Brian Schottenheimer’s grip on the Cowboys’ offense looked shakier than ever after a night in which Dallas ran straight into the same wall over and over again.
The number that hangs over this one is 54. Dak Prescott dropped back to pass 54 times against one of the worst run defenses in the NFL, a workload that makes no sense when the ground game was still sitting there waiting to be used. That kind of imbalance is hard to defend, and it’s exactly why Schottenheimer is facing a real conversation about turning play-calling over to offensive coordinator Klayton Adams.
Prescott was bad, no question. He was pressing, and the offense around him had so little rhythm that every dropback felt rushed and messy.
But the quarterback wasn’t the only problem. His play-caller gave him almost no help by basically scrapping the run.
Dallas’ backs got just 13 carries all night - 11 for Javonte Williams and two for Tyler Goodson. Williams opened the game with a nine-yard run on the first snap, which should have been a hint that the ground game could at least be part of the plan. Instead, once the Cowboys fell behind, the run game vanished when it mattered most.
The sequence that really says it all came after Prescott got the wind knocked out of him. Rather than slowing things down and leaning on the run, Dallas came right back with a pass.
Prescott was fooled and threw an interception on the next snap, and that mistake belongs to him. But the decision to ask him to throw again immediately after taking that hit was another example of a head coach not sensing the moment.
The Cowboys had one stretch in the third quarter that should have nudged the plan back toward balance. On a nine-play, 46-yard drive, Dallas ran the ball four times, and Williams finished it with a one-yard touchdown.
From there, the offense still had 38 more plays left in the game. Schottenheimer called 37 passes and one run.
One.
That’s the part that stands out. Yes, Dallas was still down two scores, but there was enough time left to keep the Packers honest and avoid turning every snap into a passing-down situation. Instead, Green Bay got exactly what it wanted: a steady diet of obvious throws and a chance to pin its ears back against Prescott.
The strategy also put more strain on the offensive line. Running the ball lets linemen attack.
Living in pass protection turns them into retreating targets, taking contact over and over while fresh rushers come at them. That’s not a great formula, especially when the offense is already struggling to find any kind of flow.
And this wasn’t some elite run defense Dallas had to scheme around. From Weeks 1-5, the Packers ranked 26th in defensive rush EPA (-0.038), worse than Dallas, per RBSDM.
Even with the negative game script making things tougher, the Cowboys were still within 10 points after Williams’ touchdown. That was not the moment to pretend the run game had disappeared from the playbook.
There’s been talk before about Schottenheimer giving up play-calling duties so he can focus more on game management and the broader responsibilities that come with being a head coach. After a night like this, that discussion only gets louder. Klayton Adams has never called plays before, which comes with obvious risk, but continuing down a road that looks this broken may be even harder to justify.
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