In a game riddled with offensive line injuries and down CeeDee Lamb again, by halftime, the Dallas Cowboys were up 23-3 over the New York Jets. Though it wouldn’t have been possible without the effort of the players, head coach Brian Schottenheimer deserves a ton of credit for building a comfortable cushion heading into the second half.

Multiple times, Schottenheimer displayed his aggressive side in game management. As a result, he gave the Cowboys additional chances to put points on the board. Facing second and seven with under two minutes to go in the first half on their own 27-yard line, Schottenheimer called a pass that moved the chains.

The choice culminated in a seven-play, 91-yard drive and a touchdown that extended the Cowboys’ lead to 17-3. Later, the Cowboys’ defense forced the Jets’ offense to face a third and 17 with 43 seconds left to go before halftime.

Schottenheimer used a timeout. Moments later, Dallas’ defense got a stop, and running back Javonte Williams broke out for a 66-yard gain to set up a touchdown to make the halftime score 23-7.

Again, those decisions wouldn’t have meant anything without the players’ execution. But the coach’s job is to put their team in a position to succeed, and that’s exactly what Schottenheimer did repeatedly throughout the team’s 37-22 win.

Even after the Cowboys’ first touchdown, the head coach was willing to go for two in response to a Jets’ penalty that cut down the distance to the end zone. A Cowboys penalty pushed back the attempt, so the team ended up settling for an extra point, but the intention was clear.

The Cowboys’ offense, down four starting offensive linemen and multiple wide receivers, started the second half with back-to-back punts. However, a 20-point lead made life easier for the defense, which continued to make stops itself as Justin Fields was forced to drop back consistently.

All in all, it was a valiant effort from a banged-up Cowboys team that badly needed a win. And fans watching know it was the first of the year that wasn’t completely dramatic. A big reason for that? Schottenheimer’s aggression early on. Moving forward, I expect to see much more of that from the first-year head coach, who is still learning the job himself.

The 2025 Cowboys are far from perfect, especially because of a suspect defense that played well Sunday but has mostly struggled. The team needs Schottenheimer to be willing to bet on the offense. This weekend, he did. And it paid off.