Decoding Schotty Wk 16 - Shutdown In Second Half
It was the tale of two halves and the offense was completely cut off when it mattered most.
Tuesdays – since about 2008 – have been my day to evaluate the offense in this space. We have called it “Decoding” over those years and then the name behind the decoding is the man with the play-sheet calling the plays and hopefully putting them in an order to attack that week’s opponent. This is where we try to figure out the tactical and strategic plot-lines of the game and get a feel for how well it worked out for that side of the ball. For those of you new here, two things: 1) ask questions of anything you don’t quite understand and 2) be aware that we do defense on Wednesdays (Tuesday this week).
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.
