and you’ve got all offseason to kind of get prepared for that opener. And when it doesn’t go as you hope, then it just adds a lot of angst.” Dallas simply did not deliver when expectations were high as the Giants repeatedly controlled the game on third down, converting nine of 11 attempts as their success kept the Cowboys defense on the field and allowed New York to dictate the tempo. The offense was good when it had the chance to get on the ball as the team scored 21 points through Dak Prescott , Javonte Williams , Ceedee Lamb and George Pickens but it wasn’t enough.

Can the Cowboys find an answer in Week 2?

Surrendering 394 total yards and allowing two second-half touchdown drives each consumed roughly eight minutes and ensured the offense could not transform the fortunes – although Downs supplied one of two sacks. The early numbers have created uncomfortable comparisons with last season, when Dallas finished with the NFL ’s worst scoring defense and now the new coordinator Christian Parker now faces pressure to show his changes can work. And that next opponent brings added urgency as since the 1970 merger, only 10 percent of teams that started 0-2 ultimately reached the NFL Playoffs , making the Week 2 response especially important. But Parker has refused to dismiss the defeat, instead demanding accountability before the Cowboys face the Washington Commanders . “It’s one poor performance,” Parker said. “It’s one loss that does not equal two. I think we’re not trying to make excuses for anything. We’re not trying to act like it didn’t happen. “We got to look in the mirror, we got to be accountable for what we did wrong and what we did right, correct it and then move on to the next opponent because it can’t be a hangover and it can’t linger.” The Cowboys will take on the Washington on Sunday, September 20 at the AT&T Stadium from 16:30 ET/13:30 PT. The Commanders enter after narrowly losing to Philadelphia Eagles 24-22 in Week 1.