Cowboys Coach Brian Schottenheimer Downplays Effect Sun Can Have at AT&T Stadium

Brian Schottenheimer says both sides know the sun could play a factor at AT&T Stadium.

When the Cowboys play in the late afternoon window at home, the sun is always ready to make an appearance. / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

AT&T Stadium is one of the most impressive arenas in all of the NFL. Dubbed “Jerry World” after the Cowboys' infamous owner, the stadium features a video board that still inspires wonder more than a decade after it was first revealed.

But for all of its impressive features, AT&T Stadium also has some interesting design choices. Most notably, the stadium was constructed with the end zones facing east and west, rather than north and south. For a domed stadium, this would not necessarily be an issue, but the wide window bay at AT&T Stadium creates some extremely dramatic glare at sunset when Dallas is hosting a late game.

This Sunday, the Cowboys play host to the Commanders, and the sun is indeed set to be a factor, but coach Brian Schottenheimer doesn’t sound too stressed about it.

“I think when you look at historically at what’s happened it really hasn’t affected many situations,” Schottenheimer said of the potential glare, via Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News. “We plan for it. The opponents plan for it. But at the end of the day, it’s something that we’re aware of.

“It’s very beautiful. It’s majestic when the sun comes through there.”

While some of the views are undoubtedly impressive, the claim that the sun “really hasn’t affected many situations” is certainly open to interpretation. Just last year, star receiver CeeDee Lamb missed a pass in the end zone while the sun was very clearly shining right in his eyes, leading to newfound calls to either buy some curtains or change the axis of the Earth’s rotation.

Schottenheimer is right that the sun is a factor that both teams know about heading into the game, but if the sharp glare winds up costing the Cowboys points once again on Sunday, the fact that it produces some pretty pictures might not be enough to hold off the next call for change.

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