‘I Don’t Think So’: Brian Schottenheimer Rejects Idea Dallas Cowboys Got Too Conservative Against Arizona Cardinals

FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said Monday he does not think Dallas got too conservative late in Sunday’s 33-30 overtime loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Schottenheimer said the Cowboys were trying to stay patient with the run game and failed to finish drives on offense and defense.

Dallas led 24-10 with 14:20 left in the fourth quarter. After Arizona cut it to 24-17, the Cowboys drove 15 plays for 56 yards over 6:53 and settled for Brandon Aubrey’s 35-yard field goal and a 27-17 lead with 3:54 left.

“Yeah, I don’t think so,” Schottenheimer said. “I mean, I think when you look at the game, you’re always trying to stay patient with the run game. There’s always plays that you’d love to have back as players and coaches. But at the end of the day, it’s our job to finish games and finish drives. And we didn’t do that offensively and defensively. And so it’s all part of piecing the puzzle together.”

Brian Schottenheimer Says No Disconnect With Dak Prescott

After Dallas recovered an onside kick at the Arizona 20 with 2:11 left, Javonte Williams ran for no gain, Dak Prescott was sacked for a 6-yard loss, and Williams ran for 3 yards on third-and-16. Aubrey kicked a 41-yard field goal for a 30-24 lead with 1:09 left, and Arizona tied it with 6 seconds remaining. Prescott said after the game that he would have liked to be more aggressive on that drive, and Schottenheimer said he never said the Cowboys shouldn’t have finished the game off.

“No, I don’t think there’s a disconnect,” Schottenheimer explained. “I think Dak’s a competitor, and I didn’t say that we shouldn’t have finished the game off. We believe in our ability to finish the game off, and we didn’t.”

“But Dak and I talk about all kinds of things,” Schottenheimer continued. “It’s what you do whether you’re preparing for a game or watching the film back and you talk through different scenarios. And he and I have a weekly meeting every Friday or Saturday. Actually, I guess it is where we kind of talk through some stuff. But we’re certainly all disappointed that we didn’t make enough plays to win the game.”

CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens were off the field for some of Dallas’ late snaps. Schottenheimer said there are personnel packages the two receivers don’t play in, by design.

“Yeah, again, there’s certain personnel packages that they don’t play in, and there’s a reason for that,” Schottenheimer said. “Those guys are involved in a lot of different things, and that’s why.”

Schottenheimer Explains Overtime Decision To Kick

Dallas won the overtime toss and kicked off. Quinnen Williams sacked Gardner Minshew II on Arizona’s first snap, and the Cardinals punted after three plays. The Cowboys then ran 3 plays for minus-5 yards and punted, and Chad Ryland won it with a 42-yard field goal.

Schottenheimer said Dallas wanted to see what Arizona did first so it would know what it needed.

“Yeah, we believe you want to see what the opponent does,” Schottenheimer said. “That way, if they go down and they kick a field goal, you know what you’re dealing with. Or if they go down and score a touchdown, you know what you’re dealing with. And so I think that’s what most teams do, but not everybody.”

The Cowboys expect to sustain a drive in that spot, according to Schottenheimer. He also pointed to the four-minute and two-minute situations at the end of regulation.

“We expect to get the ball back in a four-minute or two-minute drive and put it away, and we didn’t do that,” Schottenheimer said. “And when we went into overtime again, the defense went out, did a great job getting a stop. And unfortunately, we weren’t able to sustain a drive. And we expect to be able to do that.”

Dallas is 3-5 and visits the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, Nov. 8, at Lucas Oil Stadium. Kickoff is set for noon CT on FOX.