The Cowboys’ coaching staff made a series of puzzling calls in the final minute of Sunday’s 34-31 loss in Brazil, and owner Jerry Jones made clear he wasn’t pleased. Speaking Tuesday on Dallas’ 105.3 The Fan, Jones said there wasn’t an explanation that satisfied him and that the coaches didn’t have one either.
Jones singled out Brian Schottenheimer’s decision to burn a timeout with 14 seconds remaining. After Dak Prescott’s 2-yard scramble on second-and-goal from the 7, Dallas used its last timeout even though they were clearly planning one final play — a timeout called a few seconds later would have left Baltimore almost no time to respond. On that third-down play, Schottenheimer says he told Prescott to either target George Pickens or throw the ball away; he later took responsibility, admitting he overcoached the situation. Prescott threw the ball away so quickly the clock went from 14 to 10 seconds, even though Pickens appeared to be open.
At his Tuesday press conference, Schottenheimer acknowledged he could’ve handled those closing moments better, said he takes responsibility for the errors and vowed to learn from them. After that third-down play, kicker Brandon Aubrey tied the game with a short field goal, but seven seconds remained — enough time for Baltimore to line up and make a 56-yard, game-winning attempt by Tyler Loop. Had Dallas either used their timeout later or avoided a touchback on the ensuing kickoff, the contest almost certainly would have reached overtime.
Jones conceded the team made mistakes and that nothing will change the outcome, but emphasized the organization will evaluate what went wrong to avoid repeating it. He also indicated he doesn’t plan to fire anyone over the loss and remains upbeat about the season, saying the comeback showed promise and that the team is still early in its development.
Despite the setback, the Cowboys are only 1-2 and still very much in the NFC East race; with Philadelphia also losing in Week 3, Dallas heads into Week 4 one game behind both the Giants and Eagles (each 2-1).
Fan Take: Close-game mismanagement like this matters because late-game coaching choices can decide seasons, not just single games — fans want clarity that staff learn and adjust. If teams don’t fix clock and situational mistakes, it undermines confidence in leadership and can shift playoff pictures in a tightly contested NFL.
Source: www.cbssports.com
