Last year, Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer got well-earned credit for guiding the team through a difficult year featured a botched defensive coordinator hire (that he did not make), a raft of badly timed injuries and, most seriously, the tragic death of Marshawn Kneeland. His leadership and likeable aw-shucks personality were enough to overlook the fact that the team finished 7-9-1.
Schottenheimer is not going to get quite as much leeway here in the 2026 NFL season. He was a rookie coach last season, but this year, he was allowed to put more of his imprint onto the team, with the hiring of coordinator Christian Parker, more say in personnel moves and more control over all facets of the game. The Cowboys were 1-1 heading into the game against the Ravens in Week 3, but Schottenheimer admitted that he overcoached down the stretch of that game and ultimately nudged the Cowboys into a disappointing loss, 34-31.
Cowboys Honeymoon Is Over
That game, it seems, signals the end of the Schottenheimer honeymoon with the Cowboys. That’s from a headline in a post by Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News: “The Brian Schottenheimer honeymoon is over. Can his Cowboys quell criticism vs. Texans?”
Indeed, there were several mistakes that Schottenheimer made in the Week 3 loss. But the most notable was the team’s simple failure to punch in a touchdown on a first-and-goal from the 2-yard line, trailing, 31-28 with just seconds to play and a timeout on hand. The Cowboys threw three straight incomplete passes, kicked a field goal, and lost the game.
Writes Hoyt: “Being on the ugly side of history also sparked a closer, more cynical look at Schottenheimer’s coaching tenure thus far. The first-time head coach is now 8-11-1. The Cowboys are now 1-2 before they head to Houston on Sunday. For a team that talked openly and confidently about playing in the Super Bowl this season, they’re now discussing a tough game against a winless Texans team.
“It’s not where the Cowboys, nor their fans, hoped to be at this juncture.”
Brian Schottenheimer Talked Too Much
Now, credit Schottenheimer for taking the blame for the loss on Sunday at his postgame press conference before the Cowboys returned on a 10-hour flight to The Star. But RJ Ochoa, analyst for the Blogging the Boys site at SB Nation, notes that probably should have been enough. But in the ensuing days, Schottenheimer has twisted himself into a pretzel finding ways to apologize for his mistakes.
He said he went through protocols with his coaches. He took more blame in his press conference on Monday, and again on the radio with 105.3 The Fan in Dallas in an interview. “Do I deserve the criticism? Absolutely. I deserve the criticism. I take the criticism,” Schottenheimer said.
Ochoa pointed out that the self-flagellation had gone overboard, and Schottenheimer should have just moved on.
Hard not to agree with what Ochoa wrote on Twitter/X: “What did Brian accomplish this week by talking about protocol so much? Did any singular person read his quotes and say “oh wow ok everything is good now”? It’s a tough situation they have to ride out and win after. That’s it. Press conference quotes won’t fix it.”
It’s on to the Texans in Week 4.
Cowboys’ Brian Schottenheimer Facing Mounting Scrutiny in Week 4