The Dallas Cowboys have spent the week trying to put their Week 1 defensive struggles behind them.

The defense gave up a difficult performance against the New York Giants, and now Christian Parker's group has another chance to show what it can do. The Cowboys will take on the Washington Commanders at AT&T Stadium next.

“At the end of the day, it's about what we can control and what we can do. We didn't do that to our standard, to our level of performance. And so now this week has been about retooling that and getting back to focus for the next opponent,” Christian Parker said on September 18.

Some of the problems against New York were not things Parker expected to see during the game. Still, the Cowboys have spent the week addressing those issues.

“Those weren't things that I would necessarily say we saw coming. Those were things that when you get in game environments, things happen. Now, certainly we have to clean those up and we will, and we have,” Parker told the reporters on September 18.

Parker also explained that some of the preparation has changed ahead of Washington.

“Just retooling some of how some of our walkthroughs, formation adjust periods, verbal and non-verbal type of situations. Some you talk, some you don't. Obviously, us playing at home is going to have another layer to it with the crowd noise,” Parker added.

The Commanders now provide the next test for Parker's defense. Dallas does not need a perfect performance, but another showing like Week 1 would keep the questions around the unit alive.

For Parker and the Cowboys, the response on the field against Washington will show whether the changes made during the week are starting to translate on game day.

Beyond the on-field adjustments, Parker wanted his players to take accountability for what happened before turning the page.

Christian Parker breaks silence on the Cowboys’ response after Week 1

Christian Parker knows the Dallas Cowboys' defense has plenty to fix after a rough debut against the New York Giants.

The Cowboys struggled with communication, gave up too much on the ground and committed costly penalties. The Giants also converted nine of 11 third-down attempts, keeping Dallas' defense on the field and limiting the offense's chances after halftime.

“I think getting back to work, it's one poor performance, it's one loss that does not equal two,” Christian Parker said, according to Roundtable. “Our thing was when we got back here, and it started on the plane, was watching the tape, being critical of the mistakes, finding substance in the failure.”

That next challenge comes against the Washington Commanders at AT&T Stadium.

The Cowboys have had the week to work through the film and make adjustments. Now, Parker's defense gets its next opportunity to put those changes into action.

Written by

Debanjali Rakshit