Cowboys Nation can expect a better performance in Week 2 of the preseason after Brian Schottenheimer’s postgame message
Schottenheimer teased the Cowboys’ plans for Week 2 of the preseason.
There’s no sugarcoating it: The Dallas Cowboys had a rough outing on Saturday night against the Los Angeles Rams.
One quarter into the game, the Cowboys had accumulated one total yard of offense. The Rams had 160. It wasn’t until the fourth quarter that a struggling Joe Milton and company were able to find the end zone and the defense didn’t do much better as a unit.
And yet, fans should keep in mind this was a preseason game. It’s way too early to press the panic button. It’s not time to even start looking for it. One of the biggest reasons why is the fact that the Cowboys not only sat established starters, they didn’t even let first-round rookie Tyler Booker take the field.
One of the few exceptions to Schottenheimer’s decision was linebacker Marist Liufau and he was able to shine bright against the Rams’ backups, becoming one of the biggest winners of the night.
So if you’re thinking the preseason opener paints an accurate picture of what the 2025 Cowboys will look like, I’d advise you to dismiss that thought. Not only are players of the caliber of Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and most established starters are unlikely to play, but the play calling will remain highly vanilla.
However, next week is already looking like it will be a better one for Dallas, based on Schottenheimer’s postgame message: The Cowboys will be playing more guys.
“There’s three games for us, and we had a specific plan going into this one for who we wanted to play,” Schottenheimer told reporters when asked about the decision to sit Booker. “Some more guys will get their turn next week — not going to say who — but this week’s rotation was intentional.
Schottenheimer added the top players to play on Saturday were expected to play for less time but a limited play count at the end of the first quarter forced them to adjust. But the Cowboys head coach insisted Dallas will play more guys in Week 2, presumably top backups or rookies looking for experience, such as Booker.
“Next week will look different, and more players will get in, just as we planned from the start,” Schottenheimer said.
Don’t confuse that with excuses. The first-year head coach knows the product on the field must be better. And he’s the first to acknowledge it.
“It’s definitely not a storybook beginning, we struggled,” Schottenheimer said. “That’s not how you want to open a game. That’s what preseason is for — you learn from it.”
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Not great.
