The Dallas Cowboys‘ defense has been a blatant handicap throughout the first two months of the 2025-26 NFL season, but there is another issue that has been holding the team back in a big way.
Injuries have plagued the team through eight weeks, and the lack of discipline reared its ugly head again in the brutal loss to the Denver Broncos, halting momentum after a huge interception from rookie cornerback Trikweze Bridges.
Dallas was flagged nine times for 80 yards throughout the game.
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Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer knows it’s an issue that the team needs to address and improve on, and he has called out the team for the “unacceptable” self-inflicted wounds.
Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer looks on during the third quarter of a game against the Washington Commanders / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
“The guys were probably pressing a little bit. They wanted to get the ball in the end zone. At the end of the day, it can’t happen. And we have to fix it,” Schottenheimer said on Monday while speaking to the media, via The Athletic.
“We’re the second-most penalized team in the league, if not the first, and that’s unacceptable.”
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Schottenheimer specifically called out starting left tackle Tyler Guyton for a false start on third-and-goal from the one-yard line. Had it not been for that penalty, the Cowboys would have gone for it on fourth down and could have shifted the momentum of the entire game.
“It starts with us looking at ourselves,” Brian Schottenheimer noted. “Why it happens, No. 1. The first one you’re down there in the red zone, it’s loud. Low red zone. We’re bringing the guy in motion and Guyton is amped up and wanting to go so he flinches. It shouldn’t happen. Tyler knows that. He knew that before anybody else. You look at the crowd noise and the environment, maybe we had a little bit too many shifts and motions. That’s who we are. We do it all the time. We do it out here with crowd noise all the time. I just think it’s settling in.”
Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Tyler Guyton blocks at the line of scrimmage against the Pittsburgh Steelers / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
The offense knows it needs to be perfect because of the defense’s struggles, and blowing opportunities in the red zone is not what they can afford to do.
Dallas will aim to get back on track in Week 9 against the Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football, before heading into a bye week before the NFL trade deadline for a complete reset.
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Week
Opponent
Penalties
Penalty Yards
1
at Eagles
4
42
2
Giants
12
106
3
at Bears
4
25
4
Packers
11
95
5
at Jets
11
91
6
at Panthers
6
37
7
Commanders
10
79
8
at Broncos
9
80
Despite the penalty issues, Dallas sits at 3-4-1 and is in second place in the NFC East.
With the next two games against the Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders, the Cowboys still have a great opportunity to find themselves in position to make a playoff push if the team can iron out its issues.
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