Coaching Decisions Doom the Cowboys Week 3

I’ve supported Brian Schottenheimer and Christian Parker from the git go. After this loss to Baltimore, that support is starting to waver.

I’m putting this one on the coaches. Dallas had a productive running game, the ball two yards from the end zone and a timeout available. That drive became a field goal followed by a defensive collapse with seven seconds remaining.

Baltimore walked away with a 34-31 win.

I’m tired of explaining away these finishes. Dallas had the opportunity to put this game away, and I don’t like how either coach handled the end of it.

Schottenheimer Left Javonte Williams Out of the Finish

Javonte Willimas finished the game with 98 yards on 19 carries. He averaged 5.2 yards per carry, scored a rushing touchdown and helped Dallas reach 148 rushing yards.

Then the Cowboys reached Baltimore’s 2-yard line with 23 seconds left, and Javonte Williams didn’t touch the ball again. That decision bothers me. Williams had been producing, give him the damn ball.

Dallas still had a timeout that Schottenheimer used later after Dak scrambled with 14 seconds left. He could have called a run on first down and stopped the clock if Williams came up short.

I wanted the offensive line, who are better run blockers, and Williams to get an opportunity to put the game on ice. They helped make the running game useful all afternoon, and Dallas only needed two yards.

Instead, we got to watch a final goal-line series consisting of two incompletions, a Prescott scramble, and a Terence Steele false start. Williams never got a chance to prove his worth.

We settled for a Brandon Aubrey field goal.

I can accept Baltimore stopping the run. I’m having a hard time digesting that Schottenheimer didn’t call one for Williams with a timeout available.

Schottenheimer’s Post-Game Comments Didn’t Help

After Prescott’s scramble, coach Schottenheimer called a timeout with 14 seconds remaining. Dallas could have allowed more time to run before going on third-down. The next incompletion left 10 seconds for the field-goal attempt.

Then Schoteenheimer explained that Prescott was throwing the third-down pass away and said, “I over coached him there.”

Patrik [No C] Walker

@VoiceOfTheStar

“We need to keep that ball in front of us. … we gotta find a way to punch it in (in the RZ). I gotta call better plays.”

– Brian Schottenheimer

“[Dak] was throwing it away [on the final drive]— I over coached him there.”

#Cowboys #Ravens

7:06 PM · Sep 27, 2026

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I appreciate him owning it, but we didn’t have to be in that situation in the first place. I’d appreciate getting the situation right a whole lot more.

You called a timeout, but had a chance to make instructions clear and give your quarterback a play to win the game. Your explanation after the game is that your coaching contributed to Dak throwing the ball away.

Dallas followed the tying field goal with a touchback, saving all seven seconds for Baltimore.

Why couldn’t the team have a kick designed to force a return? Make Baltimore spend time getting up the field before Lamar Jackson gets another chance. Instead, Dallas gave him another snap with the entire remaining clock.

The Cowboys failed to finish on offense. Now they put Christian Parker’s defense in charge of saving the game.

Parker Had Seven Seconds to Defend

Christian Parker doesn’t escape this because head coach Brian Schottenheimer made a stupid decision.

Jaishawn Barham’s fourth-down stop against Derrick Henry near the goal line was enormous. Dallas followed it with a 96-yard touchdown drive. I’ll give Parker credit where credit is deserved. His defense helped put Dallas in a position to win.

But Baltimore also rushed for 192 yards on 38 attempts. The good moments don’t erase how often the Ravens moved the football, and they certainly don’t excuse the final possession.

Jackson found Zay Flowers for 27 yards and Baltimore stopped the clock with one second remaining. Loop made the winning 56-yard field goal and the rest is history.

It is hard for me to accept that Dallas let Baltimore get into field goal range with seven seconds left.

Baltimore just needed field-goal range, and Parker’s defense gave it up. I’m holding him responsible for having his group unready for that situation. The film will determine exactly where the coverage broke down. It won’t change what the defense needed to do.

I’m angry because Dallas got itself back in the game. Close enough to win and still couldn’t finish. Schottenheimer had Williams, a timeout and two yards to work with. Parker had seven seconds to survive.

I’ve defended both of these coaches in the past. After this one, I need to see better coaching before I do it again.