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Cowboys coaches and players are failing at every turn
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- Cowboys coaches and players are failing at every turn
Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The 2026 season already had a debilitating, soul-crushing loss when the Cowboys inexplicably lost to the Ravens in Brazil. After Sunday, Dallas has to pick up the pieces after another profoundly pathetic loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
Dallas held a 14-point lead early in the fourth quarter, had multiple opportunities to put the game away, and somehow walked off its own field with a 33-30 overtime loss to a bad and injured Arizona team. The Cardinals have now beaten Dallas five straight times, and, like the Green Bay Packers, are undefeated at AT&T Stadium.
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The Cowboys are now 3-5, and the problems that have plagued this team all season are becoming impossible to ignore. The defense is terrible, the offense cannot execute when the game is on the line, and Brian Schottenheimer keeps making questionable decisions that leave fans wondering what this coaching staff is bringing to the table.
This is Schottenheimer's team. He is responsible for its preparation, identity, discipline and ability to close out games. Sunday was another glaring example of a team that looks completely unprepared for the moments that matter. The Cowboys didn't just lose a football game. They demonstrated, once again, that they have no answers when adversity arrives.
The defense completely collapsed, and Christian Parker has no answer for it
For much of the afternoon, Dallas' defense looked like it might finally be turning a corner. The Cowboys forced two turnovers, recorded five sacks and held Arizona to just three points in the first half. Jacoby Brissett struggled before being replaced by Gardner Minshew in the second half, and Dallas appeared to have the game under control.
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Once Minshew entered, the entire defense fell apart. Arizona scored touchdowns on four consecutive possessions to finish regulation, erasing a 14-point deficit and eventually forcing overtime. The Cardinals scored 27 points in the second half, outgained Dallas 286-157 and converted four of five third-down attempts. They also went three-for-three in the red zone after halftime.
The most alarming part was how quickly the Cowboys lost control. Minshew completed 17 of 23 passes for 188 yards and three touchdowns, finishing with a 137.3 passer rating. This backup quarterback entered the game in the second half and immediately found ways to dismantle a defense that had been playing its best football of the season up to that point.
And then there was Tyler Allgeier. Allgeier finished with 191 scrimmage yards, including 147 rushing yards on just 11 carries and 44 receiving yards on five catches. Nearly all of that production came after halftime. He ripped off a 63-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, then followed it with a 52-yard run in the fourth. He also caught a five-yard touchdown pass from Minshew, bringing his total to two TDs.
Think about that for a moment. Allgeier averaged 13.4 yards per carry, and Dallas had absolutely no answer for him once he got going. The Cowboys had just surrendered 121 rushing yards to Philadelphia the previous week, and instead of building on that performance, they allowed another opposing back to take over the game.
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The secondary was no better. DaRon Bland has become unplayable, allowing Michael Wilson alone 70 receiving yards on three catches when they matched up. Overall, Arizona receivers repeatedly found opportunities against him, but his play is part of a larger problem: the defense as a whole.
The Cowboys' defense should get credit for its first-half performance, but that only makes the collapse more infuriating. Playing a good half on defense seems to be this unit's ceiling, which is unacceptable. The same problems keep resurfacing, and the Cowboys are out of excuses.
Schottenheimer's lack of urgency cost Dallas an opportunity to win
If one sequence should follow Schottenheimer into the film room this week, it is the Cowboys' possession after recovering Arizona's onside kick. Dallas led 27-24 with 2:11 remaining when it recovered the Cardinals' onside attempt. Arizona was forced to use its final timeout, and the Cowboys had possession at the Cardinals' 20-yard line after an illegal-touch penalty. All Dallas needed was a first down to put the game away.
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Instead, Schottenheimer called an extremely conservative sequence that seemed more focused on avoiding a mistake than winning the game; gee, I wonder what that reminds me of? CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens were both left on the sideline for the first two plays. Dallas opened with a predictable run that gained nothing. On second-and-10, Prescott was asked to execute a play-action pass with neither of his two best receivers on the field. The result was a six-yard sack.
Lamb finally entered on third-and-16, but Dallas ran the football anyway. The Cowboys settled for a field goal, taking a 30-24 lead and giving Arizona another chance to win. What exactly was Schottenheimer trying to accomplish? The Cowboys had a chance to put the ball in the hands of their best offensive players and trust Prescott to make a play. Instead, they played not to lose and left the door open for Arizona.
Schottenheimer's job is to put his players in positions to succeed. Once again, on the most important possession of the afternoon, he did the opposite.
Dak Prescott and the offense have their own problems
Prescott cannot escape criticism simply because Schottenheimer's play-calling was questionable. The quarterback has to be better, particularly when opposing defenses bring pressure.
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Against Arizona, Prescott completed 19 of 29 passes for 195 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. He was also sacked four times for 27 yards and finished with a 96.2 passer rating. Those numbers are not disastrous on their own, but they do not tell the story of an offense that struggled to move the football when it mattered most.
The Cowboys averaged just 2.4 yards per rush attempt, and Prescott faced pressure throughout the afternoon. Arizona's defensive front generated four sacks, with potential trade chip Josh Sweat recording the overtime sack that ended Dallas' final possession.
The blitz has also become a troubling issue for Prescott. The Cowboys' struggles against pressure showed in the Green Bay loss, and Arizona kept making life difficult for him. Dallas managed only 168 net passing yards, and the offense went backward in overtime.
The larger problem is that Dallas has not found a consistent answer when defenses disrupt its protection. Prescott needs to recognize pressure, get the ball out and make better decisions, while Schottenheimer needs to help him with formations, personnel and play-calling. Neither has consistently done enough.
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The overtime possession was embarrassing. After Arizona went three-and-out, Dallas had a chance to win the game with a field goal. Instead, the Cowboys managed three plays and lost five yards. Williams was stuffed on first down, Prescott threw an incomplete pass on second, and Josh Sweat sacked him on third. That was it, game over. You cannot ask for a better opportunity to redeem a disastrous fourth quarter, and Dallas did absolutely nothing with it.
This team has no identity, and the coaching staff has no answers
The most frustrating part of this season is that the Cowboys keep showing flashes of what they could be, only to follow those performances with something completely unacceptable. They dominated Philadelphia a week ago, rushing for 204 yards and scoring 38 points. Against Arizona, the running game disappeared. Javonte Williams managed just 56 yards on 24 carries, while Dallas averaged 2.4 yards per attempt. The offensive line that looked so dominant against the Eagles suddenly could not create space or protect their QB.
Defensively, the Cowboys generated five sacks and two takeaways, but none of that mattered once Arizona made its quarterback change. The defense went from looking like a competent unit to looking like one of the worst in the league.
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That inconsistency is a coaching problem. Schottenheimer has repeatedly talked about accountability, but it's all been talk. Schottenheimer said the team needed to learn to finish, yet this isn't the first time Dallas has failed to close out a game.
The Cowboys lost a last-second game to Baltimore in Week 3, fell to a previously winless Tampa Bay team in Week 5, and now surrendered a 14-point fourth-quarter lead to Arizona. These are not isolated incidents. They are becoming the defining characteristics of this team.
At 3-5, Dallas is quickly running out of room for moral victories and postgame explanations. The NFC East is still technically within reach, but that shouldn't distract from the bigger issue: this team isn't consistently playing winning football, and its coaching staff hasn't shown it can fix it.
Schottenheimer can stand in front of the locker room and accept responsibility all he wants. He can talk about working harder, reviewing the film and finding solutions. But until the Cowboys actually make meaningful adjustments, those words are empty, and his position should be too after the season.
