The intrigue is ramping up by the week with the 2025 Dallas Cowboys, who’ve clawed their way out of the NFL basement and into an increasingly rational playoff discussion. They still have a lot of work to do and may need some luck along with it to actually make the tournament. But no matter how […] The intrigue is ramping up by the week with the 2025 Dallas Cowboys, who’ve clawed their way out of the NFL basement and into an increasingly rational playoff discussion. They still have a lot of work to do and may need some luck along with it to actually make the tournament. But no matter how things wind up for Dallas, one question that’s already been answered is whether or not Brian Schottenheimer deserves to return as head coach in 2026. There have always been, and still are, differing opinions about Schottenheimer’s fitness for the job. Some have supported him from the start, especially after early press conferences showcased his character and personality. On the road to 3-5-1 before the bye, there were split opinions about Schottenheimer’s culpability in the losses. Dallas’ all-time atrocious defense helped deflect much of the blame from its offensively-focused head coach. Even now, after the three-game win streak, beating both 2024 Super Bowl teams, and getting back above .500, there are still doubters. With Dallas making the postseason still a long shot, the belief that they won’t makes this season feel like an inevitable failure. Many who adamantly wanted another coach, and especially after seeing the effects that Ben Johnson and Mike Vrabel have had at their new jobs, probably haven’t been swayed. We’ll never know just how hot Schotty’s seat was going into this season. It’s an odd thing to say about a first-year coach, especially given Jerry Jones’ history with head coaches. Even Dave Campo got three years. But as the window is ever closing for the Cowboys to return to glory during his lifetime, Jerry’s patience must be shrinking with it. If Schottenheimer had been an unmitigated disaster, who knows if he’d have seen a second year? At this point, we’re far from anything disastrous. If anything, now that the defense is back to solvency and things seem to have gelled across the board, things are looking up. The team’s resilience since the bye has been inspiring, especially in the wake of Marshawn Kneeland’s death. And while there’s no lack of leadership on the roster, players consistently give credit to Schottenheimer for his role in keeping things together. Just look at how CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens responded to being benched for the first series in Las Vegas. No weird social media posts, no acting out on the sideline; not even a smirk when the offense struggled without them on the field. They took their discipline and responded like leaders, and have every week since. That just doesn’t happen if there’s any simmering disrespect of the man laying down the law. There are too many mics, cameras, and other ways to catch players’ discontent these days. Instead, all we saw was Schottenheimer’s influence on improving the team’s culture. Dallas has struggled for so long to find a coach who could consistently elevate talent, while also giving him enough talent to work with. Even when they’ve had good leaders, at least one side of the ball was under renovation. If the 2014 or 2016 teams had had top defenses, who knows what Jason Garrett might have accomplished? Or what if the offensive line wasn’t falling apart in the early years of Mike McCarthy’s run? Because of how bad the 2025 defense was early, Schottenheimer’s first season may have never been given a fair shake. Even as hope is rising among fans about the postseason, and even the national media is starting to take Dallas seriously, the odds still aren’t great. The Cowboys dug themselves into a big hole in a very tough NFC, where the currently seventh-seeded 49ers have a 9-4 record. Not making the playoffs this year would be an organizational failure. How much blame you want to lay at Schottenheimer’s feet over others is a personal choice. But with many questionable choices we can point to by the front office, not to mention a lot of injuries, we run the risk of scapegoating Schottenheimer out of frustration over things that were outside of his control. If you want a head coach like Ben Johnson, Sean McVay, or Kyle Shanahan, who are arguably more famous for their offensive strategy than their leadership, then Schottenheimer’s not your guy. That’s not a knock on his offensive acumen, but he’s hardly a young innovator. Dallas will need to keep him supported by quality coordinators on both sides of the ball, but that’s no insult. That formula has worked for a long time in Pittsburgh, where Mike Tomlin’s leadership is the key to his head coaching success. Andy Reid has been bolstered by top coordinators in Kansas City throughout their championship run. These guys still have influence, particularly on the sides of the ball they came up through as coaches. But first and foremost, you think of them for how they handle the primary duties of the big chair. Brian Schottenheimer is proving that he belongs in that chair. Is he the right guy for the Cowboys for the next decade? That remains to be seen. The pressure and noise that come with this franchise have been too much for some. But at least so far, this Cowboys team feels more united and motivated under his leadership than in recent memory. He’s earned the right to keep installing his system and culture in 2026, no matter how this season ultimately ends. See More: Dallas Cowboys coaching staff

CeeDee Lamb on bounce back performance, upcoming ‘playoff game’ vs. Lions – Tommy Yarrish, DallasCowboys.com CeeDee Lamb’s longest career touchdown came against the Lions, and he’s coming off a redemption game versus the Chiefs. If there ever is a mental hurdle that Lamb needs to clear, how does he deal with approaching it and finding […] CeeDee Lamb on bounce back performance, upcoming ‘playoff game’ vs. Lions – Tommy Yarrish, DallasCowboys.com CeeDee Lamb’s longest career touchdown came against the Lions, and he’s coming off a redemption game versus the Chiefs. If there ever is a mental hurdle that Lamb needs to clear, how does he deal with approaching it and finding the way to jump over it? “Just be able to cope,” Lamb said. “You’ve got to be able to understand the problem, being open to solutions, and at the end of the day acting on your thoughts. I feel like adversity shows itself in different ways, it’s all on how you overcome it.” Their next obstacle is the Detroit Lions, who beat Dallas 47-9 last season. That came a year after Lamb posted his career-high 227 receiving yards and a touchdown on 13 catches. He’s familiar with the challenges that Dan Campbell’s unit presents, especially with their physical identity. “I find fun in that,” Lamb said of playing a physical team like Detroit. “That’s what football is, and then sometimes the ref will let you play, and then sometimes they won’t. So we’ll see how that goes, but as far as the physicality of the game, I know what’s going to happen.” “I know that these DBs, they like to put hands on. They run a lot of man and they’re going to be in your face. You know what’s going on in this fight, it’s just on how you’re going to prepare for it. It’s almost like a boxing match.” When on the road this year, the Cowboys have won just two of their six games, beating the Jets and Raiders but losing by an average of 11 points in their other four away tests. Does Lamb feel like Dallas is missing a signature road win this year? “Missing? I wouldn’t say that, but I do say we do need it,” Lamb said. Red-zone defense among 3 things Cowboys must improve to tame the Lions – Mike Crum, The Cowboys Wire Thursday night feels like a game that will be won with touchdowns, not field goals. Dallas had an average starting field position of 17.8 in their contest against the Kansas City Chiefs. Six times they began their drive inside the 20, including twice inside the five and once at the 10. The Chiefs started at the 35 on average and had six drives beginning ahead of the 30-yard line. They didn’t start inside their own 20 once. Having to drive over 80 yards to score a touchdown isn’t sustainable. The Cowboys were able to overcome it and escape with a three-point win, but they need to improve in that area of the game going forward. Redzone defense As much as the defense has improved for the Cowboys since the trade for Quinnen Williams, the area they still struggle in is the red zone. The Philadelphia Eagles were perfect on three trips to the red zone in their game, and four days later, the Chiefs did the same. The Eagles and Kansas City are two tough teams, but allowing them to combine for six touchdowns on six attempts in the red zone is going to bite them if it isn’t corrected quickly. All other areas of the defense have improved. The Cowboys need to make red zone defense a priority. The Cowboys proved they have a gameday advantage we didn’t expect, and two more things we’ve learned from 3-0 run – Mauricio Rodriguez, A to Z Sports Back-to-back wins against Nick Sirriani and Andy Reid has Brian Schottenheimer looking pretty, pretty good. 1. Coaching is a legit gameday advantage for the Cowboys Ahead of the Cowboys’ Thanksgiving matchup versus the Kansas City Chiefs, I couldn’t help but think there was one obvious mismatch that could cost Dallas the game: Coaching. Now, my thought wasn’t at all against Brian Schottenheimer’s staff, which has been impressive in many ways. But it was about facing head coach Andy Reid and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo on a short week. Those are two of the very best in their respective positions. But the Cowboys showed up in a major way. One way it showed up was Malik Davis’ 43-yard touchdown run, which according to Cowboys OC Klayton Adams, was put back in the playbook to punish the Chiefs’ tendencies to jump out of gaps. In Davis’ run, Chris Jones jumps out of his gap to pass rush and the defense pays the price big time. “That was a play that we had run earlier in the season and then we had put back in that plan late just because there are certain teams, with the kind of pass rushers around the league, where you’ll see guys jumping out of gaps a little bit,” Adams told reporters Monday. “They’re hard to block because they’re really good players. But how you try to punish somebody for that is you try to get the ball through the line of scrimmage quickly. And so that’s kind of where we were going with that. And I think we were all kind of taken by surprise that it hit the way that it did.” Davis’ run was a surprise, indeed. But I was mostly shocked at how well they game planned and executed against such a good and experienced staff. Abanikanda’s Arrival Raises Stakes for Jaydon Blue in Dallas – Cody Warren, Inside The Star The Cowboys very quietly made an interesting move at running back after the Chiefs win. We have watched Malik Davis hold his own behind Williams the last couple of games, but the focus seems to be on building reliable, explosive depth. That’s where

Just two weeks ago, the Cowboys came out of their bye and notched an emotional win over the Raiders on the road. That improved their record to 4-5-1 and improved their odds of reaching the playoffs to a meager 10%. Since then, they’ve ripped off wins against the last two Super Bowl champions in the […] Just two weeks ago, the Cowboys came out of their bye and notched an emotional win over the Raiders on the road. That improved their record to 4-5-1 and improved their odds of reaching the playoffs to a meager 10%. Since then, they’ve ripped off wins against the last two Super Bowl champions in the span of just five days, and their chance to make the playoffs has more than doubled, sitting at 23% according to The Athletic’s playoff simulator. To quote Kevin Garnett, anything is possible! Looking at a winning record for the first time all season, Dallas has hope. At 6-5-1, they’re currently ninth in the NFC, just one spot behind the 7-5 Lions. Coincidentally, the Cowboys travel to Detroit to face the Lions next week. A win there would offer another exponential boost, increasing their playoff odds to a whopping 41% right before a two-game home stand. Who could’ve imagined such a scenario just a few weeks ago? The list who could is very small, but count Brian Schottenheimer among them. He’s remained steadfast in his belief in this team all season long, and he’s being rewarded for it now. After a rough start, fans were adamant that Schottenheimer needed to fire Matt Eberflus right away, insisting there was nothing he could do to justify staying around long term. Well, after averaging 0.172 EPA/play allowed over the first half of the year, good for 31st in the league, Eberflus has his unit allowing 0.000 EPA/play in their three games since the bye. That’s tied for 17th right now, though Monday Night Football is still pending in that data set. Either way, the defense has made a considerable improvement. Adding good players will do that. But Eberflus has tweaked his scheme to incorporate his players’ strengths, too, most notably using more five-man fronts to get Quinnen Williams on the field with Osa Odighizuwa and Kenny Clark. And against both the Eagles and Chiefs, they’ve pitched a shutout for four full quarters. The offense is another tale of belief. Few on the outside had faith in Schottenheimer being named head coach. Fewer had faith in him calling the plays. Many were quick to label Schottenheimer a “nepo baby” and argue that he had never had any success at any point in his 25-year career. Schottenheimer didn’t pay attention to any of it, instead focusing on doing his job to the best of his abilities. He also didn’t focus on all the negativity coming out of Pittsburgh surrounding George Pickens, who just crossed the 1,000-yard mark and is only a tick behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba for the league-lead in passer rating when targeted. Schottenheimer didn’t pay attention to the litany of opinions on his running back room, those who insisted Javonte Williams would never amount to anything or even those who claimed he was foolish for playing Williams – or, for that matter, Malik Davis – over rookie Jaydon Blue. And he certainly didn’t pay attention to all the chatter around Dak Prescott, the longest-tenured starting quarterback. Prescott was ludicrously named the most overrated player in the league this offseason, with many talking heads proclaiming that Dallas was officially out of their championship window. Schottenheimer continued to believe, and look where it’s gotten him. Prescott leads the league in passing yards, not to mention QBR. He’s fourth in EPA/play and fifth in CPOE. And he’s in the top five in touchdowns, big time throws, and passer rating despite having the third-most dropped passes and the sixth-most pressures. Williams has exploded onto the scene, too. He’s on the verge of his first 1,000-yard campaign, ranks fourth in rushing, and has been a bellcow for the Cowboys’ efficient rushing attack all year. He’s second in the league in yards after contact, behind only Jonathan Taylor, and has blown away every expectation from the preseason. Pickens has been the biggest success story, reaching the elite potential everyone saw in him coming out of the draft while shedding his reputation for causing problems in the locker room and getting into fights on the field. Meanwhile, Schottenheimer has grabbed hold of the spirit of this team and turned a surefire losing season into a legitimate playoff contender. His play-calling has had the Cowboys offense producing at a very high level, making plays both through the air and on the ground. He’s proven to not only be good at that part of it, but also as a head coach, specifically in the way he’s brought the locker room together and persevered through tragedy. It’s all coalesced into one simple thing: this Cowboys team can beat anyone. The two best teams from last year just lost to them, so why not? Their next opponent is in a bit of a rut and looking vulnerable, too. Why can’t the Cowboys continue their run? That sense of belief is a direct result of the coaching job from Schottenheimer. See More: Dallas Cowboys Roster

Following the Dallas Cowboys’ harrowing win over the Kansas City Chiefs, the team could take a major step forward this week with a win on the road against the Detroit Lions. The Lions are currently one game ahead of the Cowboys in the win column, and should they win this week, Dallas could close ground […] Following the Dallas Cowboys’ harrowing win over the Kansas City Chiefs, the team could take a major step forward this week with a win on the road against the Detroit Lions. The Lions are currently one game ahead of the Cowboys in the win column, and should they win this week, Dallas could close ground on the seventh and final Wild Card spot in the NFC. To open the week, both Dallas and Detroit are battling through injuries. Here’s the latest status of both clubs. Cornerback Trevon Diggs (knee) was limited to open the week of practice. There’s optimism that Diggs will play Thursday against Detroit and a limited showing today is at least a positive sign. However, offensive tackle Tyler Guyton (ankle) did not practice today and could miss this week’s game. If he cannot go, Nathan Thomas will get the start in his absence. Caelen Carson (hamstring) was a full participant to start the week along with DaRon Bland, who is managing foot and wrist injuries. Jadeveon Clowney also sat out today with a hamstring issue. Plenty of other Cowboys veterans were limited in practice with this hectic couple of weeks of games causing the team to be cautious. For the Lions, receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (ankle) did not practice after he left last Thursday’s game with an injury. The expectation is he will not play Thursday. Today is certainly starting the trend in that direction. Also not practicing Monday was fellow receiver Khalif Raymond (ankle). Meanwhile, safety Kerby Joseph (knee) was limited. See More: Dallas Cowboys Injuries

Every week, we gather to discuss the latest news about the Dallas Cowboys and seek our writer’s perspective on each headline. Welcome back to the roundtable. This week we have David Howman, Sean Martin, and Tom Ryle.  Defensively, which player mattered most against the Kansas City offense and Patrick Mahomes? Mike: DaRon Bland. Against Mahomes, the biggest swing came […] Every week, we gather to discuss the latest news about the Dallas Cowboys and seek our writer’s perspective on each headline. Welcome back to the roundtable. This week we have David Howman, Sean Martin, and Tom Ryle. Defensively, which player mattered most against the Kansas City offense and Patrick Mahomes? Mike: DaRon Bland. Against Mahomes, the biggest swing came from a corner who could both survive the scramble drill and take away the first read, and Bland did exactly that. He baited throws with outside leverage, squeezed in-breakers that Kansas City loves off play-action, and turned several routine option routes into contested balls. That forced Mahomes to hold the snap a beat longer, which synced perfectly with the rush, and kept the Chiefs from flipping field position on explosive plays. Subtle, disciplined, and timely, Bland changed where the ball went all night. Howman: Quinnen Williams. He just opens up so much for this defense, whether it’s the run or the pass. Offensive lines have to focus so much on him that it creates opportunities for guys like Osa Odighizuwa and Jadeveon Clowney, both of whom had huge sacks in this one. Sean: I’ll go with Jadeveon Clowney. The Cowboys defense may not have elite speed and athleticism off the edge, but they have no shortage of motor and the ability to capture the edge against offensive lines so preoccupied against Dallas’ interior rush. Clowney showed off both of these rushing against Mahomes with two sacks while leading the team in tackles. Tom: Let’s not forget DeMarvion Overshown, who tied for the team lead in total tackles. His speed and ability to hunt down the ball are big. That solidifies the second level behind the obviously improved defensive line. No one player gets it done, but get a group like this complementing each other and the results speak for themselves. Red-zone review: how do you think the team faired in the red-zone? Mike: It was a mixed bag. When Dallas stayed on schedule and used motion to sort leverage, the red-zone plan worked. Dak got quick passes to Ferguson and Lamb, and the downhill run calls forced Kansas City to honor the A-gaps. The misses were self-inflicted with a penalty that turned 2nd-and-goal into a long yardage call, a protection bust, and one low-percentage play that wasn’t a good play call. Too many snaps became static playing into Steve Spagnuolo’s hands, but hopefully Brian Schottenheimer can learn from it all and move forward ready for this week. Howman: The problems still aren’t solved but the Cowboys did a little better in the red zone. They overcame a penalty and scored a touchdown, and one of their “failures” came on that final field goal, where they were more concerned about killing clock than scoring a touchdown. There’s still work to be done, but I’m not concerned. Sean: Well enough to win the game, which is all that mattered for either side in this one. It feels like the fade route is not one that Prescott throws at a high enough percentage, but the Cowboys are pretty insistent on using it in their red zone play calling. Pickens’ fumble was not a positive play in the red zone, but his catch on a two-point conversion was. I’d like to see the Cowboys be able to finish more of these drives with the run game. Tom: Sean has a point. They just beat the last two NFL champions so they are doing something right. Still, every trip to the red zone without a touchdown is a missed opportunity. What we are seeing is evidence this offense still has work to do. How well they clean things up could determine whether they pull this season out. Mike: Stop the explosive plays first, then earn the loaded boxes. Detroit’s offense is at its best when play-action and crossers turn into chunk gains, so start in split-safety and stop the run from light boxes, late safety attacks, and disciplined rush lanes on the edges. Add selective run-blitz plays to muddle the inside gaps, this takes away the Lion’s biggest threats of offense. Howman: Run game, run game, run game. It’s Detroit’s identity, even if Amon-Ra St. Brown does manage to play after suffering an injury on Thanksgiving. If you can’t stop the run against the Lions, you’re not beating the Lions. It’s as simple as that. Sean: The Lions’ most consistent explosive plays are their runs, a bit like the Eagles of a year ago. So my answer is stopping the run, but really it’s both. The Lions offensive line is going to try and do what they do best and climb to the second level to spring big runs with Jahmyr Gibbs, and I expect the Cowboys defense will have their usual plus numbers in the box against these looks. Gibbs is so explosive and slippery that tackling him will still be a challenge, but if Dallas does this with any regularity, they’ll be in great position for a third straight upset win. Tom: I think stopping the run is the key as well. They shut down the Eagles on the ground and kept the Chiefs under control. That was key for both games. Do the same to the Lions and I like their chances. Rapid fire section Who scores first for Dallas? Howman: Javonte Williams Sean: Jake Ferguson Tom: George Pickens Better early-down plan for Dallas, quick game or play-action? Howman: Play action, especially with how aggressive this Lions defense can be. Sean: Don’t love the risk of play action against the speed of Detroit’s pass rush. Give me quick game. Tom: Can’t have too much speed or

On a high-pressure, high-attendance, Thanksgiving afternoon the Dallas Cowboys somehow found a way to get another win, this time against the Kansas City Chiefs. The game remained close which meant every player needed to hold their nerve, including the rookie class. So how did the Cowboys rookie class fair in this game? Let’s jump in […] On a high-pressure, high-attendance, Thanksgiving afternoon the Dallas Cowboys somehow found a way to get another win, this time against the Kansas City Chiefs. The game remained close which meant every player needed to hold their nerve, including the rookie class. So how did the Cowboys rookie class fair in this game? Let’s jump in and find out. OG Tyler Booker (Game stats- Snaps: 72, Pass Blocks: 46, Pressures: 1, Sacks: 0, Penalties: 0) Against Kansas City, Booker’s night was all about dealing with interior movement. He kept the sack column empty, with only a single pressure being allowed all game. Booker had a big ask this week since he had to deal with long-developing downs against Steve Spagnuolo’s scheme that created free runners or forced the protection to slide late. Booker stayed square on the Chiefs’ interior and passed off stunts cleanly, helping Dak work the middle of the field. In the run game, Booker was very solid. Booker used his strength to generate displacement on doubles with good efficiency to create clean lanes. The key things for Booker is he didn’t rack up drive-killing penalties, he wasn’t the guy responsible for any obvious free rushers, and he did enough in the run game to keep Dallas on schedule. DE Donovan Ezeiruaku (Game stats- Snaps: 40, Total Tackles: 2, Pressures: 5, Sacks: 0, TFL: 0) Ezeiruaku’s day against the Chiefs was as a solid role player. He finished with two tackles and five pressures with no penalties, playing a normal rotational workload on the edge. His pressures in the backfield helped contribute to Dallas’ 28 total pressures on Patrick Mahomes, even if the splash numbers didn’t pop. In terms of key moments, he showed up a few times on tape without necessarily ending the play himself. There’s a second-quarter sequence where he and Jadeveon Clowney collapse the right side and celebrate after forcing the Chiefs into a tougher down-and-distance, a good example of him compressing the pocket and setting the edge properly. He did his job on Thanksgiving, held up on the edge, avoided any penalties or obvious busts, and contributed with pressure to a pass rush that still found ways to bother Mahomes. For a rookie in a high-leverage Thanksgiving game that Dallas won, that’s perfectly acceptable, even PFF rank him as the second-highest graded player on the Dallas defense against Kansas City. CB Shavon Revel Jr. (Game stats- Snaps: 63, Total Tackles: 6, PBU: 0, INT: 0, RTG Allowed: 75.8) Revel’s day against the Chiefs was a big workload, with some solid coverage numbers, but real issues in run support and discipline. He was forced into a starting role with Caelen Carson out and ended up playing 63 of 69 defensive snaps, so basically a full game on the outside for a guy barely a year removed from ACL surgery. On the stat sheet, Revel finished with six total tackles and no pass breakups, but he didn’t allow any touchdowns and only 15 receiving yards. That’s exactly what you’d expect from a boundary corner on this defense needing to keep things close. On the Chiefs’ first touchdown drive, he helped force Marquise “Hollywood” Brown out of bounds on a short gain to the left, then later in the first half, Revel was involved in multiple stops on Kareem Hunt as Kansas City leaned on the run. He also drew an illegal contact flag late in the second quarter on 2nd-and-20, it ended up being offset by an illegal formation call on the Chiefs, so it didn’t cost yards but still goes down as a mental and technique mistake. Putting it all together, his general performance was mixed. His coverage numbers suggest he did a respectable job staying on top of routes and not giving up big plays, which is impressive for a rookie corner playing 60-plus snaps against Mahomes. But the missed tackle, the poor run-defense grade and the illegal contact penalty are points to note going into the Detroit game. LB Shemar James (Game stats- Snaps: 12, Total Tackles: 3, Pressures: 0, Sacks: 0, TFL: 0) There’s nothing major to really note on James against the Chiefs last week other than the fact his low snap count of just 12 defensive plays matches his exact total from the week before. Most of his impact came in space and on special teams. He combined with Malik Davis to stop Tyquan Thornton at the Kansas City 32 on a second-quarter kickoff, preventing a longer return right after Dallas had grabbed a 17–14 lead. Across the full play-by-play and penalty log, he’s never listed as being flagged, which is exactly what coaches want from a young linebacker whose job is to be sound, not spectacular. DB Alijah Clark (Game stats- Snaps: 19, Total Tackles: 1) *Snap count are all special team snaps* Clark’s day against the Chiefs was really quiet and entirely on special teams. He didn’t play any role on defense and helped make one tackle on one return. Other than that there’s not much more to add here. CB Trikweze Bridges (Game stats- Snaps: 27, Total Tackles: 3, RTG Aloowed: 120.8) On the stat sheet things don’t look all bad for Bridges. He made three tackles, allowed only two receptions for seven yards, but he didn’t allow a touchdown. Basically, in coverage Bridges was picked on in the underneath game. He made a tackle on a 10-yard completion to Rashee Rice in the second quarter and a 4-yard catch by Xavier Worthy late in the half, but the big negative is one of Rashee Rice’s two touchdowns in the fourth quarter came against Bridges. The flip side is that he