ARLINGTON – The Cowboys were missing seven defensive players on Sunday.

Gone were four defensive ends that coordinator Mike Zimmer depends on to make action. Also gone were a starting cornerback and his replacement. The starting middle linebacker, signed in the offseason to shore up Zimmer’s defense, was also out due to health concerns.

“No excuses, next man up mentality,” linebacker Damone Clark said. “I can’t make any excuses for it.”

The Lions didn’t care about the Cowboys’ problems and destroyed them 47-9 on Sunday.

It was the most points the Cowboys defense allowed this season. A stunning development considering the Cowboys gave up 44 points to the Saints in the home opener almost a month ago.

The 492 total yards was also a season high allowed by this defense. And the Lions’ 184 rushing yards marked the third time an opponent rushed for more than 150 yards.

To make matters worse, Lions fans – whether they were from Detroit, Saginaw, Flint, DeSoto, Coppell, Prosper or just around the corner – were spotted by the home team chanting “Jared Goff, Jared Goff, Jared Goff.”

The Lions quarterback completed 18 passes for 315 yards with three touchdowns and a quarterback rating of 153.8.

“Any time another team does chants in our own building, that should be a problem,” cornerback Jourdan Lewis said. “Yes, that is definitely something we can’t let happen again.”

Outside of the Goff chants, the Lions themselves made a statement to the Cowboys that they weren’t at their level, something coach Mike McCarthy alluded to after the loss.

The Lions weren’t happy about being denied a two-point conversion play during a late-regular-season game last year while using a tackle-eligible formation.

The Lions used an extra lineman nine times on Sunday.

Lewis called it “a terrible joke” and the Lions “tried to embarrass us” by using an eligible tackle. There was more disrespect when backup quarterback Hendon Hooker attempted a pass with 8:02 remaining.

Sportsmanship issues aside, the Lions were more physical than the Cowboys. Zimmer’s game plan was to have the front seven control the line of scrimmage while two safeties played deep to prevent long passes.

The Lions running backs of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs rushed for 143 yards on 24 carries combined. That is now a committee.

Too often we saw linebacker DeMarvion Overshown chase ball carriers and cornerback Trevon Diggs fail to attack in the run game.

The front four were pushed around and there was a 17-yard run by Montgomery where he broke three arm tackles.

Physicality was lacking in this defense on Sunday. It didn’t matter who missed the club.

“We can be better,” Clark said. “It is clear that we can do better. We made plays there, but we also left some behind. We were allowed to correct it and look at it (and) look in the mirror during the bye week. We have a long season ahead of us. We are 3-3, don’t press the panic button.”

The creativity in Zimmer’s scheme yielded a sack when safety Donovan Wilson shot through the A gap. If you call that creativity. The defense’s depth is lacking in producing action and Zimmer will need a boost to the roster soon.

Four of the seven players – Micah Parsons, DaRon Bland, Caelen Carson and Eric Kendricks – may return for the 49ers game in two weeks.

Without them, beating the 49ers will be a huge task. With them, beating the 49ers is a huge task.

Jerry Jones has hinted that when some of his injured players return, things should improve. But when Parsons, Kendricks and Carson played, his club went up and down.

And with a 3-3 mark and road games in San Francisco and Atlanta before back-to-back home games against Philadelphia and Houston, the Cowboys’ season could very well disappear.

In the locker room, the players discussed using the bye week to look at themselves in the mirror. This bye week is likely another time for the coaches to have those “across the room” discussions where everyone reevaluates players and units.

After the season opener, the Cowboys defense has not produced a dominant game. That’s difficult in this competition. But if you want to be a title contender, the Lions showed the Cowboys what a dominant defense does.

“It’s not just trying to take out rough guys, that’s running to the ball, understanding discipline on every play,” Lewis said. “That is also mainly mental toughness. Everyone can run and hit, you have to be physically and mentally strong to do it every day.”

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