Unfortunately, what Dallas Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said after an overtime loss to the Arizona Cardinals is simply not true.

After the loss dropped Dallas to 3-5, Schottenheimer was asked what he needs to do to get the Cowboys back on track.

“There’s only one thing that I know how to do, and that’s work,” Schottenheimer said via Nick Harris of Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “I am a problem solver.”

Until proven otherwise, that isn’t the case. Think about what we’ve seen from the Cowboys throughout the 2026 NFL season. It’s already November, and the same issues keep showing up.

The Cowboys’ problems that haven’t been solved

For starters, Dallas can’t run the football consistently. The Cowboys had a strong game against the Philadelphia Eagles, rushing for 155 yards while Javonte Williams looked great. That was the exception. For a team that wants the run game to be its identity, failing to fix it is revealing.

Then there’s the situational play calling. The Cowboys were aggressive at the wrong times and conservative when they should have pushed. Backed up on third-and-5, they ran the ball with Dak Prescott, George Pickens, and CeeDee Lamb all available. On fourth-and-1, Dallas skipped the quarterback sneak and handed it to Williams for a play that went nowhere.

Later, the Cowboys needed one first down to end the game. Across those three downs, they combined for one snap with Pickens or Lamb on the field, and that came when Lamb took the field on third-and-16.

That leads to another unsolved problem. This is a team that can’t get its $27 million wide receiver involved. It was another game of limited opportunities for Pickens. Dallas doesn’t move him around, doesn’t put him in motion, and doesn’t create easy touches for him.

The blitz is on the list, too. It wasn’t a big deal early, but it became a bigger problem as the game went on. Dak was sacked three times when the Cardinals blitzed. It used to be one of Dak’s biggest strengths but under Schottenheimer, it’s been an issue that hasn’t gone away. We’ve been talking about it for at least three weeks. The Cowboys haven’t figured it out.

The defense hasn’t been spared, either. Back in Week 1, we talked about the flats going unattended. On the drive in which Arizona scored its second touchdown, it targeted running back Tyler Allgeier  twice in the flat, and nobody was near him either time. And that’s without getting into the big gains he had in the run game. 

To be fair, Schottenheimer isn’t designing or calling the defense, and it would be unfair to ask him to. Still, it’s another problem holding the Cowboys back.

Schottenheimer is holding the Cowboys back

So no, Schottenheimer is not a problem solver. If you ask me, he’s holding the Cowboys offense back.

This team has more talent than its performances against the Buccaneers, the Packers, and now the Cardinals suggest. Yes, Dallas scored 30 points. Look at the scoreboard and you’d think the offense wasn’t the issue. It was. Seven of those points came off a turnover that handed the Cowboys the ball at the Arizona 5-yard line. That was a layup.

Beyond that, this offense doesn’t lean on what’s working and doesn’t abandon what isn’t. Against Green Bay, the Cowboys threw it again and again and ditched a run game that was working. Against Arizona, it was the opposite. Williams averaged under three yards per attempt, yet Dallas kept calling first-down runs as if a breakthrough was coming. The Cowboys ran it 39 times, and the runs went nowhere.

Dallas was also in scoring position far more than the final score suggests. It could have had one or two more touchdowns but settled for field goals.

The Cowboys are spreading the blame

The Cowboys are not expected to make a coaching change. Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones spoke to reporters right after the game. He indicated a lot of people let Brian Schottenheimer down and he wasn’t the only one that deserves the blame.

Prescott echoed that sentiment, saying it would be “weak” to say otherwise. 

Maybe they’re right. Execution needs to be better. P.J. Locke needs to make the tackle instead of allowing a 62-yard touchdown run. Donovan Ezeiruaku has to peel back in coverage instead of leaving the flat open. The offensive line struggled in pass protection and didn’t block well in the run game.

All of that is true. But I see coaches around the league do a good job with their play calling every week. More often than not, this staff is holding its units back, especially on offense. That shouldn’t happen when the offense is as healthy as you could ask for and the defense is healing up.

Will the Cowboys consider a midseason change? I bet they won’t. That is to say, Schottenheimer will get his chance. I just don’t know how he will come back in 2027 unless something drastic happens.

It starts with admitting he hasn’t been a problem solver so far. It wouldn’t hurt to revisit his comments from a week ago about being an elite play caller, either. This isn’t a fake-it-till-you-make-it situation. It’s about getting to work and making real changes.

The NFC East is giving Dallas a chance to save the season. The time for talking about it is over.