Blogging The Boys
The Dallas Cowboys are at a low point in a 2025 season that’s been a roller coaster, and one that is destined to head back into the station after three more games against the Chargers, Commanders, and Giants. There is greater than a 99% chance that after the final ups and downs of these three games on Brian Schottenheimer’s first ride as head coach of America’s Team, the thrills that fans will be seeking will shift in nature dramatically from competing in a wide-open 2025 playoffs to seeing the team commit even further to roster building and fielding a stronger contender in 2026.
The focus of these final three Cowboys games will shift towards longer-term roster evaluation as early as Saturday should the Eagles clinch the NFC East with a win against the Commanders. It is the Cowboys’ offense that seemingly has more blue chip players on locked in contracts to project a brighter future, but this doesn’t come without concerning questions being asked about the struggling Matt Eberflus defense at the moment. The entire weight of Schottenheimer’s emphasis on culture and competitiveness has been boiled down into the actions of one player on the offensive side of the ball, who will go into the offseason without a contract for the following season secured. After two straight down games against the Lions and Vikings, George Pickens has brought a lot of attention to himself for reasons that are unfortunately familiar given his past with the Steelers. On the other hand, Pickens proved capable of carrying the passing offense by himself in games without CeeDee Lamb earlier this season, something no other Dallas receiver has done in years.
Coming into their last home game of the season off back-to-back losses, one of the best things the Cowboys can see against the Chargers besides a win is both Lamb and Pickens consistently making big plays. If not, something that didn’t feel possible for much of the season will become a sad reality at the very start of the offseason, and that is the Cowboys still not having the right chemistry and makeup to their wide receiver room and talent at the skill positions in general to support an offense that can win in December and ultimately January/February.
For different reasons, some of the same things were said about the Chargers last season going into the playoffs, and were proven right when their pass offense was shut down by a stifling Houston Texans defense. They will be looking to inch closer to securing a second straight trip to the playoffs, as well as use this opportunity as a “get right” game for their receivers, against a Cowboys secondary that puts up little resistance.
The predictable argument the Cowboys would make against needing to shake up an offense they’ve already made big financial commitments to is that they are on track to finish as one of the league’s top scoring units once again. The Cowboys have fielded the league’s top-ranked offense in the past...
