Updated October 11, 6:35 a.m. EDT: adds CeeDee Lamb’s quadriceps injury.
Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer has told his staff that changes are coming in every phase of the team after Thursday night’s 24–16 home loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but owner Jerry Jones has made clear the response will not start with firings.
The defeat at AT&T Stadium dropped Dallas to 2–3 and handed Tampa Bay its first win of the season, with an undrafted rookie, Jalon Daniels, at quarterback. With ten days between games, the Cowboys used the weekend to decide how far the shake-up should go before they visit the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, October 18.
What the coach and owner said
Speaking to reporters on Friday, October 9, Schottenheimer said he had met with his assistants and asked them to fix problems rather than explain them. “We are solution-makers. We’re not excuse-makers,” he said. He stressed that the review covers offense and special teams as well as defense, that the staff is taking an honest inventory of what the roster does well and badly, and that nothing would be rushed. The one specific area he named was playing time at outside linebacker, where the rotation is under review. Asked whether he was prepared to move players around until something works, he answered that he absolutely was.
Todd Archer reported that Schottenheimer framed the work as an evaluation running through the weekend. The coach also conceded that the team’s pattern of alternating wins and losses is not how good teams behave.
Brian Schottenheimer said he met with the coaches and told them they need to be "solution makers." He and the staff will use the weekend to go over potential changes that will be made, but said nothing would be rushed.
"The evaluation will be ongoing throughout the weekend and…
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) October 9, 2026
Jones, who also serves as general manager, said on Friday that he was extraordinarily disappointed and called the defensive performance mind-boggling. Even so, he said he was in no mood to dismiss anyone, arguing that it would not serve the team this early in the year. “We played five games. We have 12 more regular-season games and hopefully playoff games to go,” Jones said. He added that Schottenheimer was active in addressing the issues and signalled that no major coaching or roster moves were expected before the Green Bay game.
Much of the outside attention has fallen on Christian Parker, the first-year defensive coordinator. Nothing has been announced about his role, and neither Schottenheimer nor Jones named any coach when discussing possible changes.
How Tampa Bay ran over Dallas
The numbers explain the frustration. Tampa Bay rushed 39 times for 241 yards, gained 419 yards in all and held the ball for 39 minutes and 21 seconds, almost twice as long as Dallas. Bucky Irving carried 21 times for 165 yards, including a 72-yard burst, and scored twice: once on a 5-yard catch from Daniels in the second quarter and once on a 1-yard run in the third.
Dallas led 10–7 at halftime after a 1-yard touchdown run by Javonte Williams and a 41-yard field goal by Brandon Aubrey. The Buccaneers then scored 17 straight points in the third quarter, with Emeka Egbuka running in from 14 yards, Irving adding his rushing score and Chase McLaughlin hitting a 41-yard field goal to make it 24–10.
Daniels was efficient in his second career start, completing 19 of 25 passes for 189 yards and a touchdown without an interception. Dak Prescott threw for 316 yards but completed 24 of 42 attempts with two interceptions, by Yaya Diaby and Alex Anzalone. George Pickens caught nine passes for 130 yards, and his 18-yard touchdown with 5:26 left cut the gap to eight, but the two-point try failed and Dallas never drew closer. The Cowboys turned the ball over three times; Tampa Bay did not commit one.
Dallas also came out of the game with its top receiver banged up. CeeDee Lamb hurt his quadriceps during the loss, and Ian Rapoport reported the next morning that it is a bruise and that the long gap before the next game should help him recover. The team has not given a timeline, and Lamb’s status for Green Bay will not be set until the Cowboys issue their first injury report next week.
From @SportsCenter: #Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb is dealing with a quad bruise, and the extra few days should help. pic.twitter.com/ZvAGkdWkw7
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 9, 2026
Left tackle Tyler Guyton exited during the game because of his back. Broderick Jones finished at left tackle, and X-rays on Guyton came back clean.
What comes next
Dallas, which entered the weekend 31st in the league in yards allowed per game, plays at the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, October 18, at 8:20 p.m. EDT. Tampa Bay hosts the Pittsburgh Steelers the same day at 1:00 p.m. EDT. Full box score and play-by-play are in the Buccaneers–Cowboys Game Center.
No published comments yet. Start the conversation.