Last season, the Dallas Cowboys were very average in the red zone on offense. Just 57% of the time(h/t The K&C Masterpiece on 105.3 The Fan), they scored a touchdown in the red zone - good for 18th in the NFL. Not exactly what you want to hear if the Cowboys think they're the"Greatest Offense There Is” going into 2026…
But the good news is that Dallas and the players seem to be aware of the problem. CeeDee Lamb thinks the solution is pretty simple, too.
"Finishing in the end zone,” Lamb told Todd Archer of ESPN. “Executing when you need to, third downs, sometimes on first (down). Just being able to not really bat ourselves in the foot, those self-inflicted wounds or penalties that'll really bring us back or kill our momentum. And again, finishing in the end zone."
The Cowboys' 'greatest offense' needs to punch in touchdowns in the red zone
If there’s one thing the Cowboys could do better in the red zone this season, it’s taking care of the ball. They turned the ball over 11 times inside the red zone, combining actual turnovers and turnovers on downs. That’s about one-sixth of their red zone attempts.
Another thing Dallas needs to work on is getting more explosive plays for Javonte Williams outside of the 10-yard line. He had an amazing year last season with a career-high 11 rushing TDs. However, 10 of them came from inside the 10-yard-line. In fact, seven came from just the one-yard line.
The final thing the Cowboys need to focus on, as Lamb put it, is scoring touchdowns - especially scoring six instead of kicking for three. Dallas kicked the ball 17 times in the red zone last season.
Some of this falls on the players for the lack of production. After all, Lamb talks about self-inflicted wounds and penalties that hold the team back at times. But a lot of this falls on head coach Brian Schottenheimer. He’s the one calling the plays, and in his first season in charge, he wasn’t creative enough in the red zone.
What’s interesting is that with the offseason overhaul on defense, the pressure on the offense to put up over 30 points per game isn't as high as last season. However, Dak Prescott has been adamant that this will be one of the best offenses the franchise has ever seen. If he wants that to be true, then they need to figure out how to punch it in when they’re close to the end zone.
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