Want to know a surefire recipe for neutering one of the NFL's best offenses? Dropping back to pass 54 times in a single game. Forget that running the ball is part of football. And after the blitz ate you alive the week before, spend 10 days preparing only to have no answers when it happens again.
Want to fix the Cowboys' offense? Start by doing the opposite of that.
Those are just some of the issues facing Brian Schottenheimer and the 2-4 Cowboys. After an offseason spent preaching evolution, Dallas' offense has become predictable, leaving Schottenheimer and offensive coordinator Klayton Adams on different pages.
Last week, Adams made a troubling admission about the offense that makes so much more sense in hindsight after watching how Sunday's loss in Green Bay unfolded (h/t Ed Werder, WFAA).
“We have to develop an identity, and we're still searching for that," Adams said. "But you know, so far, what you've seen from us is streaky and somewhat inconsistent, and I would say some of that is because we've really been we've really only for the most part been able to kind of hit with one hand, and so you know we need to be more balanced."
Where's the panic button at?
Brian Schottenheimer and Klayton Adams are not on the same page
Adams continued:
"We need to — like I said, using the boxing analogy — we need to be able to hit you with both hands, and we're kind of competing with one arm tied behind our back right now because we really haven't been very good in the run game.”
Seriously, where is the panic button?
It has not been reported that Schottenheimer and Adams are at odds, but the proof is in the pudding. Whereas Adams wants to play smash-mouth football and set the tone at the line of scrimmage, Schottenheimer wants to let the passing game dictate terms.
Schottenheimer has told the media on more than one occasion that he wants the Cowboys to be a physical, run-first team. But actions speak louder than words. He's a former college quarterback. He wants to throw the football.
In fact, one of the great misconceptions in the recent NFL is that Schottenheimer was the guy preventing the Seahawks from "letting Russ cook" while he was their offensive coordinator.
It may not feel like it given their 2-4 record, but the Cowboys have been within striking distance in every game. They never trailed by more than 14 points against the Giants or Buccaneers, while 13 points was their largest deficit against Baltimore. And for as ugly as the Packers game was, Dallas never fell behind by more than two scores.
The Cowboys are going nowhere if Schottenheimer doesn't change his play-calling tendencies
In other words, the Cowboys haven't spent entire games desperately trying to erase massive deficits. The game script simply hasn't justified abandoning the run to the extent Schottenheimer has.
Being one-dimensional can torpedo even the best passing attacks. That, coupled with a lack of preparation for the blitz and unimaginative route concepts, explains why everything has looked so difficult for the offense over the last two weeks. It's not sustainable.
The run game doesn't need to be humming to stay committed to it. And you don't have to be leading to lean on it.
Sometimes, the value of running the football isn't measured by yards per carry. It forces the defense to respect the possibility of a run, gives the offensive line opportunities to play forward instead of constantly absorbing pass rushers. Most importantly, it keeps the offense from becoming predictable.
Let's compare Dallas' rushing attacks over the last two seasons, shall we?
2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|
465 total carries (16th) | 122 total carries (31st) |
5.6 yards per carry (tied for 6th) | 3.7 yards per carry (tied for 23rd) |
125.6 yards per game (9th) | 76.0 yards per game (31st) |
-0.008 rush EPA (9th) | -0.041 rush EPA (9th) |
44.0 percent success rate (7th) | 44.0 percent success rate (7th) |
Yes, the Cowboys have played from behind more than they would like, and that absolutely factors into the equation. But game script alone doesn't explain ranking 31st in rushing attempts while sitting second with 246 passes. There's playing from behind, and then there's abandoning any semblance of offensive balance.
To make matters worse, Schottenheimer said before the Packers game that he talked with Adams during Dallas' 10-day layoff and felt good about the running game going into that matchup. And yet, the Cowboys passed 37 times in their final 38 plays after Javonte Williams' third-quarter touchdown run. Against a bad run defense. And despite Williams gaining nine yards on the first play of the game.
Schottenheimer has plenty of questions to answer, but reconciling his pass-heavy tendencies with the physical identity Adams wants to establish is a necessary first step.
If the Cowboys are going to save their season, the architects of their offense need to start rowing in the same direction.
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