The pitchforks are out after the Dallas Cowboys dropped their second straight game in humiliating fashion.
A 23-13 final score from Lambeau Field fails to capture just how one-sided the game was, and the pressure on Brian Schottenheimer is mounting after his team looked overmatched for the second straight week against a beatable opponent.
Schottenheimer may still have the locker room, but he's quickly losing the fan base. With frustration mounting after another uninspiring loss, Stephen Jones was naturally asked on Monday on 105.3 The Fan if the Cowboys have the right coach to dig out of this hole.
“Absolutely. There’s not any question in Jerry or I’s mind. Jones said. "He has the team. There’s no question they want to go out there and execute and make things happen. Feel really good about our coaching staff. We just got to have it continue to evolve and get to a point to where we can win these football games.”
Jones' faith in Schottenheimer is hard to justify, which begs the question of how bad things have to get for Cowboys leadership to change their tone.
Stephen Jones preaches faith in Brian Schottenheimer after SNF beatdown
It would have been out of character for Jones to publicly shade Schottenheimer. There's little to gain from throwing your head coach under the bus after an embarrassing loss. Better to present a united front publicly and save the difficult conversations for behind closed doors.
Having said that, Cowboys fans won't love reading that quote. Faith in Schottenheimer has plummeted over the last two weeks, but the cracks started to show after the Week 1 loss to the Giants. The Week 3 loss to the Ravens in Rio offered plenty of silver linings, but Schottenheimer's game management ultimately cost Dallas a chance to win.
As ugly as the last two weeks have been, the Cowboys could easily be sitting at 3-3 right now. The difference between that record and 2-4 can be traced directly back to decisions made by the head coach.
The fourth-and-1 punt near midfield in Week 1. Overcoaching Dak Prescott with a chance to win in the final seconds against Baltimore, then sending the ensuing kickoff through the end zone and giving the Ravens one last opportunity.
Failing to prepare for the blitz-heavy tendencies of Todd Bowles, one of the NFL's most notoriously aggressive defensive play-callers.
Then, with 10 days to prepare, having no answers for the Packers' pressure packages. Green Bay literally watched the Bucs tape, saw a Cowboys coaching staff that had yet to adjust, and copied Tampa Bay's blueprint. The Packers repeatedly schemed up free rushers at Dak Prescott because Dallas still hadn't fixed its protection plan.
Brian Schottenheimer isn't giving the Cowboys any tangible advantage right now
All the offseason talk about evolving the offense has not materialized. An offense with CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens should move the ball at will against 90 percent of the NFL. Good teams have a beat on the offense after studying what Dallas put on film last season.
Too often, it feels like the Cowboys are simply lining up and asking Lamb and Pickens to win their individual matchups. There's no flow. No creativity. Not enough motion or misdirection. Not enough scheming their two superstar receivers open.
Nothing about this team is connected right now. The offense looked like the best in football the first four weeks, but the defense couldn't get out of its own way. Now that defense is finally playing with a modicum of self-respect, the offense can't move the ball consistently.
The Cowboys are at a sizable coaching disadvantage every week. Matt LaFleur and Jonathan Gannon are merely an above-average staff, and yet they are levels above Schottenheimer and Christian Parker.
Stephen Jones may believe Schottenheimer is the right man for the job, but that tune will change quickly if the offense continues to sputter and Dallas can't even keep its head above water in a laughable NFC East.
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