The Dallas Cowboys head into Week 9 on the road in Indianapolis with a 3-5 mark, still trying to salvage some importance for this season against a team that is actively setting its entire 2026 on fire, the Colts. The Cowboys need to pull together a good effort against a bad team in hopes of staying in the NFC East race and giving the team some hope that it can catch fire down the stretch run and finally cash in on its ample talent. There are any number of players and coaches who are going to be under the microscope on Sunday, but perhaps the two most prominent are quarterback Dak Prescott and coach Brian Schottenheimer, two guys who were talking Super Bowl just three months ago.
And two guys who have appeared to increasingly lose mojo as this year has dragged on.
Questions on Whether the Cowboys Should be More Aggressive
Schottenheimer has taken the fall for a number of questionable Cowboys losses, and last week’s embarrassing blown lead against the Cardinals–24-10 in the fourth quarter–has him on a particularly hot seat. But Prescott has not been brilliant all year, either, and there does appear to be a disconnect that has been developing between what Prescott is doing on the field and what both he and Schottenheimer are saying they want.
Both Prescott and Schottenheimer agree they should be more aggressive. But that’s not how the Cowboys have played, at least not since late in the win over the Texans in Week 4.
Throw in comments from owner Jerry Jones, and former Cowboys receiver Jesse Holley has a pertinent question: Do Schottenheimer and Prescott still trust each other?
Dak Prescott, Brian Schottenheimer Need to Be on the Same Page
Appearing in his role as analyst on the DLLS Cowboys podcast, Holley pointed out that Prescott said this week he needs to have a long conversation with Schottenheimer about play-calling, an odd statement for the preamble to Week 9.
Said Holley: “Has the trust been lost? Here’s why I say this—coming into this year, GOTI. And you don’t see it. Then you hear the, ‘I overcoached him in a game.’ And then you hear, Dak Prescott talk about, ‘I have to go have tough conversations with Brian Schottenheimer.’ And then you hear Jerry Jones, ‘We wanted to come into this game and play a little more conservative because we didn’t want to turn the ball over.’ … To me, that sounds like, ‘I don’t want the quarterback to put the ball in bad situations.’ You watch after halves and games where you settle for field goals, and you work yourself to field goals.
“All of that circles around in my brain and I start looking up and I go, is there a trust issue between QB1, 11-year vet, Pro Bowl, and his head coach/offensive coordinator, Brian Schottenheimer?”
Prescott, Schottenheimer and the Cowboys will take the field for a must-win on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET in Indianapolis.
Cowboys Dak Prescott ‘Trust’ Questioned Before Week 9