Brian Schottenheimer’s first season has been a roller coaster, but the Cowboys did leave Week 7 with a few things that can travel. If Dallas wants to string together back-to-back wins for the first time in 2026, the formula from the 38-21 win over the Eagles gives them a clear starting point.
The biggest one is simple: keep leaning on the run.
For the first time this year, Dallas looked like a team that actually wanted to build around its ground game. That mattered because the running attack had been too inconsistent to trust for long stretches, especially with the Cowboys often playing from behind.
Against Philadelphia, though, the whole operation looked sharper. Dallas mixed in pin/pulls, traps, and misdirection, and those concepts helped produce explosive runs with regularity.
Arizona has been strong against the run overall, sitting sixth in rush EPA/play and 20th in rush success rate, but the Cowboys should still be able to generate production if they stay committed and keep using the same kind of creativity.
The passing game also showed a different edge last week, and that may be just as important heading into Week 8.
After six weeks of Dak Prescott’s ADOT sitting near the bottom of the league, the Cowboys finally started attacking downfield more aggressively. That shift paid off in a big way against a defense that had not been giving up many explosive passes early in the season.
With opposing defenses crowding the short game and sitting on the stop-routes that had been featured so heavily, Dallas found room for sluggos outside and hit multiple chunk plays. That approach should still be available against an Arizona secondary that has struggled this season, ranking 31st in dropback EPA/play and 20th in dropback success rate.
There’s also a personnel wrinkle worth watching: Brevyn Spann-Ford.
The Cowboys signed him to an early contract extension this offseason, and the push to get him more involved has started to show up over the last two weeks. He is not likely to become a dynamic receiving threat, but he brings enough to matter.
His blocking helps the offense, and he can add yards after the catch with a physical style that fits what Dallas wants to do. More importantly, he changes the look of the offense.
Spann-Ford gives the Cowboys more flexibility in the run game than Jake Ferguson does in 11-personnel, and the different pass and run looks they can create out of 12-personnel make him a useful piece moving forward.
In Other News...
Joey Porter Jr. Is Giving Cowboys Fans A Reason To Gloat
The Cowboys added Joey Porter Jr. in a deal that already looks like one of the more interesting moves of the season, sending a 2028 second-round pick to Pittsburgh for the cornerback. Through three games in Dallas, Porter has fit right into a defense that values length, discipline and coverage ability, and his early play has given the secondary a steadier feel.
Porter has also backed up the hype with production, allowing the lowest completion percentage among corners with at least 75 coverage snaps in 2026. Meanwhile, the Steelers are said to be feeling the sting of the move and are shopping for cornerback help at the trade deadline, which only adds to the sense that Dallas may have landed the better end of this one. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Face A Familiar Cardinals Problem At The Worst Time
The Cardinals have turned into one of those opponents the Cowboys never seem to get a clean handle on, and this weeks matchup arrives with Dallas trying to build momentum and climb in the NFC East. CeeDee Lamb pointed to Arizonas consistent energy and competitiveness in these games, which has been part of the problem for a Cowboys team that has not found much comfort in this series, especially when the game is on their own turf.
Dallas is trying to start a winning streak at the right time, but the history here is hard to ignore. The Cowboys have had their issues with Arizona for years, and the longer that pattern hangs around, the more it adds pressure to a game that already carries weight in the division race. [Read more 🡒]
Jerry Jones Faces A Cowboys Trade Deadline Problem He Can't Ignore
Jerry Jones has made it clear the Cowboys are at least willing to listen as the trade deadline approaches, but the front office is running into a familiar NFL obstacle: not enough draft capital to make a meaningful move without paying a steep price. Dallas has already spent heavily in previous transactions, and Jones has sounded skeptical about landing a real difference-maker if it means surrendering picks the club would rather keep in reserve.
That leaves the Cowboys in a tricky spot, because the most workable path may be the kind of deal teams almost never pull off in-season. A player-for-player swap would fit the roster math better than a pick-heavy trade, but it would also force Dallas to consider moving a key piece from its own lineup. George Pickens, currently on the franchise tag, is one of the names that naturally comes into that discussion, which is exactly why the deadline feels more complicated than a simple buyer-or-seller decision. [Read more 🡒]