The Dallas Cowboys failed the same test. Their defense gave them the ball with a four-point lead and about half of the fourth quarter to go. This happened on Sunday against the Houston Texans, but it also happened last week against the Baltimore Ravens.
GOTI, the Greatest Offense There Is, is a self-appointed nickname from the group that was revealed at training camp. There is nothing wrong with believing in yourself, but if you are going to call yourself that and then come up small when the moments
matter most then conversations are going to be had.
The Cowboys came up as small as you can in these instances. They went three and out both times, hardly capitalizing on the opportunities to close each respective game out. It was like watching the same ending just a week later.
This is why Brian Schottenheimer deserves some credit. Schotty had some interesting decisions against Houston to say the least, and he was by no means perfect. But Schotty came through against Houston in a way he did not against Baltimore.
You see, against the Ravens it was clear that Schotty, after the Ravens re-took a three-point lead, played for a tie and an opportunity in overtime. He looked to be on the verge of that in Houston when the Texans took their own three-point lead late, albeit with a bit more time than the game in Brazil.
There was no settling for a tie in the 281 (or is it 832?). Schotty showed a clear trust in his players, which he arguably didn’t against the Ravens, and let Dak Prescott, George Pickens, and CeeDee Lamb shine. Each of them had critical moments in the game-winning drive with Lamb putting the exclamation point on his incredible game as he caught the game-winner.
Again, Schotty had his fair share of issues against the Texans. We can and should talk about them, but he pledged to be different. And he was. That shows legitimate and literal growth. Hopefully there is more of that on the way in short order.
