Despite dropping two straight games, the Dallas Cowboys are still the favorites to win the NFC East. That says far more about the sorry state of the division than it does about Dallas, which has done next to nothing under Brian Schottenheimer to prove it deserves to be taken seriously.
Until further notice, this is a bad football team. And as the leader of the operation, Schottenheimer is taking slings and arrows for a team that looked like it had 10 minutes (not 10 days) to prepare, and an offense that played with the imagination of a preseason game plan.
Dak Prescott played a really bad game. He was pressing, and the lack of offensive cohesion made every dropback feel like a fire drill. However, his play-caller did him zero favors by completely abandoning the run.
Prescott dropped back to pass 54 times. Fifty-four. Against one of the worst run defenses in the NFL.
That is indefensible, and reason enough for Schottenheimer to seriously think about handing the play-calling reins to offensive coordinator Klayton Adams.
Brian Schottenheimer calling 54 pass plays vs. Packers is horrific strategy
I don't care who the quarterback is or who his receivers are. No offense can function at a high level being that one-dimensional.
Cowboys running backs received 13 carries on the night: 11 for Javonte Williams and two for Tyler Goodson. Williams' first carry — on the first play of the game — went for nine yards. But once Dallas fell into a hole, Schottenheimer completely forgot the running game existed when it was needed most.
Prescott was struggling, the Packers were teeing off on obvious passing downs, and Schottenheimer responded by putting even more on his quarterback's plate. It goes back to Dallas' head coach lacking a feel for game script and just not knowing his team.
How else can you explain calling a pass immediately after Prescott got the wind knocked out of him? Prescott was fooled and threw an interception on the very next snap, and that mistake is fully on him. But why ask your quarterback to drop back again seconds after taking a shot like that?
Maybe a different play-caller recognizes the moment, hands the ball off, and gives Prescott a chance to collect himself.
Fast forward to the third quarter. The Cowboys ran the ball four times on a nine-play, 46-yard drive that Williams capped with a one-yard touchdown. From that point forward, Dallas' offense was on the field for 38 more plays.
Schottenheimer called 37 passes and one run. One. Those are the actions of a head coach who completely lost the plot.
Yes, Dallas was trailing by two scores, but there was still plenty of football left. The defense finally strung some stops together, but you can't expect to move the ball when you're that predictable. Schottenheimer essentially gave Green Bay permission to forget about the run and tee off on Prescott every snap.
Is it really a surprise that Prescott turned the ball over twice? When you ask your quarterback to throw at that volume with almost no motion or misdirection to keep the defense guessing, you're inviting mistakes. Jonathan Gannon knew what was coming. Eventually, a couple of those throws were bound to end up in harm's way.
Teams have figured out Brian Schottenheimer's offense, but he's not adjusting
Beyond Prescott, the one-dimensional offense did Dallas' offensive line no favors, either. Think about it.
Running the ball gives your linemen a chance to fire off the ball and be the aggressors. When you're dropping back on virtually every snap, they're doing the opposite: retreating, absorbing contact, and asking exhausted legs to hold up against fresh pass rushers.
From Weeks 1-5, the Packers ranked 26th in defensive rush EPA (-0.038), worse than Dallas, per RBSDM. The constant negative game scripts (playing from behind) don't make it easy to stay committed to the run, but it was a 10-point game after Williams' touchdown. There was no reason for Schottenheimer to treat the run like it was no longer an option.
Dallas wasn't down three scores with five minutes left. There was plenty of time to stay balanced, keep Green Bay honest, and give Prescott and the offensive line some breathing room.
There needs to be a serious conversation at The Star about Schottenheimer handing the play-calling reins to Klayton Adams. He's never called plays before, which is scary, but at some point the unknown becomes more appealing than continuing down a path that clearly isn't working.
Earlier in the season, the idea was floated that Schottenheimer should surrender play-calling duties so he could devote more attention to game management and everything else that comes with being a head coach.
Now that his play-calling itself has become part of the problem, what better time is there to make the change?
Add us as a preferred source on Google