Brian Schottenheimer Play-Calling Cost Cowboys, Inexcusable Defense Made It Worse

Every loss in the NFL hurts, but some sting quite a bit more than others. That’s the category that the Dallas Cowboys loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3 falls under.

Dallas fell to the Ravens in a 34-31 contest, and the loss falls solely on head coach Brian Schottenheimer, whose failed time management and conservative play-calling cost his team the game. What’s worse than the loss is his explanation afterward.

When asked about a crucial third-down play at the end of the game, Schottenheimer admitted that he “over-coached” Dak Prescott, leading to the quarterback’s decision to throw the ball away and settle for the game-tying field goal. Baltimore seized the opportunity (and the seven seconds) Schottenheimer gave them by completing a 27-yard pass and drilling a 56-yard field goal to win it in regulation.

Brian Schottenheimer should feel his seat heat up after this loss

Baltimore Ravens v Dallas Cowboys - Estadio Maracana, Rio de Janeiro. Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer reacts. | REUTERS

The players did all they could to give their team a chance. A battered and beaten defense made multiple fourth-down stops (something we would have found laughable one week ago) and the offense moved inside the Baltimore 30 with just over a minute to play. But that’s when the head coach fumbled the ball.

Schottenheimer showed the spotlight was too big for him as he bungled his way through the final minute. Eventually, the Ravens realized Dallas wasn’t trying to win the game, so they called their own timeout with 28 seconds to play.

Schottenheimer then dialed up a pass play from the two-yard line that was incomplete. That was one questionable call. With the way Javonte Williams was playing coupled with the fact that they had one timeout left, Dallas could have tried to punch the ball in for the win.

They were pushed back five yards by a false start from Luke Schoonmaker after that, and had to use their final timeout when Prescott scrambled for a two-yard gain. Then miscue No. 2 came as Schottenheimer called the timeout immediately. He knew he had just one play left and it had to be quick since there were no timeouts, but called the timeout with 14 seconds to play.

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens during the game against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3. | REUTERS

Miscue No. 3 came next as the Cowboys threw the ball away, even though George Pickens beat his man and was open.

As bad as all that was, they could have had a chance at winning in overtime, if not for miscue No. 4. Instead of kicking the ball in play, or even trying a squib kick, Brandon Aubrey booted it out of the end zone. That gave Baltimore the ball at the 35 without killing a single second off the clock. And that single second was all they needed, with Baltimore calling the timeout with one second left for the game-winner.

Frustration boiling over falling the loss

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott sets the play against the Baltimore Ravens during the game at Maracana Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After the game, Prescott expressed his frustration, saying they needed to put the game away.

"Frustrated. Frustrated as hell. Excuse me. Embarrassed," Prescott told to the media. "We call ourselves best offense, you know, GOTI, and we get down in the one-yard line and don't put it in. Yeah, it just sucks. Not a lot of words or full explanation of it.”

Prescott is right that there’s not a lot of explanation needed. In this instance, Schottenheimer showed his focus was on not losing the game. Ravens head coach Jesse Minter was focused on winning the game.

In that instance, the one focused on losing lost and the one focused on winning won. Pretty simple explanation.

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