Brian Schottenheimer not concerned about Cowboys after crushing loss for playoff hopes

The Dallas Cowboys (6-6-1) are always in the pressure cooker, just based on the brand they have built and who their owner is, but they have faced an inordinate amount of adversity this year. The Micah Parsons trade thrust the franchise under unrelenting scrutiny and left the team with a massive hole to fill on the defensive line. Core players missed several weeks due to injuries, forcing first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer to get creative. Despite the ridicule and hardship, this group has managed to grow stronger as the campaign has progressed.

But Thursday’s 44-30 loss to the Detroit Lions (8-5) was a devastating blow to the Cowboys’ playoff chances. They are now in 10th place in the NFC standings, needing to pass the Carolina Panthers, Lions and San Francisco 49ers in order to claim the third and final Wild Card slot. Winning out alone will not be enough. Translation: America’s Team is likely to miss the postseason for a second straight year.

Following an extremely difficult few weeks and two hard-earned home victories over the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas ran out of magic in Detroit. The Cowboys blossomed into the clutch squad that fans had been waiting for, and in an instant, their season is once again defined by missed opportunities in prime-time matchups. Enduring such an intense roller-coaster of emotions is bound to take its toll, right?

Schottenheimer believes in his team’s mental fortitude, even after what could be a playoff-denying defeat.

The Cowboys have gone through a lot

“Special group of guys,” the first-year HC said when asked if he is worried about this loss deflating the Cowboys, per The Athletic’s Jon Machota. “They’re not gonna let that happen. … We’ll pick ourselves up and go back to work.”

In November, Dallas mourned the loss of 24-year-old defensive end Marshawn Kneeland, who died by a self-inflicted gunshot wound after experiencing mental health issues and evading the police during a traffic pursuit. The Cowboys leaned on each other and sought to honor his memory. A crushing defeat should not break their spirit after all they have experienced in 2025.

Yes, the franchise’s hopes of competing for a championship are essentially no more, and the organization is bound to be skewered for some of its decisions, but the bond between HC Brian Schottenheimer and the Dallas locker room should be quite powerful heading into the 2026-27 campaign.

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