The Cowboys wrapped up the season with an uninspiring defeat at the hands of the Giants in New York, 34-17, as starting quarterback Dak Prescott gave way to backup Joe Milton in the second half to help pave the way for the home team’s rout. That dropped the Cowboys to 7-9-1 on the season, marking the second straight season they’ve finished below .500, something that has not happened since 2001 and 2002.
The Cowboys, certainly, do not want to make it three poor season finishes in a row, and just moments after the finale was over, coach Brian Schottenheimer declared that he was ready to get to work on significant changes for a team that had one of the best offenses in the NFL but simultaneously featured one of the worst defenses.
Said Schottenheimer: “We’ve got to look at it and see what those issues were. Now that the season’s over, we’ll look at everything with a fine-tooth comb in terms of offense, defense, special teams, running game, situational football, third down, red zone, all that stuff. There’ll be things. There are always things. Things we have to address, we will prioritize those.”
Cowboys Will Begin breaking Down Season Tonight
Schottenheimer dodged a question about whether the changes would involve throwing over defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, who was in his first year in that role with the Cowboys. Entering Week 18, the Cowboys ranked No. 30 in the NFL in yards allowed, and No. 32 in points allowed, with Eberflus taking the bulk of the blame.
The Cowboys allowed 380 yards on Sunday.
“It starts immediately,” Schottenheimer said. “You get it into it. Study the film tonight, look at it on the way back. We’ll have the exit interviews, we’ll go through that process–you know, I love that process. I think that process is important where you talk to the players, you talk to the coaches and you evaluate everything. I think there will be some very clear things we will need to address.”
Effort Was There for Cowboys, But Not Enough Coaching, Talent
As has been his custom, though, Schottenheimer praised the effort and approach his team put on the field on Sunday, which he has done when talking about his Cowboys throughout the season.
“I thought they played hard, man, you could feel how important the game was to us,” Schottenheimer said. “You could feel the hitting, and really pleased with the way we ran the football today. I mean, this group, I have never doubted that. This is a group that, they’re gonna answer the call and they’re gonna play hard. I just told them, look, hey, I am proud of you guys. I am disappointed in the way the season turned out, we didn’t clearly win enough games, but every week they laid it on the line.
“I am proud of them for it.”
Of course, if Dallas always plays with great effort, then either the coaching or the talent level was not up to snuff in 2025. Let the changes begin.