Dallas Cowboys, Brian Schottenheimer
Nov 3, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer looks on before the game against the Arizona Cardinals at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
Brian Schottenheimer didn’t just leave Las Vegas with a win on Monday night; he left people talking about the kind of coach he’s trying to be. In the road game against the Raiders, Dallas held a 33–16 lead and had every chance to add one more touchdown. Instead, Schottenheimer shut the play sheet, told Dak Prescott to kneel, and let the clock drift. Viewers blinked for a second, wondering what they’d just seen. His reason came later, and it landed with some weight.
Schottenheimer said, “I saw him post game, he’s been so good to me. I wasn’t gonna try and score there. Don’t need to. Too much respect for the game, too much respect for Pete. Walk out of here with a great win and a great team win.
Why Brian Schottenheimer’s Respect for Pete Carroll Shaped the Call and the Cowboys’ Culture
Dallas Cowboys, Brian Schottenheimer
Nov 3, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer looks on before the game against the Arizona Cardinals at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
The moment slipped by fast, just a few beats, though it said more than any extra score ever could. According to the SI analysts, postgame remarks indicated that this wasn’t a safe playcall. It wasn’t nerves. It was something personal. Pete Carroll coached him from 2018 to 2020 in Seattle, and those years sat quietly behind this first shot at being an NFL head coach. So when Dallas rolled inside the 10, Schottenheimer reached for that history, not the scoreboard.
And Dallas had every right to keep scoring. Prescott threw four touchdowns with a stubborn calm. The defense smothered Geno Smith, shutting down every late chance. The Raiders’ last push ended on a fourth-and-1 sack that dropped the ball right in Dallas’ lap. Easy points sitting right there. Yet Schottenheimer went the other direction. He chose to walk off with clean hands. That choice said a great deal about what he values.
The night carried a softer thread, too. Cameras caught Carroll and Schottenheimer sharing a long moment after the final whistle. Carroll told him he was proud. Schottenheimer thanked him for shaping his career. He even admitted pieces of his coaching style trace back to those Seattle years. When a mentor still leaves that kind of mark, a kneel-down turns into something larger. You feel it, even if you can’t fully put it into words.
Earlier in the game, Schottenheimer sat CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens for a slip-up, employing a short bench and quick reset. The next series, both were back in sharper focus and producing right away. Lamb even scored. Schottenheimer later walked over, hugged them both, and pulled the temperature back to normal. We have seen Carroll do the same: firm early, then reach out so players know the door isn’t closed.
Veteran players noticed. One Cowboys defender told reporters that the kneel-down “set a standard.” Raiders defenders seemed relieved not to be humiliated on their own field. Add it all together, and the picture gets clearer. Schottenheimer isn’t chasing style points. He’s building something that feels steady, something players can trust. And sometimes that shows up in the decision not to score when everyone expects you to.
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