Brian Schottenheimer might have dropped his Cowboys debut against the Eagles, but you wouldn’t know it from the way he talked afterward. “We’re a very confident group,” the first-year head coach said. “Confident in the guys that we have in that locker room.” And you can see where he’s coming from. With Micah Parsons no longer in Dallas, this team’s identity leans heavily on Dak Prescott.

And Dak showed up. Sure, there were a couple of drops from CeeDee Lamb late in the fourth, but outside of that, the QB looked steady. On top of it, the Cowboys’ run game—which was pretty much a ghost last season with just six rushing scores—suddenly looked alive. Against Philly, they found the end zone twice on the ground, thanks to Javonte Williams (54 yards on 15 carries with 2 TDs).

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Even after some glitter and touchdown, there has been a wrinkle. Or maybe three, if we’re keeping it real. The passing game and rushing attack looked sharp, but Coach Schottenheimer’s got a checklist heading into Week 2 against the Giants. We’ll study those issues one by one.

Linebackers & run defense can give Brian Schottenheimer a headache

Before we dive deep into the linebackers’ struggles against the Eagles, let’s talk about the second-year LB, Marist Liufau. Liufau was on the field for just 6 defensive snaps. But despite that tiny sample, PFF gave him a solid defensive grade (about 68.5). And if you ask Coach Schottenheimer, he’d say that Liufau has earned the right to play more snaps. “Certainly when we watch film, Marist is earning those rights to play more.”

And let’s just say Liufau taking more defensive snaps could be a better decision for the Cowboys at the moment. The reason? It’s Kenneth Murray Jr. and Jack Sanborn. Both the LBs recorded the team’s lowest PFF grades after the Week 1 showdown. Murray Jr., whom the Cowboys acquired earlier this offseason, played all 62 defensive snaps but posted one of the team’s worst PFF grades. PFF flagged his run-defense grade as very low (around high-20s), dubbing his overall performance as “plays way too soft.”

As for Sanborn? Same story. He logged 47 defensive snaps and finished near the bottom of the team’s PFF grades as well. PFF’s game notes show Sanborn’s run-defense grade was modest (roughly around the low-50s), not enough to shore up Dallas’ inside run issues. But the defensive struggles weren’t all about the linebackers.

The run defense followed the same script from the last season. The Cowboys allowed Jalen Hurts and his crew to rush for 158 yards and three touchdowns. Many would argue that it was just Week 1. But if the issue persists against the Giants, Brian Schottenheimer, along with the DC, Matt Eberflus, will have to take some action.

The Cowboys’ defense struggled to create turnovers

“Just finding ways to win, that’s what it comes down to,” Hurts said after winning the game 24-20 against the Cowboys. “It doesn’t matter how it looks, it doesn’t matter how it goes, it’s just about finding ways to win.” But Hurts’ ways to win over Dallas turned out to be a massive concern for the first-year head coach. We’ll tell you why. Last year, the Eagles allowed 45 sacks, which put them right in the middle of all the teams.

That means only one thing: the Cowboys’ defense could have made Hurts’ life harder. But they didn’t. Unlike the previous seasons, where Dallas’ defense has been good at creating turnovers, they didn’t force any fumbles and didn’t intercept Hurts at all. It’s surprising, given that Eberflus is usually known for defenses that are strong in that area. The result?

Hurts finished with 19-of-23 for 152 yards and ran for 62 yards with a couple of rushing TDs. Long story short: the Cowboys had to account for his mobility all night. With Russell Wilson coming next week, Schottenheimer and Eberflus would surely like to flip things up.

George Pickens got fewer opportunities in his Cowboys’ debut

Heading into the 2025 season, George Pickens was undoubtedly the Cowboys’ WR2 behind CeeDee Lamb. But if you check the scoreboard, tight end Jake Ferguson had more receptions than Pickens. Dak Prescott targeted Pickens on just four instances. The wideout completed three of them for 30 yards. Lamb led the receiving corps with 7 receptions for 110 yards. But his couple of drops in the fourth quarter turned out to be the biggest headline of the game.

That said, Pickens could have gotten more opportunities against the Eagles. But the head coach has his own reasoning when asked why the wideout was underused. “George is an incredible player,” Schottenheimer said. “They did cloud to him quite a bit, but each week is going to be different. You never go in and say ‘Okay, you get 13 or 14 this week, and you get four.’ We never do that. The ball kind of goes to certain spots.” Fair enough.

The way things are shaping up, there’s no doubt Pickens went underused in the season opener. However, expect Coach Schottenheimer to give him more opportunities against the Giants next week. Taken all together, while there’s a lot to be optimistic about for the first-year head coach, there’s no denying that. But if the Cowboys want to make it 1-1 next week, they’ve got to tackle these three concerns.