Cowboys' Brian Schottenheimer gives honest reflection on first season as head coach

The Dallas Cowboys wrapped up their 2025-26 campaign on a sour note, getting blown out by the division rival New York Giants on Sunday afternoon.

With the loss, the Cowboys not only missed out on the NFL playoffs for a second straight season, but they also finished with a losing record.

Brian Schottenheimer's first season as a head coach, the Cowboys fell to 7-9-1. The team looked like the shell of its November squad which put together three consecutive wins to become the hottest team in the league and within reach of the NFC East title.

MORE: 2 winners & 3 losers from Cowboys’ flat Week 18 loss to Giants

Following the game, Schottenheimer gave an honest reflection on his debut season as a head coach, which ended with a major letdown.

Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer looks on during the game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. | Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

"I’m disappointed, yeah, of course. Absolutely. The question is why. We need to look and figure out why. I did not think that we would be 7-9-1. I didn’t think that we wouldn’t be in the playoffs," Schottenheimer told the media. "I expected to be in the playoffs and competing for the Super Bowl.

"We did not do that. That starts with me. And I understand that. But I can promise you this. We’re gonna get to the bottom of it. We’re gonna work our asses off to figure it out. We’re gonna adjust and make changes that we need to do to help us get there."

MORE: Full list of Cowboys' pending free agents entering 2026 NFL offseason

The Cowboys expect to have a busy offseason, with several key decisions to make on the roster and coaching staff. Schottenheimer said there is no timeline for the decisions to be made, but expect there to be many.

Let's just hope that the decisions made in the offseason lead to the Cowboys returning to the postseason in the 2026-27 season, which will require some major additions on defense, because the team can ill-afford to waste another elite season from Dak Prescott.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott looks for an open receiver as New York Giants linebacker Abdul Carter | Kevin R. Wexler-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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