Holding onto a less than 1% playoff qualification chance, the Dallas Cowboys are gearing up for Week 16. The Cowboys were on a 3-game winning streak, and their qualification path was wide open. Unfortunately, the Lions and Vikings clashes happened after, and now they are on a two-game losing streak. Amid all the chaos, head coach Brian Schottenheimer has shed some light on the performance of the offensive line around quarterback Dak Prescott.

“When you talk about the last two games, we haven’t protected Dak [Prescott] very well,” said HC Schottenheimer before Wednesday’s practice session, via the Dallas Cowboys post-game conference. “I think I’m always going to put myself out there first. I thought again; [Brian] Flores frustrated us with some things, and I needed to be better. But the biggest thing for me with the tackles specifically, which you asked about, is the fundamentals and the sets and the leverage and how they’re keeping the inside alignment and stuff like that. But we need to play better.”

He further added, “We need to keep Dak upright. We need to let Dak throw out of a firm pocket because when you give Dak that type of time, we’ve all seen what he’s capable of doing. And that’s what we did for a lot of the year. And the last two games, I think, truly are situations where we struggle a little bit when we don’t do that.”

Exactly, Dak Prescott has been phenomenal this season. He has covered 3,931 yards, which is the most by any quarterback in 2025. He has also scored 26 touchdowns, which is the third most this season by a QB.

However, in the last two games, he has scored only one touchdown. That is not all. He was sacked twice against the Vikings, with one occurring when the Cowboys were on 4th down. Against the Lions, he threw two interceptions.

The stats speak for themselves. If given time and space, Dak Prescott excels, but the offensive line has failed to provide him with that in the last two games. Prescott has fallen prey to pressure and QB hurries. The O-line has failed to cover the star quarterback on offensive plays, leading to his being underutilized.

Amid Brian Schottenheimer addressing his O-line, he takes a firm stance on sitting the quarterback for the final three games of the regular season.

Brian Schottenheimer wants to win

The Dallas Cowboys have a negligible chance of making it to the postseason, with many believing their qualification dreams are over. With the situation taking a turn for the worse in the last couple of games, it only feels right for the head coach to sit his top players and give others a chance in the last three games. However, Brian Schottenheimer does not share the same view. He clearly mentioned that he will keep Dak Prescott on the field and not Joe Milton, especially since he has a winning mentality.

“I want to win, so the plan would be to play Dak,” said Brian Schottenheimer after Wednesday’s practice session, via Tommy Yarrish of DallasCowboys.com.

Schottenheimer wants to finish the season on a firm note, sending the other teams a warning ahead of the next season.

Dallas has been the best team in the NFL in offense, and Dak Prescott is at its core. Among his other stats, he has a 72.9 QBR, making him second in passer rating, and a success rate of 68.4% in passing.

So, playing the 32-year-old will be crucial if the Cowboys want to win their last three games. They will go up against the Chargers, Commanders, and Giants, with the last two being away from home.

With the defense already on the verge of getting a major reset, it will be interesting to see how things develop for the Dallas Cowboys in the upcoming weeks. Will the Cowboys improve their offensive line, or will Prescott have to go through more pressures and QB hurries? Everything will become clear in just a few days.