FRISCO — The Cowboys elected to make a popular change in Sunday’s 34-26 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. They started Logan Wilson, whom they acquired from the Cincinnati Bengals at the deadline, instead of Kenneth Murray Jr. at inside linebacker next to DeMarvion Overshown.
But did the change spark any drastic, well, changes on the Cowboys’ defense? According to head coach Brian Schottenheimer, not really.
The Cowboys’ defense had moments of success against the Vikings, including an interception on the opening drive, but overall, the defense struggled to limit quarterback J.J. McCarthy and the Vikings. Minnesota averaged 6.3 yards per play. They were a perfect 3-for-3 on 4th down conversions, which helped make up the difference after being held to 2-for-9 on third down.
In the end, the Vikings became the seventh team this season to score at least 30 points against the Cowboys.
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As for Wilson and Murray, their impact was ultimately minimal. Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus said last week that he wants his linebackers to be around the ball constantly. He wants them to fill stat sheets like Sean Lee used to do when Eberflus previously coached in Dallas.
Against the Vikings, Murray and Wilson each had one assisted tackle.
When asked on Monday about how they played, Schottenheimer gave a consistent message he’s provided over the last few weeks when asked about the competition between the two veteran linebackers.
“Again, I think at the end of the day, they both have traits we like,” Schottenheimer said. “I think we have to be better. There’s got to be better communication on all parts. It’s not just them, but I’d say about the same [for them]. Both guys do things that we like. Both guys can improve in certain areas, and it’s kind of pretty consistent throughout our football team right now.”
Wilson finished with 29 snaps compared to Murray’s 22.
On the other side, Overshown played in 93% of the team’s defensive snaps. He finished with a team-high seven tackles.
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