Cowboys’ Slow Starts Becoming a Pattern - and a Problem
The Dallas Cowboys have been playing a dangerous game lately - spotting their opponents early leads and trying to claw their way back. Sometimes it's worked.
Sometimes it hasn’t. But after a 44-30 loss to the Detroit Lions last Thursday night, the pattern is becoming impossible to ignore.
Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer didn’t dodge the issue when asked about it postgame in the visiting interview room at Ford Field. The Cowboys had just wrapped up another sluggish first half, trailing 3-0, 10-3, and eventually 20-9 at halftime. It was the third straight game they’d fallen behind early - and this time, the comeback came up short.
“It’s a fair question,” Schottenheimer said. “We weren’t very good on offense in the first quarter, first half.
Detroit challenged us in a few ways. We made some adjustments, but the pass rush was definitely a factor.”
And it’s not just about one game. This has become a trend.
Go back to Nov. 23 against Philadelphia - Dallas was down 21-0 before storming back to win 24-21. Four days later against Kansas City, they trailed 7-0 and then 14-7 before pulling off a 31-28 win.
The Cowboys have shown they can rally, but they’re living on the edge far too often.
Execution Over Scheme
After a few days to review the film, Schottenheimer offered a bit more insight, though no magic fix.
“We’ve looked at some different things,” he said Monday. “There are a few things with the openers that we’ve talked about.
We’re big into deferring - we like getting that extra possession to start the second half. But at the end of the day, it comes down to execution.
It’s not like there’s one thing we can point to and say, ‘If we do this, we’ll start faster.’”
That’s a telling admission. It’s not about play-calling or game script. It’s about how the team is executing - or failing to - in those opening minutes.
By the Numbers: A Tale of Two Quarters
Let’s put this into perspective. The Cowboys are the third-highest scoring team in the league, averaging 29.3 points per game.
But in the first quarter? Just 3.8 points per game - tied for 23rd in the NFL.
That’s a massive drop-off for an offense with this much talent.
Contrast that with the second quarter, where Dallas leads the league at 11.7 points per game. Once they get rolling, they’re nearly unstoppable. But it’s taking too long to get there.
The slow starts have allowed opponents to dictate tempo early. In 10 of their 13 games, Dallas has given up the first score.
The only exceptions: Week 1 at Philadelphia (a 24-20 loss), Week 7 against Washington (a 44-22 win), and Week 8 at Denver (a 44-24 loss). Even when they strike first, it hasn’t always translated to wins.
Star Power Still Waiting to Shine Early
What’s even more surprising is who hasn’t been showing up early. Star wide receiver George Pickens and top tight end Jake Ferguson have combined for 15 touchdowns this season - but none in the first quarter. That’s a big red flag for an offense that leans heavily on its playmakers.
Quarterback Dak Prescott is having one of the best seasons of his career. He’s thrown 12 touchdown passes in the second quarter alone, plus six apiece in the third and fourth.
But in the first quarter? Just two.
The only other first-quarter touchdowns this year have come on short-yardage runs.
So yes, the Cowboys can score - and score quickly - but that early-game rhythm just hasn’t been there.
The Deferral Dilemma
One factor that’s come up is the team’s preference to defer when winning the coin toss. Schottenheimer said it’s about maximizing possessions - getting that first crack at the ball in the second half. It’s a sound strategy in theory, and it’s worked at times.
But here’s the thing: Dallas has still had the ball first in seven of their 13 games. So it’s not like they’re always waiting to get on the field. They’ve had chances to start fast - they just haven’t capitalized.
What the Players Are Saying
The slow starts were a talking point even before the Detroit game. Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb addressed it earlier in the week.
“We just gotta be ourselves, man,” Lamb said. “We can’t get behind the eight ball.
We can’t turn over the ball. The goal is to take it away and not give any.
If we do that, we put ourselves in the best position to win. We haven’t done that yet, but I feel like we can get back on that road.”
Against the Lions, the Cowboys didn’t commit a turnover in the first quarter - but they also didn’t do much with the ball. Their opening drive ended in a field goal.
The next? A quick three-and-out.
From there, things unraveled. They lost the turnover battle 3-0.
“When you don’t play clean ball in the first half, and you’re in second-and-long and third-and-long, it’s going to be difficult to win football games,” said left guard Tyler Smith. “The opportunities we did have to score early on, we kind of put ourselves further back than we needed to be.”
Too Much Talent to Start This Slow
This isn’t a matter of lacking firepower. The Cowboys have one of the most explosive offenses in the league. Prescott is in MVP-caliber form, the receiving corps is deep, and the offensive line has held up well against top-tier pass rushes.
But for all that talent, they’re still waiting for a complete, four-quarter performance - especially one that starts with a bang instead of a whimper.
With the playoffs approaching, the margin for error shrinks. Falling behind early against playoff-caliber teams is a recipe for disaster.
The Cowboys have proven they can come back. But they can’t keep relying on late-game heroics to bail them out.
Something has to change - and soon. Because if Dallas can figure out how to start fast, they won’t just be dangerous. They’ll be downright scary.