Brian Schottenheimer 'feels good' about Cowboys first half vs. Eagles

A first half full of end-to-end offense, the Philadelphia Eagles currently lead the Dallas Cowboys 21-20 at halftime. Both offenses are dominating, as zero punts have been recorded. Points are being put up on the board at a feverish pace, possibly something head coach Brian Schottenheimer wanted.

Schottenheimer spoke with NBC before going into the locker room, first answering a question about his offense. Almost everything has worked for them thus far. Whether it’s quarterback Dak Prescott finding his receivers or running back Javontae Williams impressing in his Cowboys debut.

“We’re getting completions,” Schottenheimer told NBC’s Melissa Starks. “We’re running the ball well. Our guys are playing hard. This is a hell of a football game right now and we feel good right now.”

Twelve of the 17 passes from Prescott have been caught, resulting in 127 yards. As usual, CeeDee Lamb is leading the way with 86 of those yards on just four receptions. Schottenheimer may be looking to get newly acquired George Pickens more involved coming out of the break.

On the ground, Williams has both of the Cowboys’ touchdowns. His nine carries for 38 yards may not be the most eye-popping stat but one Dallas will take from an average standpoint. Going for 4.2 yards per carry is solid against Philadelphia — even if Jalen Carter is not on the field. Positive stuff from the Cowboys offense.

The opposite can be said about the Dallas defense. Almost nothing is working right now, especially when it comes to getting Jalen Hurts on the ground. Downfield coverage might be good but the Cowboys will need to do a better job of keeping contain moving forward.

“We’ve got to tackle better, No. 1,” Schottenheimer said. “And our rush lane discipline is not good enough. We’ve got to get that cleaned up.”

Hurt gained 48 yards on the ground, getting into the end zone twice. A stat from ESPN’s Benjamin Solak revealed it’s the first two rushing touchdowns from Hurts on plays considered a scramble since Oct. 2, 2022. Certainly a problem Dallas needs to fix moving forward.

Especially since the Eagles will get the ball coming out of the half. At some point, Schottenheimer is going to need a stop out of his defense. Otherwise, the offense might feel as if they cannot go a drive without scoring. The first-time head coach is learning in a big way in his opening game.