Being the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys is one of the hardest jobs in sports, but it still doesn't excuse the job Brian Schottenheimer has done this year. The NFC East has basically been handed to the Cowboys on a silver platter, but it seems as though Schottenheimer can't get out of his own way.
It feels like after every loss, his job security comes into question. That comes with the territory when you coach an illustrious franchise whose fanbase has little patience for mediocrity. Just ask the New York Yankees. But Dallas' 24-16 loss to the previously 0-4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday is another instance of this.
When Dak Prescott found George Pickens for an 18-yard score to make it a one-possession game in the fourth quarter, the obvious play was to tack on the extra point and make it a seven-point deficit. But instead, Schottenheimer opted to go for two, which the Cowboys didn't convert, because, of course not.
So now they were down eight, which meant that next time they needed to drive down the field, they needed a touchdown and a two-point try, with no choice about whether or not to go for two. But it's not like they have one of the most accurate field goal kickers in NFL history on their sideline, right?
I don't care that the analytics say to go for two there. It was the wrong play. You have Brandon Aubrey (the guy you made the highest-paid kicker in NFL history this offseason) right there to rely on. So had Jake Ferguson's drop not led to the game-sealing interception, this miscue would be getting a whole lot more heat.
Cowboys' HC Brian Schottenheimer is coaching himself onto the hot seat
It's bad enough the Cowboys lost at home to a winless Bucs team that was starting an undrafted rookie at quarterback; it's even worse they did so for a national audience. That means that there's no shortage of people who saw this, which means that the scrutiny should (understandably) follow.
You can blame Christian Parker all you want for the defense again looking porous and letting Bucky Irving run wild, but Brian Schottenheimer should not be absolved of all blame. Parker's defense got stops on the Bucs' final two drives of the game. They would have given this offense a chance to go down and send it to overtime had they chosen not to go for two.
The 52-year-old has one of the most talented offensive personnel groupings in the NFL at his disposal, yet they couldn't even score 20 points against this Bucs team that's an absolute mess. Entering this game, Todd Bowles was the coach most on the hot seat, but he still out-coached Schotty by a fair margin.
The Cowboys are now 2-3 and are at risk of falling behind the Giants and Eagles in the NFC East race. And given that Jalen Hurts is melting down and New York is starting Jameis Winston, there are no excuses.
Seeing this team self-sabotage themselves in a winnable game by penalties, a lack of effort, and one of the worst two-point tries of the year doesn't bode well when they're facing tougher matchups.
And while it remains to be seen whether or not Jerry Jones will be ready to pull the plug this offseason, it doesn't change the fact that the conversations about Schottenheimer's job security are only going to get louder if this team continues to stoop below expectations.
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