EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Brian Schottenheimer isn’t afraid to share when he doesn’t like his play calling. It happened Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium.
Although the Dallas Cowboys were ahead 23-3 late in the third quarter, he wasn’t content.
“Let me get something going for you,” he told Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott over his headset. “Let me do a better job of calling plays.”
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What soon followed was a deep ball call to Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens. The result: a 43-yard touchdown. At that point, the Cowboys were well on their way to their second win of the season, defeating the New York Jets 37-22.
Schottenheimer to Prescott after the play: “Hey, I’m back in my bag.”
Prescott: “Yeah, you are.”
Accountability is an important part of the culture Schottenheimer has been building in his first season as head coach and offensive play caller.
“That’s just him being him,” Prescott said. “He’s a stand up guy who approaches each day the same, true to who he is. Win, loss, draw, whatever it may be, you’re gonna get the same Schotty. And I think that’s something that makes it easy to follow and allow the guys to respect. Something just as a play caller and from our relationship that I appreciate is a guy who takes heavy accountability.”
Through the first five games, Sunday was probably Schottenheimer’s best coaching job. It’s obvious that the Jets (0-5) are not a good team. But of their previous four opponents — Steelers, Bills, Buccaneers and Dolphins — only Buffalo handled them the way the Cowboys did Sunday. And Dallas (2-2-1) did it without six offensive starters: All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, All-Pro left guard Tyler Smith, All-Pro kick returner, punt returner and wide receiver KaVontae Turpin, left tackle Tyler Guyton, right guard Tyler Booker and center Cooper Beebe.
In their absence, Dallas’ offense received notable performances from running back Javonte Williams, wide receiver Ryan Flournoy and tight end Jake Ferguson. Williams, who has become one of the NFL’s most productive backs early this season, turned in the best game of his career with 135 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Flournoy also had a career-day with six catches for 114 yards. Ferguson, who didn’t have a touchdown catch last season, had two touchdowns.
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Prescott continued his hot start to the season by throwing four touchdown passes with no interceptions and only one sack. All of that was done behind an offensive line of left tackle Nate Thomas, left guard Hakeem Adeniji, center Brock Hoffman, right guard T.J. Bass and right tackle Terence Steele.
“The main thing I want to say is the credibility of our coaches just went up today in the eyes of the players,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. “And everybody, in my mind, should have the same feeling. … A great coaching job today.”
Dak Prescott when asked about the fans chanting M-V-P: “My ears work, so I did hear it. But I didn’t hear it. It’s Week 5.
“I didn’t play near as well of a game as I wanted to.” pic.twitter.com/NYiXKJX5jB
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) October 5, 2025
The offense, especially when healthy, can be one of the league’s best. The defense, on the other hand, has looked like one of the league’s worst. The biggest play Sunday, however, came on that side of the ball. With the Jets trailing 10-3 late in the first half and driving to tie the game, Cowboys linebacker Marist Liufau forced a fumble. It was Dallas’ only takeaway of the game and only the third of the season. But had he not punched the ball out of Breece Hall’s hands, the Jets could’ve built some sizable momentum. Instead, the Cowboys recovered and went on to score two touchdowns during the final minute of the quarter.
The Cowboys defense entered the game with only five sacks in four games. They matched that number Sunday. James Houston led the way, bringing down Jets quarterback Justin Fields 1.5 times. Dante Fowler recorded five of Dallas’ 14 QB hits.
“We always play to win,” Schottenheimer said. “We always expect to win. We obviously haven’t won all of our games, but I do think this was a good building moment for our football team. It was great to see the defense have the flashes. We played pretty soft late, protecting the lead, so they got some yards on us late. … But watch the amount of guys running to the football, tackling when Justin was checking it down late in the fourth quarter. That’s when you know you’re made of the right stuff. And this football team is made of the right stuff. That’s why we’re going to win a lot of games.”
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Sunday was Schottenheimer’s first time facing the Jets as a head coach. He spent six seasons (2006-2011) as their offensive coordinator. He downplayed any thoughts of that after the game, saying he’s a “live-in-the-moment guy.” Dallas has a long way to go to be a playoff team. Schottenheimer believes that’s possible. Beating the Jets doesn’t all of a sudden mean the Cowboys are contenders. But there are positives to take from the victory. The biggest might just be the impact the new head coach is having on his team.
“Just incredible the way he approaches this game each and every day,” Prescott said. “When you get to Sundays, or whatever the game day is, he talks about playing free and being loose. He’s the epitome of that. If you want to see somebody who is enjoying the moment, it’s Schotty.”
(Photo of Jake Ferguson: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)
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