The Dallas Cowboys defeated the Seattle Seahawks 17-7 on Saturday, but their penalty problems frustrated head coach Brian Schottenheimer. Dallas committed 13 penalties, two more than the 11 penalties it had in its 2025 preseason opener.
The Cowboys had already been flagged six times by halftime when Schottenheimer made his frustration clear. “At the end of the day, the penalties are killing us. We have to be way better with our hands. … We gotta run the ball. We’re not getting any movement up front. … Hey, it’s young-guy football,” Schottenheimer said, per The Athletic’s Jon Machota.
Cornerback Caelen Carson was penalized three times during Dallas’ first three drives, including two pass interference penalties and a facemask. He was later called for holding. Then left tackle Marcellus Johnson was also flagged on consecutive plays for a false start and illegal use of his hands.
The Cowboys continued making mistakes after halftime, eventually reaching 13 penalties. Their final penalty came when Dallas was called for too many men on the field during a punt return.
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On the other hand, Seattle was penalized eight times, bringing the two teams to 21 penalties combined. Dallas still produced enough offensively to win. Sam Howell completed 8 of 12 passes for 94 yards, while Joe Milton III went 12-of-15 for 107 yards and a touchdown. Camden Brown caught touchdown passes from both quarterbacks.
But at the same time, the Cowboys may have found something worth celebrating beyond the 17-7 win over the Seahawks.
Cowboys posted zero missed tackles in the preseason opener
Dallas had 19 missed tackles in last year’s preseason opener, but Next Gen Stats charted the Cowboys with zero missed tackles in Saturday night’s game.
That is a significant improvement in one of the most basic areas of defensive football. While preseason statistics need to be viewed in context, going from 19 missed tackles to none is a stark contrast and suggests Dallas’ defense was much more disciplined and reliable in finishing plays. That’s dramatic!
The Cowboys still have plenty to clean up after committing 13 penalties, but their tackling was a clear positive from the preseason opener.
But the overall improvement was good. Defensive coordinator Christian Parker had a strong debut as the Cowboys’ defensive play-caller.
In his first game calling plays, Parker remained composed even when the Cowboys faced early adversity. After a muffed punt gave Seattle possession at the Dallas 5-yard line, Parker reportedly told Brian Schottenheimer over the headset, “They ain’t in.”
The Seahawks never reached the end zone, as Dallas forced a turnover on downs and recorded a sack on the final play of the drive. Schottenheimer praised Parker afterward, calling him “calm, cool, convicted” and saying he “did a great job.”
HC said, “He was really good. I was over there listening on [channel] two. He is what he is, man. He’s calm, cool, convicted… We need the adversity. There’s going to be adversity, and that’s going to happen in this season. And so it was really cool for our guys to respond, but I thought he did a great job.”
Dallas allowed an 80-yard touchdown drive to open the game, but the defense settled down afterward. Seattle finished with only 156 total yards and did not score again.
So, the 17-7 victory was encouraging, but the improvement in the penalty total gives Schottenheimer an obvious issue to address before the regular season.
