Who's To Blame for Dallas Cowboys' Crushing Week 1 Loss Against Giants?

There's going to be a tendency to point the finger at first-year defensive coordinator Christian Parker following his units dreadful performance during the Dallas Cowboys Week 1 loss to the New York Giants.

Doing so would be fair since Dallas allowed the Giants to convert on 9-of-11 third down plays, with one of those "stops" being the final kneel down. They also gave up 5.8 yards per play and allowed the Giants to control the clock to the point that their offense saw the ball twice in the second half.

All that said, the majority of the blame for this loss doesn't fall on Parker. It doesn't even fall on DeMarvion Overshown who had a dreadful PFF grade of 29.4 as the "quarterback of the defense." Instead, it falls on head coach Brian Schottenheimer, who seems to get far too many passes for a coach who is now 7-10-1 in his career.

Cowboys were outcoached all game

New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh runs onto the field after defeating the Dallas Cowboys. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Schottenheimer seems to get a pass since he's done a great job as a play-caller for the Cowboys since taking over as a head coach. That said, his job goes well beyond just making sure the offense is good. He also needs to ensure the defense is on the same page and ready, especially since his fingerprints are all over the Parker hire.

Right or wrong, Jerry Jones has preferred hiring coaches with experience as the team's defensive coordinator. His past five hires, dating back to 2020 with Mike Nolan have entered the role with head coaching experience. It was Schottenheimer's influence that had them go in a new direction and in Week 1, it was clear that their defensive play-caller was inexperienced.

New York offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, who is a former head coach, worked with senior offensive assistant Greg Roman to devise a gameplan that had the Cowboys confused all night. They didn't even do anything special, but stuck with what worked and Parker couldn't adjust. For example, Jaxson Dart was 5-of-5 for 40 yards and two touchdowns on passes to the flat. Every time they wanted an easy completion, Dart simply had to look to this part of the field, which was wide open.

A more experienced coach might have stood a better chance of fixing the issues, but that's one of the risks Schottenheimer took in hiring Parker.

Coach Schotty preaches culture and discipline, yet Cowboys had none

Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer looks on during the second quarter against the New York Giants. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As bad as the lack of adjustments were, the Cowboys didn't embody any of Schottenheimer's principles. Since taking over in Dallas, he's preached culture, discipline, and accountability. On Sunday, none of that was on display.

The Cowboys were undisciplined in coverage and failed to figure out a way to adjust. They were also undisciplined, with DeMarvion Overshown being flagged for a late hit and Javonte Williams called for taunting late in the game.

Schottenheimer is correct in saying there's no reason to panic after one game. But the fact remains that the largely inexperienced coaching staff was bullied by John Harbaugh and company and they have to figure things out in a hurry. If not, Coach Schotty's seat will begin to heat up in a hurry.

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