Talk about mixed emotions. It was very disappointing to see the Dallas Cowboys fall to the Baltimore Ravens on a last-second field goal due to soft coverage and an unintentional bit of bad clock management to leave a second on the clock.
But in a game where many of us expected Dallas to get run over, it was also encouraging to see them come so very close to pulling it out. They went toe-to-toe with Baltimore and showed us some things that had been sorely missing in the first two games.
Now, despite
being 1-2, there may actually be some reasons to hope for the season. It all depends on how they do against the Houston Texans on Sunday. Our Sean Martin and Tom Ryle examine what we saw, and what we need to see.
Tom – The last one came down to a very few breaks and mistakes on both sides. Had they not had a false start down on the goal line and gone up by four points instead of having to tie it, we might be in a really celebratory mood. But there are some real positives from the game that will hopefully carry forward.
To begin, let’s look at the run game. Going into Rio, the concern was that Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson would be nearly unstoppable. The Cowboys had looked unable to stop the run the first two weeks. But they held Henry to only 3.4 yards per carry, and stuffed him more than once in crucial moments.
Jackson was a bit more dangerous, but they still kept him from taking over with his legs. Leading the charge was rookie Jaishawn Barham. He had seven tackles, two for a loss, and looked like a seasoned veteran wearing the green dot. The defensive line was far more effective. A glaring weakness just evaporated in Brazil. Keep that up, and we have to have new respect for Christian Parker.
Just as feeble as the run defense was the Dallas ground attack those first two weeks. Javonte Williams got his groove back, just missing 100 yards and averaging an effective 5.2 yards per tote. Recent signee Tyler Goodson managed to outperform Henry, at least in YPC, with 3.7.
Suddenly it isn’t all on Dak Prescott and the receivers. That is a very good thing, if it can be replicated.
Sean – Yeah, it’s not time to panic yet, but for a Cowboys team that hasn’t played a playoff game in the last two years, I think fans forgot what a true gut punch game like this loss in Brazil felt like, until it was too late. To write off the 1-2 Cowboys now would also be writing off the defending AFC champion Patriots, the Packers, the entire NFC South aside from the winless Buccaneers, and the Rams. Lots of football left.
You said it doesn’t feel like it’s all on the receivers anymore, but I disagree a little Tom. The next best thing the Cowboys did offensively in this game besides throw it to CeeDee Lamb or George Pickens was run the ball, and yes that was super encouraging how they gained traction on the ground after struggling the first two games.
Still, any play that wasn’t in one of these two categories felt like a complete waste, yet Schotty insisted on calling them in numerous big spots. A shovel pass into traffic to Jake Ferguson that resulted in a fumble takes the cake here for dumb play calls.
Then there was a real lack of creativity to free up any receivers in the red zone, both early in the game and at the very end. Points were left on the field, hardly something the “greatest offense there is” should be doing.
I’ll stay optimistic with you because these things fall into the “fixable” folder for sure, but this team only going as Dak goes is certainly nothing new and I’ll have to see more before I believe these 2026 Cowboys are any different.
To your note on the run game, I felt like they got it going thanks in large part to the Ravens having to respect their receivers as down field threats with two high safety looks. That’s one of the things I take away from this game to feel the best about, as they continue to work on what they can do to attack these looks that should continue to be there.
Tom – Thanks for bringing up another key point, namely the lackluster job Brian Schottenheimer is doing. He keeps falling into the trap of getting cute and trying to outsmart the other team, when he probably needs to focus on what is working and force the opponent to stop the Cowboys before reaching for a poorly equipped bag of tricks.
Take the very first drive of the game. Dallas had moved smartly down the field and faced a first and goal from the five, with Williams having accounted for 44 yards already. But instead of trying to pound it in against a defense that was not coming up with stops, Schotty called a pass in the area where things are compressed and it is much harder for the receivers to get open. It went incomplete.
Now he felt they had to pass, a questionable conclusion, and a sack forced them to settle for a field goal. Had they just run it three times, they might well have punched it in, and barring a turnover would still likely have gotten three. I put the responsibility on the head coach/playcaller.
I’ve already said that I see Parker developing as defensive coordinator, but it is hard to see a similar progression for Schottenheimer. Given that this is a team that is built to outscore the opponent rather than grind it out and hold on defense, that is something that gives me pause.
Sean – Well said, Tom. I’ll add something that is also never easy to hear for fans, but patience is still warranted for Parker. And let’s just be honest about the most obvious reason why, the alternative is a non-starter. This defense has been through three scheme changes in the past three years, that trend just can’t continue.
They’ve also splurged at the grocery store for Parker more than they ever did for Dan Quinn, Mike Zimmer, and Matt Eberflus to get scheme fits and commit to this rebuild. It takes time and they’re making progress, and along with the offensive line opening holes in the run game against the Ravens, the defensive line gets a thumbs up as well for the pressures Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark had.
Now, Schottenheimer is a different story. I think even Jerry Jones would be the first to tell you there’s coaches you build a team and culture with and coaches you go chase the Lombardi trophy with. Jerry wants that Lombardi, but would he be willing to have a short fuse with Schotty if it comes to that?
Let me be crystal clear – I’m far from wanting to move on from him yet, but he has the menu in his hands on Sundays and isn’t ordering the right things often enough. In fact, he’s had his lunch eaten by two of the three defensive minded head coaches on the schedule so far, only beating the one he coached in the same building with Dan Quinn.
I think we are going to learn a lot about this Cowboys team and staff the next two weeks specifically because of their opponents. At the moment they are both winless, and will be playing with a sense of desperation that Dallas has struggled to deal with in opponents before. They need to be prepared, look the part, and execute to get two wins in a row here. Anything short of that and the tone of these weekly chats is going to change, my friend.
I am off to Idaho for a Friday night, under the lights Big Sky conference game between #1 Montana State and Idaho. Enjoy the football weekend Tom, the Governor’s Cup awaits!
