The Dallas Cowboys' 44-24 loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday is not on the offense. Sure, Dak Prescott has seen better days, and the offensive line was called for a plethora of pre-snap penalties, but giving up 27 points at halftime to Bo Nix is not only not conducive to winning, it's flat-out embarrassing.
Matt Eberflus and the defense need to look themselves in the mirror, but is it really a surprise they turned in another dud? Of course not. They might be a lost cause, and it might be time to reconsider if it's worth giving up assets to add more talent to that side of the ball before the trade deadline.
With that said, Sunday was a brutal showing for Brian Schottenheimer; definitively his worst of the year. Between his situational play-calling and placing too much trust in his defense, Schotteneheimer has to be a lot better if Dallas is going to sniff a playoff berth.
Brian Schottenheimer was a disaster in Cowboys' Week 8 loss to the Broncos
The Broncos had two offensive possessions after Brian Schottenheimer chose to punt and "play defense."
The Broncos scored touchdowns on both of them.
Schotty's decision was waving the white flag at best. It was a complete misunderstanding of the game at worst.
— RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) October 26, 2025
On the Cowboys' first possession, after they intercepted Bo Nix on the game's first drive, Schottenheimer called a pass play on 2nd-and-goal from the one-yard line. The third down was wiped out by a Brock Hoffman false start, and they had to settle for a field goal.
Javonte Williams has been automatic around the goal line this season. Run the ball four times. Worst-case scenario, the Broncos take over inside their own five. The Cowboys had a golden opportunity to open up a 7-0 lead out of nowhere. There was no need to get cute in that situation.
While Schottenheimer has been an additive play-caller, if there is one critique from Cowboys fans, it's that he overthinks the most simple of situations. Just play to your strengths.
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Schottenheimer also needs to learn to have a better feel for games. He punted on two occasions on Sunday in obvious go-for-it situations.
The first was a 4th-and-1 late in the first half with the Cowboys trailing 20-10. Sure, they had the ball on their own 29, but you have to trust your offense, which had been the best in the NFL through seven games, to pick up a yard. The Broncos responded with a 72-yard touchdown drive to extend their lead to 27-10.
The second came on 4th-and-6 in the third quarter at the Dallas 44 while trailing 30-17. Schottenheimer once again put faith in his defense, and sure enough, it came home to roost as Denver put the game away for all intents and purposes with a 12-play 84-yard touchdown drive.
Trusting your defense in a game where it couldn't stop a nosebleed was indefensible, but it's been a common theme throughout Schottenheimer's first year as a head coach. It'll hopefully come with time, but Schottenheimer has to realize that this team is incapable of playing complementary football. Even playing the field position game does not matter with this defense.
The Cowboys' problems begin and end with their defense, but Schottenheimer's biggest warts as a head coach and play-caller were badly exposed as Dallas dropped to 3-4-1 on the season.