It's impossible to exonerate the defense of blame in Sunday's loss to the Cardinals. They vomited all over themselves in the final 16 minutes. But the Cowboys' offense blew multiple opportunities to put the game away in both the fourth quarter and overtime.
The lack of execution, aggression and explosion from one of the NFL's most expensive offenses has Brian Schottenheimer squarely in the crosshairs.
Should 30 points be enough to beat a 2-5 Cardinals team? Sure, but just reaching the 30-point mark shouldn't be enough. What matters is how Dallas got there. And it wasn't pretty. CeeDee Lamb acknowledged as much on Thursday (h/t Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com).
"Yeah we scored 30, but that included three field goals, so let’s be real," Lamb said. "We stop ourselves. That (expletive) is frustrating. It’s annoying. I hate it. Then, ultimately, we end up losing."
Lamb didn't explicitly criticize the game plan for being too conservative or the play designs for lacking creativity. But he didn't have to. The chasm between the talent on this offense and the product on the field is growing.
CeeDee Lamb's frustration with the Cowboys' offense is growing
Lamb is a veteran. He may wear his emotions on his sleeve on the field, but he's not the type to publicly throw his head coach under the bus. What good would that accomplish?
That leaves us to speculate about the root of his frustration. His comments could just as easily be interpreted as criticism of the players' execution, but it's hard to imagine Schottenheimer's conservative play-calling and predictable offense aren't at least part of the equation.
Dak Prescott was asked specifically about Schottenheimer's decision to run the ball on 3rd-and-16 and settle for a 41-yard field goal while clinging to a three-point lead with 1:09 left in the fourth quarter.
"Yeah, I wish we were a little bit more aggressive there," Prescott said.
It wasn't just the give-up run on third down.
Schottenheimer called an inside run on first down that failed to pick up a yard. Probably because it was heavy personnel, and CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens weren't on the field. I say again: CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens weren't on the field. Obviously, Arizona sold out to stop the run.
Schottenheimer followed that with a pass, but did not account for the possibility of a blitz, and Prescott was sacked for a six-yard loss because he didn't have anywhere to go with the ball. The routes were still developing, so nobody was open.
In case you were wondering, Lamb and Pickens weren't on the field on second down, either. How is that even possible? The Cowboys had the ball with a chance to clinch a win, and their two superstar receivers were standing on the sideline. Not one target to either of them. How do you justify that? How can you coach so scared with this much offensive talent at your disposal and with your defense getting worked by a journeyman quarterback?
According to Bobby Belt of 105.3 The Fan, the Cowboys managed 34 yards of offense on their final 27 plays from scrimmage. The Cardinals gained 267 yards on their final 31 plays in that same time frame.
Brian Schottenheimer could lose the locker room if Dallas doesn't start winning games
This boils down to two recurring problems with Schottenheimer: his tendency to coach conservatively and the offense's lack of innovation.
The Cowboys barely use pre-snap motion. The play designs do little to manufacture touches for their best players more than five yards beyond the line of scrimmage. And the offense becomes even more predictable when protecting a lead.
Instead of keeping his foot on the gas and forcing defenses to account for every weapon at his disposal, Schottenheimer seems more concerned with avoiding mistakes than putting games away.
Jerry Jones admitted that on 105.3 The Fan, saying that the game plan was to "avoid turnovers." There's a big difference between protecting a lead and playing scared. In 25 games as a head coach, Schottenheimer has proven he doesn't know where to draw that line.
It's impossible to pinpoint the root of Lamb's frustration without hearing it directly from him. All we can hope is that some difficult conversations are taking place behind closed doors.
The fact of the matter is that this offense is regressing despite returning all 11 starters and its play-caller and coordinator. The unit should be threatening to be the NFL's best.
Somehow, Schottenheimer has taken an offense overflowing with talent and continuity and turned it into one of the most predictable units in football.
And now, the cracks are starting to show in the form of public frustration from his biggest playmakers.
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