It has been an up and down season for the Dallas Cowboys here in 2025. Sitting at 6-6-1 with slim odds of making the postseason, Brian Schottenheimer’s first year as the Cowboys head coach has felt solid, but still lacking.
Let’s be clear, the Cowboys record as of today has very little to do with the lack of Cowboys offense, but one glaring issue has continued to crop up over the last four games. In those games, the Cowboys offense has put up a combined total of 118 points (29.5 PPG). But one area of concern is how often this Cowboys offense is starting off very slow during their scripted play sequence.
For those not familiar, the first 15 plays or so are scripted leading up to the game in practices. Think of it as more of a rehearsal. Those first two to three drives should be the best offensive plays for the team each game, yet the Cowboys have only scored one touchdown in the first three drives of their last four games.
In the last four weeks, the Cowboys have had almost the same result on their first offensive play of the game. Against the Raiders, the Cowboys started the game with a Javonte Williams run behind Tyler Smith for a gain of two. Against the Eagles the Cowboys started off the game with a Javonte Williams run behind Tyler Smith for a gain of two. Against the Kansas City Chiefs the Cowboys started off the game with a Javonte Williams run behind Tyler Smith for a gain of four. And finally, against the Detroit Lions the Cowboys started off the game with a Javonte Williams run behind Nathan Thomas for a gain of four.
It’s no secret that the Cowboys offensive line has had their fair share of struggles in pass protection in 2025. Starting off the opening drive averaging just three yards on first down in their last four games, is putting the Cowboys in second and long scenarios far too often. When you take into account the amount of penalties the team is currently committing as well, you are setting yourself up for failure. While the Cowboys didn’t get hurt by the slow starts in three of their last four games, the slow start was a key factor in dropping the game to the Detroit Lions on last Thursday.
While the odds are not great to make the playoffs, the Cowboys will need to go 4-0 in their final four games and get some help along the way. They can help themselves by avoiding slow starts on offense and changing up their scripted play sequence to be a bit more aggressive out of the gate.
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