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Brian Schottenheimer Explained Why Cowboys Kneeled the Ball Early vs. Raiders

The Cowboys began kneeling the football to end the game with over two minutes remaining.

Eva Geitheim

Brian Schottenheimer had the Cowboys start kneeling the ball early out of respect for Pete Carroll.
Brian Schottenheimer had the Cowboys start kneeling the ball early out of respect for Pete Carroll. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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The Cowboys made a somewhat surprising decision to kneel the football before the two minute warning during their win over the Raiders on Monday Night Football.

After a strong offensive performance, the Cowboys garnered a 33–16 lead over the Raiders late in the fourth quarter. The Raiders tried some last ditch efforts to come back, but the Cowboys’ defense sacked Geno Smith on fourth-and-1 deep to turn the ball over downs and get their offense the ball back with just over two-and-a-half minutes remaining at the Raiders’ 6-yard-line.

Rather than have the offense run any plays to add to their lead, the Cowboys decided to have Dak Prescott take a knee with over two minutes remaining in the game.

Though some initially viewed this move as disrespectful to the Raiders, Dallas coach Brian Schottenheimer explained after the game that it was actually out of respect for Raiders coach Pete Carroll.

“I wasn’t gonna try and score there. Don’t need to. Too much respect for the game, too much respect for Pete,” Schottenheimer explained. “Walk out of here with a great win and a great team win.”

Schottenheimer also said of coaching against Carroll, “I saw him post game. We just had a chance to catch up. Again, he’s been so good to me. We just shared a few things and he told me how proud he was of me. I thanked him for everything he’s done for me and my career. I really do. I model so many things after him.”

Schottenheimer worked as the Seahawks’ offensive coordinator from 2018-20 during Carroll’s run as a head coach in Seattle. Five years later, Schottenheimer has finally landed his first head coaching gig, and his first win over one of his mentors.

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Eva Geitheim
EVA GEITHEIM

Eva Geitheim is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in December 2024, she wrote for Newsweek, Gymnastics Now and Dodgers Nation. A Bay Area native, she has a bachelor's in communications from UCLA. When not writing, she can be found baking or re-watching Gilmore Girls.

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