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Decoding Schotty Week 16 - Shutdown In Second Half
It was the tale of two halves and the offense was completely cut off when it mattered most.
Bob Sturm
Dec 23, 2025
Here we go. Our objectives for today:
OVERALL OFFENSIVE EVALUATION
The Cowboys offense in 2025 is interesting and nuanced. Yes, they are very highly stacked in points scored and yards gained in the league and will go down as a “top-five offense,” so I am certain they don’t stink.
Yet, they do leave things to be desired before we attempt to claim they are anything close to “unstoppable” and these last two weeks speak to that. You can be powerful, impressive, and productive, but still there will be teams that have answers to your questions and therefore do not approach the coveted “unstoppable” status.
Again, it is weird to be extra critical of an offense that most teams would switch places with in a heart beat, but let’s just say the 2025 has left plenty of meat on the bone.
Here is how Sunday’s game looked from a half-by-half breakout:
I think the Chargers figured some things out. That is how you know you are well coached. A team puts you in a blender, so you pull a few levers and press a few buttons and you shut them down. Jim Harbaugh and his defensive coordinator Jesse Minter were on it. They did.
Here is how the drive chart worked:
The Cowboys scored with 8:08 left in the 2nd Quarter to make the score, 17-14, Dallas. And they would never score again.
From that point on, Los Angeles won, 20-0.
Oof.
The Chargers turned the Cowboys offense completely off
So, Coach Harbaugh, how did you do it?
“Played the run better.”
That is interesting, of course, because he also said they doubled and played 2-high, as well. So, if you are moving guys deeper in the secondary, then you are not loading the box. You still have just 11 defenders. How do you play the run better AND double-team Pickens or Lamb?
You need better players. If you can only have 11, then you have to have guys that don’t need babysitting or help to do their job. I know this is more about the Cowboys offense and we will do defense tomorrow, but imagine having guys where you don’t have to blitz, you don’t have to help run defense, and you can just move pieces around to address the biggest threats without something else breaking?
It sounds like an amazing luxury and what a true contender looks like.
Having your run game stopped at Halftime
Back after the Detroit game, we talked about run success rates falling as the season has gone along, but I couldn’t believe this game Sunday.
The Cowboys just missed the 40 to 50 percent target threshold for run success with a 9-of-23 showing for 39 percent. On the surface, that is not great, but not horrible, either.
Yet, once you look closer, it gets rough.
Here is the first half: 9 of 12 (75%) with green marks for the successful runs and red for the unsuccessful. Think about that, 75% before halftime!
Here are five of the better runs in that half:
I feel like all five of those runs above showed 66-TJ Bass looking great. He is a backup, so to see Bass clearing guys out is exciting.
Now, halftime arrives, and the Chargers make changes. How did the Cowboys run after the half?
Zero percent.
That is right. They went 0-for-11.
Second half: 0 of 11 (0%) – all red marks.
The first thing I see is that Javonte had two second-half runs. Here are some key third-down runs that all seemed to struggle once the Chargers cranked it up.
Looks like someone is taking a loss on each of these runs. Not everyone, but someone is losing. Tyler Booker, Cooper Beebe, TJ Bass. They all had breakdowns. And before long, you can’t run the ball at all and you lose on 4th and 1.
Here are the stats. Not good enough all the way down:
And yet again, 1-for-3 in the red zone is killing the Cowboys.
Dallas was up in the top-10 in red zone before Thanksgiving and is now 20th. You simply cannot go 4-for-11 in the red zone in December and live to tell about it. Too many field goals and giving up too many touchdowns.
Defending CeeDee Lamb
I know that Matt Eberflus has made us dislike zone defenses, but the Chargers seem to play it the right way. CeeDee Lamb did get the ball a lot, but you can see the swarms around him. They limit his danger and crowd George Pickens, but more importantly, they make explosive plays difficult to come by.
Dallas needs better solutions vs zone and 2-high, but that is the point. The entire NFL needs better answers against this type of defense. But, to run it, you have to be able to rush the passer with just four guys. Dallas doesn’t have the edges (anymore) and therefore cannot consider it. The Chargers can.
Tyler Smith, left tackle
I will write about this offensive line in the offseason plenty, so I won’t give you an essay here. But, the Tyler Smith move is an interesting one for a number of reasons. I have always felt he is an elite guard and a “decent” tackle, but this isn’t about just him. This is about this entire OL. Regardless, his issue at LT will be pass protection, so I wanted to show you some key snaps of him in pass pro. He did fine, but that holding penalty was huge on the third snap. Tyler is a great talent.
FILM STUDY
1Q - 11:59 - 4-2-LAC 39 - D.Prescott pass deep left to G.Pickens to LAC 11 for 28 yards (C.Hart). DAL-C.Beebe was injured during the play.
This is the very first drive of the game and a 4th and 2 from the Chargers 39. Great to see them not settling for a long field goal. Also, great to see Dak trust George Pickens on a back shoulder fade against anyone with a single-high safety. This is candy from a baby and a true cheat code. He is a dominant edge player.
1Q - 10:25 - 3-4-LAC 5 - D.Prescott pass short left to R.Flournoy for 5 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
Very clever red zone conversion here as they use Lamb and Pickens to draw attention and then slide Ryan Flournoy from motion all the way underneath to work the middle of the field and then slide into the end zone. Great job from the young WR3 and Dak gets it to him quickly.
2Q - 14:18 - 3-4-LAC 5 - D.Prescott pass short middle to R.Flournoy for 5 yards, TOUCHDOWN NULLIFIED by Penalty. PENALTY on DAL-T.Smith, Offensive Holding, 10 yards, enforced at LAC 5 - No Play.
This is a 4-point play a the 5-yard line where nobody is open. Dak somehow stays alive and makes a sensational throw to Flournoy for a touchdown, but it is called back because Tyler Smith holds on Khalil Mack on the edge. This turns into a red zone stop and this is a very big moment in the game. But, that 2nd view will show you a big time throw. Hate to lose that one.
2Q - 8:14 - 2-2-LAC 38 - D.Prescott pass deep left to G.Pickens for 38 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
This is the snap where Jim Harbaugh decided that George Pickens will be doubled for the rest of the game as he lights Cam Hart on fire again. 2nd and 2 and Dak is not even considering anything else. If you leave Pickens singled on a vertical, it is over. Great throw, easy catch, and the Cowboys lead, 17-14. Surely, the will score 40 today.
2nd Half, or as we now know it, when Harbaugh and the Chargers decided to cut off all the supply lines.
3Q - 10:37 - 3-9-DAL 21 - D.Prescott pass short right to H.Luepke to DAL 35 for 14 yards
Must stay out of 3rd and long because that is where the Chargers will lean into 2-deep, which actually seems to be 3-deep safeties who all are over the top of all three Cowboys threats who try to get to the sticks. Lamb has two guys up top. Pickens has two guys as the No. 3 on the left and Ferguson has two guys as the slot left. The Chargers are making Dak dump it short and Hunter Luepke makes a man miss and converts. But, you can see, the Chargers can get there with four. Khalil Mack is in the vs Steele and flushing Dak, so he must unload. Good job here, but it might be the only real conversion on the day.
3Q - 9:48 - 3-10-DAL 35 - D.Prescott scrambles up the middle to DAL 41 for 6 yards (D.James).
Stay out of 3rd and long. Here is 3rd and 10. Chargers have everyone covered with multiple pieces so Dak can check it down or try to get it himself with a scramble. BUt, that is Derwin James and Dak isn’t getting that done. James is too good. So, yeah, where are my solutions here? It is 24-17, but the 3rd down situation looks pretty much solution-free. Basically, stay out of 3rd and 10, because they have seven guys back against your three and there is nowhere to go with the ball.
3Q - 2:18 - 4-1-LAC 16 - H.Luepke up the middle to LAC 16 for no gain (D.Hand; J.Caldwell).
This is probably the play of the game with Dallas still at 24-17. 4th and 1 from the Chargers 15 and you try fullback dive. Unfortunately, TJ Bass completely whiffs on his man and the Chargers are in the backfield. 99-Jamaree Caldwell, the rookie DT, blows past Bass and 91-Da’Shawn Hand is able to get in from the otherside where he beats Steele and we have a massive shift in the game situation. I don’t love the call with Dak Prescott and Javonte Williams seemingly better options, but Williams has hardly played in the last two weeks with a neck injury and Kavonte Turpin was lined up deep on 4th and 1? I hate this plan completely. No wonder they went to Luepke, but even that seems telegraphed. Basically, I will go back to my previous premise – they don’t have enough RBs on this roster that are big and strong. This has been true all season and I don’t know why they are not addressing it because it is costing them.
4Q - 7:11 - 3-10-DAL 46 - D.Prescott pass incomplete deep middle to K.Turpin.
Now, you are down 27-17 and time is short. The Chargers are taking big chunks off the clock and the Cowboys need to play well and to do it fast. Instead, they once again false start on 3rd and 5 into 3rd and 10 and now they know that Lamb and Pickens are both going to have a safety over the top of both of them. Shell coverage on 3rd and 10 is just too difficult to find solutions, too, so the plan here is to widen out those safeties and get Kavonte Turpin down the middle of them both and to isolate him against Derwin James and hope for a speed mismatch or a Pass Interference. Dak throws it but Turpin seems to expect something else and I have no good theories except this ball and receiver are not even in the same region. That is not great at all. Los Angeles is getting what it wants, though. No Lamb and No Pickens.
4Q - 7:05 - 4-10-DAL 46 - D.Prescott pass incomplete deep right to J.Mingo [T.Tuipulotu].
Last chance on the very next play. This is a complete mess and a great reason why people were feeling hopeless. Protection is breaking down, Dak is trying to stay alive and I see few options. I do think a dump quick to Ferguson has a chance, but again, they have Dallas locked down. 3rd and 10 and 4th and 10 are just losing propositions and it went that way almost all day. This pass to 81-Mingo is affected by the QB hit and the Cowboys do go quietly into the offseason with this thud.
Once again, for the 3rd December game in a row, the offense was not nearly good enough. They can blame the defense, but this offense of these three weeks is just not where it should be right now.
And that is pretty disappointing.
It was the tale of two halves and the offense was completely cut off when it mattered most.
Bob Sturm
Dec 23, 2025
Here we go. Our objectives for today:
- Overall Offensive Evaluation
- The Chargers turned the Cowboys offense completely off
- Having your run game stopped at Halftime
- Defending CeeDee Lamb
- Tyler Smith, left tackle
- Look at plenty of All-22 film and see what we can see.
OVERALL OFFENSIVE EVALUATION
The Cowboys offense in 2025 is interesting and nuanced. Yes, they are very highly stacked in points scored and yards gained in the league and will go down as a “top-five offense,” so I am certain they don’t stink.
Yet, they do leave things to be desired before we attempt to claim they are anything close to “unstoppable” and these last two weeks speak to that. You can be powerful, impressive, and productive, but still there will be teams that have answers to your questions and therefore do not approach the coveted “unstoppable” status.
Again, it is weird to be extra critical of an offense that most teams would switch places with in a heart beat, but let’s just say the 2025 has left plenty of meat on the bone.
Here is how Sunday’s game looked from a half-by-half breakout:
I think the Chargers figured some things out. That is how you know you are well coached. A team puts you in a blender, so you pull a few levers and press a few buttons and you shut them down. Jim Harbaugh and his defensive coordinator Jesse Minter were on it. They did.
Here is how the drive chart worked:
The Cowboys scored with 8:08 left in the 2nd Quarter to make the score, 17-14, Dallas. And they would never score again.
From that point on, Los Angeles won, 20-0.
Oof.
The Chargers turned the Cowboys offense completely off
So, Coach Harbaugh, how did you do it?
“Played the run better.”
That is interesting, of course, because he also said they doubled and played 2-high, as well. So, if you are moving guys deeper in the secondary, then you are not loading the box. You still have just 11 defenders. How do you play the run better AND double-team Pickens or Lamb?
You need better players. If you can only have 11, then you have to have guys that don’t need babysitting or help to do their job. I know this is more about the Cowboys offense and we will do defense tomorrow, but imagine having guys where you don’t have to blitz, you don’t have to help run defense, and you can just move pieces around to address the biggest threats without something else breaking?
It sounds like an amazing luxury and what a true contender looks like.
Having your run game stopped at Halftime
Back after the Detroit game, we talked about run success rates falling as the season has gone along, but I couldn’t believe this game Sunday.
The Cowboys just missed the 40 to 50 percent target threshold for run success with a 9-of-23 showing for 39 percent. On the surface, that is not great, but not horrible, either.
Yet, once you look closer, it gets rough.
Here is the first half: 9 of 12 (75%) with green marks for the successful runs and red for the unsuccessful. Think about that, 75% before halftime!
Here are five of the better runs in that half:
I feel like all five of those runs above showed 66-TJ Bass looking great. He is a backup, so to see Bass clearing guys out is exciting.
Now, halftime arrives, and the Chargers make changes. How did the Cowboys run after the half?
Zero percent.
That is right. They went 0-for-11.
Second half: 0 of 11 (0%) – all red marks.
The first thing I see is that Javonte had two second-half runs. Here are some key third-down runs that all seemed to struggle once the Chargers cranked it up.
Looks like someone is taking a loss on each of these runs. Not everyone, but someone is losing. Tyler Booker, Cooper Beebe, TJ Bass. They all had breakdowns. And before long, you can’t run the ball at all and you lose on 4th and 1.
Here are the stats. Not good enough all the way down:
And yet again, 1-for-3 in the red zone is killing the Cowboys.
Dallas was up in the top-10 in red zone before Thanksgiving and is now 20th. You simply cannot go 4-for-11 in the red zone in December and live to tell about it. Too many field goals and giving up too many touchdowns.
Defending CeeDee Lamb
I know that Matt Eberflus has made us dislike zone defenses, but the Chargers seem to play it the right way. CeeDee Lamb did get the ball a lot, but you can see the swarms around him. They limit his danger and crowd George Pickens, but more importantly, they make explosive plays difficult to come by.
Dallas needs better solutions vs zone and 2-high, but that is the point. The entire NFL needs better answers against this type of defense. But, to run it, you have to be able to rush the passer with just four guys. Dallas doesn’t have the edges (anymore) and therefore cannot consider it. The Chargers can.
Tyler Smith, left tackle
I will write about this offensive line in the offseason plenty, so I won’t give you an essay here. But, the Tyler Smith move is an interesting one for a number of reasons. I have always felt he is an elite guard and a “decent” tackle, but this isn’t about just him. This is about this entire OL. Regardless, his issue at LT will be pass protection, so I wanted to show you some key snaps of him in pass pro. He did fine, but that holding penalty was huge on the third snap. Tyler is a great talent.
FILM STUDY
1Q - 11:59 - 4-2-LAC 39 - D.Prescott pass deep left to G.Pickens to LAC 11 for 28 yards (C.Hart). DAL-C.Beebe was injured during the play.
This is the very first drive of the game and a 4th and 2 from the Chargers 39. Great to see them not settling for a long field goal. Also, great to see Dak trust George Pickens on a back shoulder fade against anyone with a single-high safety. This is candy from a baby and a true cheat code. He is a dominant edge player.
1Q - 10:25 - 3-4-LAC 5 - D.Prescott pass short left to R.Flournoy for 5 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
Very clever red zone conversion here as they use Lamb and Pickens to draw attention and then slide Ryan Flournoy from motion all the way underneath to work the middle of the field and then slide into the end zone. Great job from the young WR3 and Dak gets it to him quickly.
2Q - 14:18 - 3-4-LAC 5 - D.Prescott pass short middle to R.Flournoy for 5 yards, TOUCHDOWN NULLIFIED by Penalty. PENALTY on DAL-T.Smith, Offensive Holding, 10 yards, enforced at LAC 5 - No Play.
This is a 4-point play a the 5-yard line where nobody is open. Dak somehow stays alive and makes a sensational throw to Flournoy for a touchdown, but it is called back because Tyler Smith holds on Khalil Mack on the edge. This turns into a red zone stop and this is a very big moment in the game. But, that 2nd view will show you a big time throw. Hate to lose that one.
2Q - 8:14 - 2-2-LAC 38 - D.Prescott pass deep left to G.Pickens for 38 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
This is the snap where Jim Harbaugh decided that George Pickens will be doubled for the rest of the game as he lights Cam Hart on fire again. 2nd and 2 and Dak is not even considering anything else. If you leave Pickens singled on a vertical, it is over. Great throw, easy catch, and the Cowboys lead, 17-14. Surely, the will score 40 today.
2nd Half, or as we now know it, when Harbaugh and the Chargers decided to cut off all the supply lines.
3Q - 10:37 - 3-9-DAL 21 - D.Prescott pass short right to H.Luepke to DAL 35 for 14 yards
Must stay out of 3rd and long because that is where the Chargers will lean into 2-deep, which actually seems to be 3-deep safeties who all are over the top of all three Cowboys threats who try to get to the sticks. Lamb has two guys up top. Pickens has two guys as the No. 3 on the left and Ferguson has two guys as the slot left. The Chargers are making Dak dump it short and Hunter Luepke makes a man miss and converts. But, you can see, the Chargers can get there with four. Khalil Mack is in the vs Steele and flushing Dak, so he must unload. Good job here, but it might be the only real conversion on the day.
3Q - 9:48 - 3-10-DAL 35 - D.Prescott scrambles up the middle to DAL 41 for 6 yards (D.James).
Stay out of 3rd and long. Here is 3rd and 10. Chargers have everyone covered with multiple pieces so Dak can check it down or try to get it himself with a scramble. BUt, that is Derwin James and Dak isn’t getting that done. James is too good. So, yeah, where are my solutions here? It is 24-17, but the 3rd down situation looks pretty much solution-free. Basically, stay out of 3rd and 10, because they have seven guys back against your three and there is nowhere to go with the ball.
3Q - 2:18 - 4-1-LAC 16 - H.Luepke up the middle to LAC 16 for no gain (D.Hand; J.Caldwell).
This is probably the play of the game with Dallas still at 24-17. 4th and 1 from the Chargers 15 and you try fullback dive. Unfortunately, TJ Bass completely whiffs on his man and the Chargers are in the backfield. 99-Jamaree Caldwell, the rookie DT, blows past Bass and 91-Da’Shawn Hand is able to get in from the otherside where he beats Steele and we have a massive shift in the game situation. I don’t love the call with Dak Prescott and Javonte Williams seemingly better options, but Williams has hardly played in the last two weeks with a neck injury and Kavonte Turpin was lined up deep on 4th and 1? I hate this plan completely. No wonder they went to Luepke, but even that seems telegraphed. Basically, I will go back to my previous premise – they don’t have enough RBs on this roster that are big and strong. This has been true all season and I don’t know why they are not addressing it because it is costing them.
4Q - 7:11 - 3-10-DAL 46 - D.Prescott pass incomplete deep middle to K.Turpin.
Now, you are down 27-17 and time is short. The Chargers are taking big chunks off the clock and the Cowboys need to play well and to do it fast. Instead, they once again false start on 3rd and 5 into 3rd and 10 and now they know that Lamb and Pickens are both going to have a safety over the top of both of them. Shell coverage on 3rd and 10 is just too difficult to find solutions, too, so the plan here is to widen out those safeties and get Kavonte Turpin down the middle of them both and to isolate him against Derwin James and hope for a speed mismatch or a Pass Interference. Dak throws it but Turpin seems to expect something else and I have no good theories except this ball and receiver are not even in the same region. That is not great at all. Los Angeles is getting what it wants, though. No Lamb and No Pickens.
4Q - 7:05 - 4-10-DAL 46 - D.Prescott pass incomplete deep right to J.Mingo [T.Tuipulotu].
Last chance on the very next play. This is a complete mess and a great reason why people were feeling hopeless. Protection is breaking down, Dak is trying to stay alive and I see few options. I do think a dump quick to Ferguson has a chance, but again, they have Dallas locked down. 3rd and 10 and 4th and 10 are just losing propositions and it went that way almost all day. This pass to 81-Mingo is affected by the QB hit and the Cowboys do go quietly into the offseason with this thud.
Once again, for the 3rd December game in a row, the offense was not nearly good enough. They can blame the defense, but this offense of these three weeks is just not where it should be right now.
And that is pretty disappointing.