FRISCO, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys came out Sunday planning to throw it around the yard against the Washington Commanders. Against the Baltimore Ravens, they might run it around the yard, coach Brian Schottenheimer said Monday at The Star.
Running back Javonte Williams carried 12 times for 30 yards in the 37-20 win and caught 3 passes for 20 yards. He has 24 carries for 71 yards through two games. In the opener, a 28-20 loss to the New York Giants, Dallas ran 18 times for 69 yards, which Schottenheimer put partly on Giants techniques that caught the Cowboys off guard.
Schottenheimer does not want to throw the ball 50 times a game. Prescott threw it 31 times Sunday.
“Well, a couple things. One, first game, had the ball for 23 minutes. That’s a big part of it. You get limited ops. Yesterday, quite honestly, we came out with a different plan. We were going to throw it around the yard, and I like that plan. It worked good. This week, we might run it around the yard,” Schottenheimer said. “But at the end of the day, when you look at us, we’re getting a little bit too much knockback in the backfield. We’re not getting the movement at times at certain things. I do think that it’s a feel thing.”
“And we had a run, 20-something yards, 30 yards, called back late in the game. But there’s a lot of different things. Running game sometimes takes time. And I think that’s kind of where we are,” Schottenheimer continued.
Williams averaged 2.5 yards per carry Sunday. Too much knockback in the backfield is the issue, Schottenheimer said, and the offensive line has otherwise played very well.
“Oh, yeah. Yeah. I mean, I don’t want to throw it 50 times a game. Quite honestly, some of the best things we do are our play-action passes. You’ve got to have a little semblance of a run game. But like I said, Javonte Williams is a terrific back,” Schottenheimer explained. “The offensive line has played very well for us over the past two games for the most part. And Tyler Booker, Terence Steele, one of the stronger sides on the right side of the line in the league. And it’s just, again, we just got to tighten some things up.”
Right guard Tyler Booker, the 12th overall pick in 2025, started all 15 games he played as a rookie and made the PFWA All-Rookie Team. He lines up next to right tackle Terence Steele. Left guard Tyler Smith is on injured reserve after thumb surgery and cannot play until the Oct. 8 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Brian Schottenheimer Praises Dak Prescott’s Decision-Making
Dak Prescott completed 26-of-31 passes for 279 yards, 4 touchdowns, and no interceptions Sunday, a 143.8 passer rating. His fourth touchdown, a 24-yard throw to CeeDee Lamb with 3:07 left, was the 249th of his career and moved him past Tony Romo for the Cowboys record.
Prescott took some shots early and made plays with his legs, Schottenheimer said. He scrambled for 11 yards on the opening drive.
“I thought he played really well. Not surprising the numbers are what they are. I think five incompletions maybe, I think that’s what it was,” Schottenheimer said. “Took some shots early, moved around actually pretty well, and got some plays for us with his legs, which were great. But I thought overall, I thought the accuracy was really, really good. And the decision-making, I thought, was top flight.”
Baltimore Ravens Defense Under Jesse Minter And Anthony Weaver
Baltimore hired Jesse Minter as head coach on Jan. 22 and Anthony Weaver as defensive coordinator on Feb. 10. Weaver spent the previous two seasons as defensive coordinator of the Miami Dolphins. The Ravens beat the Indianapolis Colts 41-23 in Week 1 and lost 24-17 to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, when New Orleans scored on a fourth-down quarterback sneak with 1:28 left.
Baltimore creates takeaways, and Dallas has to be great with the ball, Schottenheimer said. Whether the run sets up the pass or the other way around changes each week.
“It’s different each week. It depends on the opponent. It depends on what we see on film. This defense is really good. We’re getting ready to play. They do a really good job. A ton of respect for Jesse Minter, Anthony Weaver,” Schottenheimer said. “They had a really tight game until the end there with New Orleans. And, of course, they got after Indianapolis pretty good in Week 1. And the other thing about them is they do a great job of creating takeaways. We’ve got to be great with the ball. Historically, Marlon Humphrey, Roquan Smith are two of the best in the business.”
“But in terms of run, pass and either which sets up one, we go into a game with a plan. And sometimes it works out like we wanted it to yesterday, and sometimes you have to adjust, and sometimes you just rip up the call sheet and you have to figure it out on the fly,” Schottenheimer continued. “That does happen.”
Dallas and Baltimore play Sunday at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. Kickoff is 3:25 p.m. CT.
