Cowboys HC Brian Schottenheimer Reveals Who’s To Blame For Team’s Embarrassing Week 1 Loss To Giants

This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.

After all the Super Bowl talk coming from Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, their 2026 season did not start as hoped. And Brian Schottenheimer is fuming. 

Despite the team’s retooling ahead of Week 1, they still fell flat on the field. The Dallas Cowboys were defeated by the New York Giants, 28-20. 

Sure enough, there were some lapses within the game. While their defense is a bit questionable, it was their offense – the thing they were supposed to be good at – that failed them.

Brian Schottenheimer Blamed His Young Players After Loss

After their season opener dud, Schottenheimer was not in the mood to sugarcoat things. He was fuming in front of the media.

Moreover, he did not mince his words on who to blame for the Cowboys’ loss.

“You know, one other thing, not an excuse, guys. We did not play well. But you got young players. And young player closes and Jaxson Dart boots and gets outside. We don’t push three different times to the f***** flat route. Excuse my language. You know, like, those are gonna happen. And we have to coach the young players better, but when you play young players, it’s part of the deal. And they need to learn quickly,” Brian Schottenheimer said to reporters.

The Cowboys’ defense was a cause of concern against the Giants. They allowed 165 yards in the loss. Dallas’ offense looked a bit worse, too. That unit only posted 244 total yards, and the running game was nearly non-existent.

Only rookie Caleb Downs played well amongst the youngsters. The rest? It’s hard to pinpoint if everything was the fault of the younger players. Some vets also had a hard time.

Cowboys Fans Worried About Shaky Start Of Brandon Audrey

While coach Brian Schottenheimer needs to worry about his team’s offense and defense in Week 2, some Cowboys fans are worried that superstar kicker Brandon Audrey’s game has fallen off.

Even though the former three-time Pro Bowler had little impact against the Giants, fans have noticed that his game has become a bit ‘shaky.’

Whether that’s true or not, the Cowboys have a ton to worry about in the upcoming weeks. They aspired to improve significantly after a so-so campaign in 2025. If they truly believe they could win a Super Bowl, Schottenheimer still has a lot of work to do to further improve this team.