Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer is peddling optimism ahead of Sunday night’s tussle with Micah Parsons and the Green Bay Packers.
Outside the building, few expect the 1-2 Cowboys, who were thumped by the Chicago Bears on Sunday, to keep things competitive with the Packers, particularly with star receiver CeeDee Lamb and guard Tyler Booker on the shelf. Schotty isn't listening to that noise, noting they'll never use injuries as "an excuse"
"We are good enough to beat the Packers without CeeDee, Book and the guys we could be missing," he told reporters on Wednesday. "But the only way you do that is if you play well and execute. If you don't, you put yourself in a tough spot."
Of course, zero NFL coaches or players would say anything otherwise. At this level, you must enter every week with the conviction that victory is within reach. It's too physical and taxing a job to perform otherwise. Nevertheless, it's certainly an eye-catching quote.
Setting aside Booker's absence and what that could mean against Parsons and the rest of the Packers' defensive front, Lamb's absence alone is a massive blow to the Cowboys' chances.
Lamb, out several weeks with an ankle injury, has missed only three games in his career since being drafted in 2020. Dallas is 0-3 in those contests (one in 2021, two in 2024). The wideout's importance to the Cowboys' offensive operation can't be understated. Lamb is tied for first in the NFL in receiving yards (3,165) since 2023 (tied with Ja’Marr Chase). His 3,348 scrimmage yards since 2023 are fifth in the NFL (first among WRs).
Lamb has accounted for 24.6 percent of the Cowboys' scrimmage yards since 2023, third-highest in the NFL behind only running backs Bijan Robinson (27.8) and Breece Hall (27.7).
Yes, the Cowboys still have George Pickens, but playing without his go-to target puts Dak Prescott in a bind. Schottenheimer isn't worried about Prescott feeling the need to elevate those around him.
"Dak has to worry about Dak," he said. "We have a good plan for how we try to maneuver the personnel groupings, but it's hard to replace CeeDee. But injuries are part of the game and they'll probably going to be without their tackle. So, you lose players and it's next man up."
With a struggling Cowboys defense, the offense has had to carry the load, as they did in their 40-point performance in the lone victory. However, they face a Packers defense that has allowed an explosive play rate of 5.8%, the lowest of any defense through the first three weeks of a season in the Next Gen Stats era.
In a limited role early this season, Parsons has generated 1.5 sacks, one tackle for loss, six QB hits and 19 QB pressures, second in the NFL. Parsons has split time on both the left and right sides this season with a smattering in the interior.
Schottenheimer knows they must identify the game-wrecker Sunday night.
"I'm not going to give away our game plan for Micah, but we'll pay a lot of attention on Micah," he said. "Like I said, they got other good players as well. Micah could be dominant and we know that. We are going to hit him and put multiple people on him. It's going to be a long day for us and the guys trying to block him because he's that talented."
It's likely a longer day sans Booker.
After trading Parsons this offseason for Kenny Clark and two future first-round draft picks, the Cowboys' defense has been a mess, allowing a league-worst 9.4 pass yards per attempt and four sacks (28th). Oh, and they've also gotten run over on the ground.
"We have not been playing to the standard we want to play to, but if we had Micah, you can't predict that we'd be playing any better," he said. "You can't predict we'd be playing any better, any worse. Are you 3-0? Are you 0-3? You don't know, man. Those are projections. Again, we're focused on the things that we need to get better at. We realize we gotta get more pressure on the quarterback, but we also have to cover and communicate better."
The first-year coach is in a tough spot. What's he supposed to say? The Cowboys will have a chance to silence the critics -- or prove them correct -- on the field Sunday night at AT&T Stadium.
