That trickled into the tunnels at Lincoln Financial Field after the clock hit all zeroes and into the Cowboys\u2019 locker room, where there was screaming and loud music playing on a speaker as soon as the game ended. Once the whole team was in, the postgame speech from head coach Brian Schottenheimer earned some more praise, and then it was time for the second-year coach to head to his press conference.<\/p>\n
While the players continued to celebrate in the locker room and embrace reporters coming in, things with Schottenheimer were … off.<\/p>\n
Usually a thorough and elaborate speaker, Schottenheimer was overly brief with his answers and conducted his shortest press conference since he started doing them in Dallas in 2023. In total, he gave 397 words to 18 questions. You\u2019ve already read half of that count in this story.<\/p>\n
His longest answer was given when asked about running back Javonte Williams, who ran for a career-high 155 yards and put the exclamation mark on the win with a touchdown in the final minutes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going to start with the offensive end,\u201d Schottenheimer said. \u201cThey were outstanding. Great run plan. But Javonte, man, the power, the acceleration was there tonight. Then, I\u2019m going to talk about [fellow Cowboys running back Tyler Goodson] as well. It was a great change of pace overall. I thought the run game was really good. Receivers blocked well. It was a good night.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aside from that, a handful of oddly short answers.<\/p>\n
\u201cOutstanding\u201d when asked about quarterback Dak Prescott. \u201cPretty good\u201d when asked about the offense. When asked at the end of the press conference about his short-speaking, he seemed to brush it off. \u201cI\u2019m great. Excited for our guys,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
A head coach who routinely averages 15 to 20 minutes with his press conferences after games and throughout the week, Schottenheimer himself said last week that the team needed a win. He got it, the rest of his team was celebrating, and he took the quieter approach.<\/p>\n
On one hand, that\u2019s admirable. After a comment he made on the radio (105.3 The Fan) on Friday calling himself an \u201celite play-caller\u201d stirred up the fanbase after back-to-back lackluster offensive performances, maybe this is his way of showing that the product on the field from Monday night says more than he needs to. But then again, this was a game the team was supposed to win. Surely this isn\u2019t a victory lap?<\/p>\n
On another hand, it could be his frustration with the level of questioning from the media as of late. He has faced some hard questions<\/a> over the past two weeks about his offense, his play-calling, his style of coaching, his job status and more. Not having to answer to that for the first time in a while could have been a relief enough to not want to give his usual elaborate thoughts.<\/p>\n Regardless, the Dallas Cowboys are 3-4 after a big divisional win. There is a lot more to prove to say that they are back on the right track, but another opportunity awaits at home Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.<\/p>\n Here is the full transcript of the Schottenheimer postgame press conference:<\/p>\n On recent games and the need for a win:<\/p>\n \u201cWe played really well tonight, second half. Had nothing to do with desperation. Our guys should play well.\u201d<\/p>\n On general thoughts of the offense:<\/p>\n \u201cPretty good.\u201d<\/p>\n On fans taunting him at the hotel before the game:<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t hear it.\u201d<\/p>\n On whether he gave a peace sign to the fans:<\/p>\n \u201cI did that to other people. I had headphones on.\u201d<\/p>\n On the run game, specifically Cowboys running back Javonte Williams:<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going to start with the offensive end. They were outstanding. Great run plan. But Javonte, man, the power, the acceleration was there tonight, but great. Then I\u2019m going to talk about [Cowboys RB Tyler Goodson] as well. It was a great change of pace overall. I thought the run game was really good. Receivers blocked well. It was a good night.\u201d<\/p>\n On the difference in offensive play compared to last year:<\/p>\n \u201cNo, it felt good. I thought Dak played awesome. We were good on third downs \u2014 204 yards rushing. It was pretty good. That was good.\u201d<\/p>\n On his thoughts of the defense tonight:<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, again, we\u2019ve got to be a little bit better against the run. Third down, we tightened up a little bit in the second half. All in all, we held them to 21 points. It gives us a chance.\u201d<\/p>\n On the locker room atmosphere:<\/p>\n \u201cGuys were excited. Yeah, it\u2019s been a couple weeks coming, but they were excited. We\u2019re ready for Arizona. We\u2019ll play there in a couple days.\u201d<\/p>\n On Cowboys QB Dak Prescott saying the team viewed this game as a must-win:<\/p>\n \u201cNo. I thought it was the next championship opportunity. But again, I think it gets us right back into the hunt in the NFC [East].\u201d<\/p>\n On Prescott\u2019s performance:<\/p>\n \u201cOutstanding.\u201d<\/p>\n On areas that stood out:<\/p>\n \u201cJust patience and poise in the pocket. It jumped off the film. Anytime you throw three touchdowns like that, the 2-point conversion was great. He looked like he was in control out there all night.\u201d<\/p>\n On Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown\u2019s interception and his insertion back into the defense:<\/p>\n \u201cIt was great playing, number-one. A lot like [linebacker Dee Winters] last week. The catch was awesome. Put us into a four-minute situation, and it was awesome to see him back out there along with [Cowboys cornerback] Cobie Durant.\u201d<\/p>\n On getting Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens more involved offensively and his success in the game:<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, solid. Again, spread the ball around. Wanted to run it some more tonight. We did that, but anytime those two guys get open, especially one-on-one, George, they\u2019re tough.\u201d<\/p>\n On the thought process of having Cowboys linebacker Shemar James starting:<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s earned it. Great control of what we\u2019re doing. Awesome job with the green dot and just proud of his command.\u201d<\/p>\n On if he was the only one with the green dot:<\/p>\n \u201cWell, we did rotate some guys through when he came out.\u201d<\/p>\n On how important it was to get a win tonight:<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll think about this one tonight; really important. Want to play well again next week and beat a good Arizona team.\u201d<\/p>\n On whether he has high expectations for Cowboys defensive tackle Quinnen Williams:<\/p>\n \u201cAbsolutely. He\u2019s been great all week. He was fired up about this opponent and did a tremendous job just wreaking havoc inside.\u201d<\/p>\n On giving short responses tonight in the press conference:<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m great. Excited for our guys.\u201d<\/p>\n Game schedule dates, times, locations Sept. 13 N.Y. Giants 28, Cowboys 20 Sept. 20 Cowboys 37, Washington 20 Sept. 27 Baltimore 34, Cowboys 31 Oct. 4 Cowboys 34, Houston 30 Oct. 8 Tampa Bay 24, Cowboys 16 Oct. 18 Green Bay 23, Cowboys 13 Oct. 26 Cowboys 38, Philadelphia 21 Nov. 1 vs. Arizona, 12 p.m., Fox Nov. 8 at Indianapolis, 12 p.m., Fox Nov. 15 vs. San Francisco, 3:25 p.m., Fox Nov. 22 vs. Tennessee, 12 p.m., Fox Nov. 26 vs. Philadelphia, 3:30 p.m., Fox Dec. 7 at Seattle, 7:15 p.m., ESPN, ABC Dec. 20 at L.A. Rams, 3:25 p.m., CBS Dec. 27 vs. Jacksonville, 7:20 p.m., NBC Jan. 3 vs. N.Y. Giants, 12 p.m., Fox Jan. 9 or 10 at Washington, TBA Aug. 29 North Carolina 15, TCU 10 Sept. 12 TCU 63, Grambling State 7 Sept. 19 TCU 31, Arkansas State 7 Sept. 26 Central Florida 21, TCU 13 Oct. 3 BYU 17, TCU 10 Oct. 17 TCU 17, Baylor 6 Oct. 24 West Virginia 24, TCU 20 Oct. 31 vs. Kansas, 2:30 p.m., FS1 Nov. 6 at Arizona, 9:15 p.m., ESPN Nov. 14 vs. Kansas State, TBA Nov. 21 vs. Utah, TBA Nov. 26 at Texas Tech, 7 p.m., ESPN Sept. 5 Indiana 52, North Texas 16 Sept. 12 North Texas 44, UNLV 6 Sept. 19 Texas State 49, North Texas 35 Sept. 26 North Texas 63, Houston Christian 14 Oct. 1 North Texas 45, Tulsa 44 (OT) Oct. 10 North Texas 50, Charlotte 10 Oct. 24 North Texas 49, Navy 39 Oct. 29 vs. Florida Atlantic, 6:30 p.m., ESPN Nov. 7 vs. Rice, 3 p.m., ESPNU Nov. 14 at UTSA, TBA Nov. 21 at Tulane, TBA Nov. 28 vs. UAB, TBA All home games at Crowley ISD Multi-Purpose Stadium Aug. 27 Central Oklahoma 59, Texas Wesleyan 7 Sept. 5 McNeese State 52, Texas Wesleyan 0 Sept. 12 Texas Wesleyan 56, Texas College 20 Sept. 26 Texas Wesleyan 41, Nelson 16 Oct. 3 Texas Wesleyan 34, Arkansas Baptist 27 Oct. 10 Louisiana Christian 42, Texas Wesleyan 27 Oct. 17 Mary Hardin-Baylor 38, Texas Wesleyan 22 Oct. 24 Texas Wesleyan 69, Langston 25 Oct. 31 vs. Oklahoma Panhandle State, 2 p.m. Nov. 7 at Ottawa (Arizona), 6 p.m. Nov. 14 at Wayland Baptist, 2 p.m. Oct. 21 Houston 128, Mavericks 110 Oct. 23 Mavericks 121, Indiana 105 Oct. 24 San Antonio 122, Mavericks 106 Oct. 26 Mavericks 113, Miami 109 Oct. 28 vs. Oklahoma City, 8:30 p.m., ESPN, KFAA, MavsTV+ Oct. 30 vs. Houston, 7 p.m., ABC, KFAA, MavsTV+ Nov. 2 vs. Sacramento, 7 p.m., KFAA, MavsTV+ Nov. 4 at San Antonio, 8:30 p.m., ESPN Nov. 6 vs. Utah, 7 p.m., ABC, KFAA, MavsTV+ Nov. 2 vs. Lindenwood, 7 p.m., ESPN+ Nov. 6 vs. Southern, 7 p.m., ESPN+ Nov. 10 vs. Louisiana-Monroe, 8 p.m., ESPN+ Nov. 13 vs. Milwaukee, 7 p.m., ESPN+ Nov. 19 vs. Texas A&M, 7 p.m., Peacock Nov. 3 vs. Oral Roberts, 6:30 p.m., ESPN+ Nov. 5 vs. Le Moyne, 6:30 p.m., ESPN+ Nov. 8 vs. Tarleton State, 2 p.m., ESPN+ Nov. 10 vs. Iona, 4 p.m., ESPN+ Nov. 12 vs. Southeastern Louisiana, 6:30 p.m., ESPN+ Oct. 14 Stars 3, Colorado 2 (SO) Oct. 17 Stars 4, Chicago 0 Oct. 20 Stars 3, Boston 2 (OT) Oct. 22 Stars 3, Winnipeg 2 (OT) Oct. 25 Stars 6, N.Y. Islanders 3 Oct. 27 vs. New Jersey, 7 p.m., Amazon Prime Video Oct. 29 vs. Montreal, 7 p.m., Amazon Prime Video Oct. 31 vs. Columbus, 7 p.m., Amazon Prime Video Nov. 3 at Washington, 6 p.m., Amazon Prime Video Nov. 5 at Columbus, 6 p.m., Amazon Prime Video Sept. 26 FC Dallas 1, LAFC 0 Oct. 10 Charlotte 3, FC Dallas 2 Oct. 14 FC Dallas 1, Seattle 0 Oct. 17 FC Dallas 2, Houston 2 Oct. 24 FC Dallas 3, San Jose 0 Oct. 28 vs. Columbus, 7:30 p.m., Apple TV Oct. 31 at Kansas City, 2 p.m., Apple TV Nov. 7 vs. Colorado, 6 p.m., Apple TV End of regular season Oct. 29-31 POWRi Racing Nov. 5-7 POWRi Racing Nov. 12-15 Southwest RV Supershow Dec. 5 Team Texas: David Starr’s Racing School Dec. 12 NASCAR Racing Experience April 30 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series SpeedyCash.com 250 May 1 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Andy’s Frozen Custard 300 May 2 NASCAR Cup Series Wurth 400 <\/p>\n This story was originally published October 27, 2026 at 12:49 AM.<\/p>\n