Brian Schottenheimer promises to improve as Jerry Jones flags Cowboys’ gaffes in late loss to Ravens in Brazil
Longtime Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones did little to hide his frustration with how the final seconds unfolded in Sunday’s improbable loss to the Baltimore Ravens in the NFL’s debut game in Rio de Janeiro.
After Dallas scored to tie the game at 31 in the final minute, Baltimore received the ensuing kickoff with just seven seconds remaining. The game appeared destined for overtime. Instead, Brandon Aubrey’s kickoff sailed into the end zone for a touchback, and Lamar Jackson’s 27-yard pass to Zay Flowers moved the Ravens into position for a game-winning field goal.
Jones and Schottenheimer retraced the offensive sequence that culminated in Brandon Aubrey’s 23-yard game-tying field goal, beginning with the playcalling after Dallas reached first-and-goal at the 2-yard line. They also examined Prescott’s third-down throwaway, which forced the Cowboys to settle for the tying kick.
Jones acknowledged that the Cowboys could not change what happened in the final seconds but said they could use the experience to avoid repeating the same mistakes.
"There is no explanation you're satisfied with. None," the longtime Cowboys general manager said during his latest appearance on Dallas radio station 105.3 The Fan.
"Let's be sure that we all understand that. [The coaches] don't have one that they're satisfied with. ... But there's an evaluation of how not to make the same mistakes again. You can't get that back. [There's] no way to get it back. What you can do is use it ... to get better. That's what's being done."
Schottenheimer struck a similar tone in his first public comments since the Cowboys returned to the U.S., acknowledging the mistakes, accepting responsibility and emphasizing his continued alignment with Jones.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE OUTKICK SPORTS COVERAGE
"I'm man enough to take mistakes. I make a lot of mistakes. I'm certainly not perfect," Schottenheimer said. "And I know one thing, Jerry and I had a very good conversation about it. I explained it. He understands. He understands that there was a mistake that was made, and he was terrific. Great, sound advice. I value him. He's been around the game a long time, just like I have, and he's seen a lot of stuff.
"And so to me, that shows that he and I are aligned very closely. This will make me better. I'll be better. And again, I'm looking forward to lining up and playing this week against the Texans."
Schottenheimer then turned the focus to his own performance, adding, "I hurt our chance to win that game and I'll be better. And I'm better than that. I'm better than I performed in the last 28 seconds."
THE CRAIG CARTON SHOW–UNFILTERED, UNAPOLOGETIC AND UNMISSABLE. DOWNLOAD HIS DAILY PODCAST NOW!
Schottenheimer, the son of former NFL coach Marty Schottenheimer, said frustration over the third-down call influenced the kickoff decision, while communication between special teams coordinator Nick Sorensen and game management coordinator Ryan Feder also fell short.
"My dad had a rule — one play at a time," he said. "He talked a lot about it, because it happened to him. He made a decision on a play, it didn't go good, he was pissed off about it and it affected another decision. I think that's kind of what happened to me. So I'll take accountability for it. It's football and life. It's what happens."
Schottenheimer is just 20 games into his head-coaching career after spending a quarter-century on various NFL coaching staffs.
At 1-2 entering Week 4, the Cowboys will face the Houston Texans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Green Bay Packers over their next three games. The trio has combined for one win this season. Tampa Bay will also be without starting quarterback Baker Mayfield for the next few weeks, with undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels expected to fill in.