Many Dallas Cowboys players need to be blamed for the horrific 28-20 opening-season loss to the New York Giants.
The defense failed to get the Giants off the field, allowing them over 36 minutes of possession. Dallas’ offense got off to a slow start and had to play catch-up by the second half, which was already too late.
One moment was so egregious that Cowboys fans wondered who was to blame. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer had the answer fans don’t want to hear, but need to.
Brian Schottenheimer Assigns Blame for Busted Play in Dallas Cowboys Loss
Late in the second quarter, before halftime, Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart found a wide-open Isaiah Likely for a 15-yard touchdown catch. It surprised many to see him that open for one of the easiest scores of Week 1 in the NFL.
Schottenheimer cleared the air about what happened the day after the game. The media asked about that play, and he pointed to one of his defenders.
“On Isaiah Likely’s TD at the end of the first half Brian Schottenheimer said that LB Dee Winters should have stayed with the Giants TE. Communication breakdown before the snap led to the miscues.”
The Cowboys added Winters during the offseason after he spent the first three seasons with the San Francisco 49ers. He finished the game with 4 tackles and 1 tackle for loss.
Dee Winters & Cowboys Defense Must Play Better in Week 2
The Giants just had their way with the Cowboys, rushing for over 160 yards and nearly 400 yards of total offense. Time of possession made the difference for Dallas.
Winters made a major coverage mistake on Likely, but it wasn’t the first blown coverage of the game. Dallas’ secondary struggled throughout the game, as Dart had only six incompletions.
This means the Cowboys’ defense has to go back to the drawing board and figure out how to improve after those mistakes. It was an overall ugly game for defensive coordinator Christian Parker in his debut.
Schotteheimer talked after the game about having young players, which led to many mistakes. The coaching staff will have to clean that up in the next week.
Dallas has to rebound and prepare for a Week 2 matchup against the Washington Commanders. The good news is that the Commanders are coming off a 24-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
A get-right game is in the works for the Cowboys against the Commanders. If they can take down their divisional rivals, that will put them right back in the driver’s seat for the playoffs.
Brian Schottenheimer Directly Points Finger at Cowboys Defender in Brutal Loss