Cowboys get what matters most but must embrace teachable moments

November 9, 2026

Bill Parcells was always toughest on his teams coming off a sloppy win. Bad loses often spoke for themselves and didn’t need extra ire from the head coach. What he was afraid of was a potentially toxic mindset that could develop on the heels of a poorly played victory.

Seeing the Dallas Cowboys celebrate one of the ugliest wins of the season in Week 9, it was hard not to think of the old Hall of Fame coach and imagine what the Big Tuna would do at a time like this. Brian Schottenhiemer’s warm and fuzzy coaching methods might have the love and admiration of the roster, but it’s hard to believe he commanded the same fear and attention Parcells had with his teams of old.

Mental mistake after mental mistake littered the field in Sunday’a 27-23 win.

A sloppy snap that led to a late missed field goal, another kickoff that failed to reach the landing zone, a fumble in the red zone followed by a half-hearted effort for retrieval, an out-of-uniform player celebrating on the field, sloppy routes, poor pass protection footwork, and 14 penalties for 153 yards highlight the list of issues that need to be addressed by the winning coach this week.

Play-calling continues to be an issue with the offense flipping conservative in the second half. While the Cowboys appeared to make a concentrated effort to use motion at the snap, the design and execution failed to create space from it either in routes or rushing lanes. On first count, Dallas had just a 42 percent success rate on plays with motion at the snap, which is below the 44 percent success rate the Cowboys offense had overall.

Using Dak Prescott under center worked extremely well, producing a 64 percent success rate in Week 9. Like motion, under center snaps have been rare for Dallas this season. Based on how well they worked this week, there’s no excuse for Schottenheimer not to increase usage as the season goes on. After all, being tough on the team includes being tough on the coaching staff and being tough in self-reflection.

Dallas got the win, 27-23, and at the end of the day, that’s what matters most. The now 4-5 Cowboys live to fight another day. The win gives them the privilege of addressing the ugliness as they look to salvage the season, but the win does not absolve the ugliness.

Parcells didn’t tolerate ugly wins, and neither should Schottenheimer. The win saved the season but only if the Cowboys can learn from it and become better for it. Let’s see how the next six days go.

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Top pics from Cowboys 27-23 thriller victory in Indy

Nov 8, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Dallas Cowboys safety Caleb Downs (13) intercepts a pass intended for Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Keenan Allen (10) during the fourth quarter at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

(Robert Goddin, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)