Brian Schottenheimer just revealed the one defensive flaw that nearly cost the Cowboys everything vs. the Cardinals.QQ
The Dallas Cowboys closed out Week 9 with a 27-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football, and head coach Brian Schottenheimer was direct about what went wrong. Despite recording five sacks, the defense failed to finish drives, allowing the Cardinals to go 7-for-13 on third down.
Sports Dissected’s Sydney Staples took to her X (formerly known as Twitter) following the Cardinals vs. Cowboys loss and captured the first-year coach’s thoughts on the root cause of the defensive breakdowns in 2025.
“Really good job on first and second down… with 5 sacks… Biggest problem on defense was third down,” where they struggled to get off the field.
The insight from Schottenheimer revealed a clear disconnect. Early-down success meant little as the defense repeatedly failed on third down. Cardinals backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett, a 10-year veteran, and tight end Trey McBride kept drives alive, including a crucial third-and-14 completion to second-year receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. that led to a touchdown.
