Brian Schottenheimer showed a side of himself the Cowboys desperately need out of him during Week 5 win over Jets
The Dallas Cowboys head coach showed the exact type of aggression it needed to.
In a game riddled with offensive line injuries and down CeeDee Lamb again, by halftime, the Dallas Cowboys were up 23-3 over the New York Jets. Though it wouldn’t have been possible without the effort of the players, head coach Brian Schottenheimer deserves a ton of credit for building a comfortable cushion heading into the second half.
Multiple times, Schottenheimer displayed his aggressive side in game management. As a result, he gave the Cowboys additional chances to put points on the board. Facing second and seven with under two minutes to go in the first half on their own 27-yard line, Schottenheimer called a pass that moved the chains.
The choice culminated in a seven-play, 91-yard drive and a touchdown that extended the Cowboys’ lead to 17-3. Later, the Cowboys’ defense forced the Jets’ offense to face a third and 17 with 43 seconds left to go before halftime.
Schottenheimer used a timeout. Moments later, Dallas’ defense got a stop, and running back Javonte Williams broke out for a 66-yard gain to set up a touchdown to make the halftime score 23-7.
Again, those decisions wouldn’t have meant anything without the players’ execution. But the coach’s job is to put their team in a position to succeed, and that’s exactly what Schottenheimer did repeatedly throughout the team’s 37-22 win.
Even after the Cowboys’ first touchdown, the head coach was willing to go for two in response to a Jets’ penalty that cut down the distance to the end zone. A Cowboys penalty pushed back the attempt, so the team ended up settling for an extra point, but the intention was clear.
Schottenheimer’s decision-making paid off in the second half
The Cowboys’ offense, down four starting offensive linemen and multiple wide receivers, started the second half with back-to-back punts. However, a 20-point lead made life easier for the defense, which continued to make stops itself as Justin Fields was forced to drop back consistently.
All in all, it was a valiant effort from a banged-up Cowboys team that badly needed a win. And fans watching know it was the first of the year that wasn’t completely dramatic. A big reason for that? Schottenheimer’s aggression early on. Moving forward, I expect to see much more of that from the first-year head coach, who is still learning the job himself.
The 2025 Cowboys are far from perfect, especially because of a suspect defense that played well Sunday but has mostly struggled. The team needs Schottenheimer to be willing to bet on the offense. This weekend, he did. And it paid off.