FRISCO, Texas — Dak Prescott was not sacked in the Dallas Cowboys’ 28-20 loss to the New York Giants, and coach Brian Schottenheimer said Monday that the pass protection held up. The run game did not hold up early.
Dallas ran 18 times for 69 yards. Javonte Williams had 41 of those yards on 12 carries.
New York played its front differently than Dallas expected. The Giants stayed thick through the tackles and tight ends, Schottenheimer said.
“Again, the Giants, they played very different than we thought they would. They played very thick, through the tackles and tight ends,” Schottenheimer said. “But I thought from a pass protection standpoint, I thought we did a really nice job. I do think there was too much penetration in the run game, especially early on. But overall, I thought it was solid.”
“I mean, that’s a really, really good front,” Schottenheimer continued. “I think people probably underestimate that group. I don’t know how many first-round draft picks they have over there, but Burns and Abdul Carter’s become a really explosive player. You can see that. He’s definitely more comfortable in year two. Thibodeaux. And then Arvell Reese is going to be a terrific player as well.”
“So I thought our guys battled in pass protection, but I do think some of the areas of the running game, early on specifically, we have to better,” Schottenheimer added.
Brian Schottenheimer Credited Brian Burns, Abdul Carter, And The Giants Front
The Giants hit Prescott 3 times without sacking him. Abdul Carter, Arvell Reese, and Kayvon Thibodeaux had 1 quarterback hit apiece.
Reese made 5 tackles, all solo, with 1 tackle for loss. Carter had 3 assisted tackles. Brian Burns had 2 solo tackles.
Carter went third overall in the 2025 draft. Thibodeaux went fifth overall in 2022. Carolina took Burns in the first round in 2019.
Prescott completed 22 of 34 passes for 175 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception.
Dennard Wilson’s Giants Defense Surprised Dallas Early
Giants defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson and his staff caught Dallas off guard with some of their techniques, Schottenheimer said Monday.
“I felt like really the physicality in the first half is where it showed up the most,” Schottenheimer said. “Again, I think they did catch us off guard on defense. Give Dennard Wilson and his staff some credit. They surprised us with some of the techniques and things that they were doing. But again, to me, it’s early season football, and it’s not the standard. It’s not who we are.”
Dallas scored 7 points in the first half and 13 in the second.
The halftime adjustments let the offense move, according to Schottenheimer.
“I thought we would move them better offensively in the running game early,” Schottenheimer explained. “I thought we made some nice adjustments at halftime. They were kind of doing some things, like I said, different. So we made some adjustments at halftime that allowed us to move the ball.”
Dallas will practice in pads this week.
The Washington Commanders recorded 3 sacks in a 24-22 loss at Philadelphia. Sonny Styles, Odafe Oweh, and Frankie Luvu had one each.
Dallas hosts Washington on Sunday at AT&T Stadium. Kickoff is 3:25 p.m. CT on FOX.
