FRISCO, Texas — Nobody accounted for Devin Singletary on late red zone calls Sunday night. Coach Brian Schottenheimer said Monday, after a day with the film, that the breakdown was a communication failure rather than a coverage call. The Dallas Cowboys lost 28-20 at the New York Giants.
“The other thing that I will say that looking at the game that we need to better in is our communication on defense,” Schottenheimer said. “Communication is something that we pride ourselves in and started day one. Communication is two parts. It’s the person that gives it and the person that receives it has to acknowledge it. And some of the things that we did in the red zone, they’re late, where we didn’t have anybody accounting for Singletary, who’s a pretty dynamic player. Those were communication issues. And that can’t happen because those are self-inflicted wounds that get you beat.”
Singletary played 25 offensive snaps and caught a 9-yard touchdown from Jaxson Dart on a 13-play, 65-yard drive that put New York ahead 28-14 in the fourth quarter.
Dallas had the same problem in stretches of last season. Schottenheimer was asked how to keep it from carrying over again.
“It goes back to us drilling it, and it goes back to us emphasizing that just because I say something to you, you have to receive it. And when you receive it, you have to co-sign to me that you’ve heard it,” Schottenheimer said. “Because if a safety makes a call to a linebacker and the linebacker doesn’t hear it and doesn’t confirm it, then the safety knows, okay, well, then I need to say it again. And that’s where we need to better.”
Losing Contain On Jaxson Dart
Dart ran through the edge of the Dallas defense more than once, and Schottenheimer said the film showed the same failure from different players in different situations.
“I’m disappointed in looking back at the film,” Schottenheimer said. “But to lose contain on a guy like Jackson that’s that athletic, and it was multiple guys at multiple times. Heck, one was just a fake toss naked. They were trying to run a tight end on a shallow cross, and the end closed, and he just went taking off running.”
New York converted 9 of 11 third downs, gained 165 rushing yards on 37 carries, held the ball for 36:40, and punted once. A reporter put four of those conversions at third-and-9 or longer, and Schottenheimer did not dispute the figure.
Jayden Daniels And Lamar Jackson Are Next
Schottenheimer named both quarterbacks Dallas sees over the next three weeks while discussing the contain problem.
“And we’ve got Jaden this week, and then you guys maybe have heard of Lamar Jackson coming in a couple weeks,” Schottenheimer said. “So we certainly have to get better with our discipline.”
Jayden Daniels completed 18 of 34 passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions in Washington’s 24-22 loss at Philadelphia on Sunday, and added 31 rushing yards. It was his first start he finished since Dec. 7, 2025. Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens visit AT&T Stadium on Sept. 27.
Schottenheimer also said the coaching staff owns the eye discipline problems that showed up against misdirection.
“No, we have to drill it better as coaches,” he said. “I mean, when you have guys that have eye discipline problems, there’s different drills that you can do where you’re creating cross actions and jet motions and shifting backs. I call it kind of changing the math. The defense isn’t the only one that can change the math. Give them some credit. They changed the math on us.”
Dallas hosts the Washington Commanders on Sunday at 3:25 p.m. CT on FOX.
