Cowboys’ Brian Schottenheimer blames execution after loss to Packers

Dallas Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said execution, rather than effort, was the problem after his team lost 23-13 to the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on Sunday, October 18. The defeat left Dallas 2-4 and extended its losing run to two games.

Asked how Dallas would respond, Schottenheimer said: “Go back to work. That’s what we’re going to do. Our guys are going to respond. It’s not the effort. It’s execution.” SB Nation reported the remarks from a postgame clip shared by The Athletic’s Jon Machota.

Dallas’s offense slows after a strong start

CBS Sports calculated that Prescott had eight touchdown passes and one interception across those first four games, with a 105.0 passer rating. Over the two losses, those figures shifted to two touchdowns, four interceptions and a 66.9 rating, while the Cowboys averaged 14.5 points. The figures show how sharply the offense’s production has fallen during the losing streak.

Against Green Bay, Prescott completed 15 of 29 passes targeting receivers CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, gaining 143 yards on those throws and throwing two interceptions, according to CBS Sports. The outlet described the offense’s difficulties as extending beyond the defense that had drawn concern earlier in the season.

Prescott says the offense fell short

Prescott said the defense had played well enough for Dallas to win but that the offense had failed to hold up its end, CBS Sports reported, citing The Dallas Morning News. His assessment put responsibility for the Green Bay defeat on the unit that had supplied much of Dallas’s early-season scoring.

Schottenheimer’s stated response is to return to work with his players. His distinction between effort and execution came after a second straight game in which the Cowboys scored less than 20 points, leaving the offense’s recent drop in production as the immediate problem for Dallas to address.