It’s really hard to call a week two game in the NFL a “must win” game, but boy was it ever for the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys defense was dominated in week one, and despite some offensive highlights, the Cowboys slow start on offense, along with just two possessions in the second-half saw them fall short to the New York Giants.
In week two however, the Cowboys offense got back to their “GOTI” form and dominated the matchup, despite the defensive still showing their struggles. On top of the players
executing, Brian Schottenheimer was “in his bag” as the kids say nowadays.
Schottenheimer received some pushback in week one after deciding to throw a fade to CeeDee Lamb for their first score of the game, instead of setting the tone by feeding Javonte Williams. I could not disagree more with the pushback. The Cowboys offensive line struggled to generate push in the running game in week one, and instead of trying to establish the run against a stout Washington defensive front, Schottenheimer leaned into his offense’s strength and threw the football all over the yard.
The Cowboys lack of running game is no doubt concerning, but with Tyler Smith sidelined, Cooper Beebe currently struggling, and Terence Steele’s inconsistencies still showing up on tape, Schottenheimer decided to live-or-die with his best players in week two.
The Cowboys running game generated -0.24 in EPA in their week two victory, while their passing game generated 0.46. Thankfully, it seems like Schottenheimer figured out it was going to be a tough day running the football pretty quickly, because the Cowboys offense called only 18 rushing plays throughout the game, and that’s with a quarterback sneak, a fullback dive, and a KaVontae Turpin end-around mixed in. Those 18 rushes, compared to 31 pass attempts, despite leading the entire game is why the Cowboys were able to keep their foot on the gas and continue to finish drives with points instead of punts.
Schottenheimer’s play-calling was very good in week two and we saw a bit more creativity and explosiveness from the passing game that was lacking in week one. With the offensive line struggling to gain much traction in the running game, Schottenheimer is going to need to lean into the passing game more, until that unit starts to generate more consistent push up front.
Leaning into the passing game is something the Cowboys offense has been very familiar with over the years, and something Dak Prescott and the Cowboys’ wide receivers handle very well. That proved to be true again in week two as Prescott, Lamb, and Ferguson came up big. Prescott threw just five incompletions all game with four touchdowns, 279 passing yards, and added 26 yards on the ground as well. CeeDee Lamb and Jake Ferguson combined for three touchdowns, with Lamb hauling in eight receptions for 153 yards.
While fans may want to see more success in the running game, Schottenheimer is smart to lean into what’s working and this week it was throwing it all over the yard.
Play-Calling
A
Fourth-Down Decisions
B+
There was only one fourth down decision to really ponder in week two. A 4th and 5 from the Washington 6. Schottenheimer elected to kick the field goal, but this is a down and distance he should be a bit more aggressive beginning with the third down play-call moving forward, if the defense is still going to struggle to get off the field and limit points.
Timeout Usage
B-
Team Preparation
B+
What grade would you give to Brian Schottenheimer on Sunday?
