![\"Dallas](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/dallas-cowboys-v-new-york-giants-east-rutherford-new-jersey-september-13.jpg\")
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EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – SEPTEMBER 13: Head coach Brian Schottenheimer of the Dallas Cowboys looks on while wearing a Never Forget shirt in honor of the 25th anniversary of 9\/11 during warm ups prior to the game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on September 13, 2026 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
A lot of the conversations this week about the Dallas Cowboys<\/a> have focused on the defense and the struggles they\u2019ve had after five games.<\/p>\n The Cowboys made subtle defensive changes in preparation for their Week 6 game against the Green Bay Packers<\/a>. Dallas hired Mike Pettine to the defensive coaching staff to assist defensive coordinator Christian Parker.<\/p>\n One aspect of the week that drew a lot of attention was the defensive players-only meeting held on Monday. The players met to discuss what needed to be done to resolve their issues. While reactions outside were mixed, many inside liked it.<\/p>\n Dallas Cowboys Leader Talks Players-Only Meeting<\/p>\n \n Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer was asked about the players-only meeting and what his thoughts were on it. Schottenheimer praised the initiative the team took to fix its problems.<\/p>\n \u201cI love it. I\u2019ve said from the very beginning, the best teams I\u2019ve ever been around are led by the locker room. And my information that I received from some of those guys that called that meeting, it was very productive. It was very open and honest.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe pride of that unit is strong. There\u2019s some really, really prideful men in that room and we\u2019re going to get it fixed. I have no question about that. But it doesn\u2019t bother me at all. It means everyone\u2019s rowing in the same direction trying to get this thing fixed.\u201d<\/p>\n Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer on the defensive team meeting: \u201cI love it. I\u2019ve said from the very beginning, the best teams I\u2019ve ever been around are led by the locker room. And my information that I received from some of those guys that called that meeting, it was very <\/p>\n The Cowboys rank last in run defense (168.4 yards per game)<\/a> and 31st in total defense (395.4 yards per game). They are also ranked 21st in pass defense (227 yards per game) and 25th in total defense (27.2 points per game).<\/p>\n Will the Players-Only Meeting Pay Off for the Cowboys?<\/p>\n \n Most people don\u2019t like players-only meetings because of what they signal. Usually, it happens to bad teams, and it never leads to success. One understood rule is to avoid it if possible.<\/p>\n The Cowboys are 2-3 and on the verge of losing it. Many Dallas players have publicly praised Parker and taken accountability for not getting the job done.<\/p>\n Entering their Week 6 game against the Packers, the players understand the urgency of this contest. This is a defining moment in the season: if the Cowboys can\u2019t resolve their issues, changes might be coming.<\/p>\n While Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones has talked down the idea of firings or releases, the possibility remains. Dallas has spent a lot of money and draft capital to build this team.<\/p>\n The Cowboys can\u2019t afford any more step backs this season. Another loss could spark conversations about firings, trades, and releases for players and coaches in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tAnthony Miller<\/a> Anthony Miller is a veteran reporter covering the WNBA and College Football for Heavy.com. He has been with Heavy since 2026, as he has covered multiple professional leagues like the NFL, WNBA, UFL, XFL, USFL, PLL, MLS, and more since 2019. Currently, he covers the UFL as a reporter for UFL News Hub and FanSided as a site expert and contributor covering the Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bears, and Minnesota Vikings. More about Anthony Miller<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – SEPTEMBER 13: Head coach Brian Schottenheimer of the Dallas Cowboys looks on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1028156,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2066],"tags":[230,229,257,2461,7,6],"class_list":["post-1028155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-dallas-cowboys","tag-cowboys","tag-dallas","tag-dallas-cowboys","tag-dallascowboys","tag-football","tag-nfl"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/117444572047097454","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1028155","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1028155"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1028155\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1028156"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1028155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1028155"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1028155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Washington](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/washington-commanders-v-dallas-cowboys-arlington-texas-september-20-head-coach.jpg\")
GettyARLINGTON, TEXAS \u2013 SEPTEMBER 20: Head coach Brian Schottenheimer of the Dallas Cowboys looks at his play sheet in the fourth quarter of a game against the Washington Commanders<\/a> at AT&T Stadium on September 20, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Stacy Revere\/Getty Images)\n<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/GettyImages-2291764818_7619ae.jpg\")
GLENDALE, ARIZONA \u2013 AUGUST 22: Von Miller #40 of the Dallas Cowboys looks on during the preseason NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals<\/a> at State Farm Stadium on August 22, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen\/Getty Images)\n<\/p>\n