The defense was supposed to be the bedrock of this team. They really turned it on at the end of the season in 2018. They even shut out Dallas last year in their run of 9 straight wins. But they are a completely broken unit and it’s killing the rest of the team.
It’s the biggest issue facing this team right now. Injuries haven’t helped either. They are missing Malik Hooker and will be without him for the next few weeks because of a knee injury. Darius Leonard has had a concussion that has taken him out the last two weeks too.
The defensive line has had a rotation of injuries too. Tyquan Lewis was out Sunday with an ankle. Jabaal Sheard finally played his first game after knee surgery. But injuries can’t explain away the fundamental issues with this defense. They are constantly out of position.
The defensive line has lost the line of scrimmage battle every game this year. They get pushed back and have no resistance on running plays. They can’t beat tackles around the outsides for sacks either. This is the second consecutive game with no sacks from the defensive lineman.
Eberflus needs to go back to some man-to-man coverages because they are getting destroyed in zone. Anthony Walker and the rest of the linebackers are getting balls thrown over their head. They also have been poor tacklers, which might be the biggest issue of all.
This next takeaway is actually a positive one, and it has to deal with the offense and how it has performed so far.