The Dallas Cowboys' disappointing collapse against the Arizona Cardinals was not enough to shake owner Jerry Jones' confidence in head coach Brian Schottenheimer. Instead, Jones publicly acknowledged that several people had let the head coach down during the game, while Schottenheimer also had a strong response ready when asked about his owner's comments.
During his postgame press conference, the head coach accepted his accountability for the disappointing performance while also saying that the Cowboys had made several costly mistakes across all three phases of the game.
“I'll always own my part of this, as the head football coach,” Schottenheimer said. “You know, it starts with me and there's certainly things that I need to do better. But as a football team in all three phases, I can point out 3, 4, 5, 6 plays right off the top of my head but I’m not going to do that.”
Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott also openly voiced his support for the head coach. Meanwhile, Jones made it clear after the game that he was not contemplating any coaching changes.
That means the head coach seemingly still has an opportunity to turn things around. However, Schottenheimer also made it clear that he wasn't going to dwell on the disappointment.
“I’m disappointed,” he added. “But I only know how to do it one way, and that’s to work. I’m a worker. I’m a problem solver.”’
Article Continues Below“I think we’ve got guys in that locker room that are problem solvers. We have guys in there that want to be great. We’ve got guys that believe in what we’re doing as a football team in all three phases. They’re hurting. As a leader, I’m gonna stand in front and hit them with the truth.”
The magnitude of Dallas' collapse becomes even more astonishing considering the franchise's historical record in similar situations. According to ESPN Research, this was the first time in Cowboys history that the team lost a home game after holding a lead of at least 14 points in the fourth quarter. Before Sunday's loss, Dallas had been 202-0-1 in such situations at home, including playoff games.