Cowboys plan to use extra day for defensive tweaks in Week 9

Once again, the Dallas Cowboys are trying to figure out how to fix their defense as they prepare for their next game.

In Week 9, they get an extra day to hash things out. That’s because they host the Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football.

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On Wednesday, head coach Brian Schottenheimer discussed the extra day of preparation and said he plans to use that to tweak their approach on defense. The first-year head coach revealed a plan that includes extra film work as well as a mock game walkthrough to help clear up concerns on that side of the ball.

With the Cowboys playing on Monday night, they will have an extra day to prep for the Arizona Cardinals.

Brian Schottenheimer said today that he plans on using that extra day on Friday for more film work and mock game walkthrough work to hammer down some of the defensive issues. pic.twitter.com/PIFMfV1QWL
— Nick Harris (@NickHarrisFWST) October 29, 2025

Following their Week 8 loss to the Denver Broncos, Schottenheimer didn’t hold back when addressing his concerns. He vowed their would be changes, saying no one is pleased with the performance.

Cowboys offense isn’t immune to criticism either

Dallas Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer looks on during the third quarter of the game against the Washington Commanders | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Schottenheimer’s criticism wasn’t unique to the team’s defense. He was also frustrated with the offense, especially when it came to penalties.

“The guys were probably pressing a little bit. They wanted to get the ball in the end zone. At the end of the day, it can’t happen. And we have to fix it," Schottenheimer said on Monday while speaking to the media, via The Athletic.

"We’re the second-most penalized team in the league, if not the first, and that’s unacceptable.”

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For the most part, the Dallas offense has been humming all season. That’s been the one thing keeping them in games, but that wasn’t the case Sunday.

The penalties were an issue, but Dak Prescott also had arguably his worst game of the season. He was off-target throughout the day, and had no touchdowns with two interceptions.

Dallas has a chance to change the tone on Monday, then they’ll have a week off to make even more adjustments.

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