The Cowboys aren't good in the turnover differential this season, and Brian Schottenheimer wants that to change.
The Dallas Cowboys, at 6-5-1 after three straight wins that include stirring victories over the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs, don't have too much to complain about.
But head coach Brian Schottenheimer does.
The Cowboys have been on a roll as of late, but that doesn't mean there aren't corrections to make and things to clean up, because as we get further into the season, mistakes are magnified and can be the difference between a playoff run continuing and ending.
And for Schotty, one thing sticks in his paw about his team in 2025, and it's something he knows has to get fixed as soon as possible.
“We have to get better with the football, we're minus-five, we're 25th in the league, that sucks,” Schotty said. “We got to fix that. For us to go where we want to go, we got to take care of the football."
As things stand, the Cowboys' offense has 15 turnovers, and the defense has only had 10 through 12 games, with the offense having at least one turnover in the last five games.
Conversely, the Lions rank seventh for turnover differential, at +12, with the offense only having three games out of the last nine where they haven't had a turnover.
But ...
Defensively, the 7-5 Lions only have one takeaway in the last four games.
In the end, to Schottenheimer, that is where the game on Thursday night will be won or lost.
"We got to take it away, and I really do think this game is going to come down to that because you got two physical teams that play the right style, and whichever team protects the football better, I think is going to win the game," he said.
So, the plan feels simple for the Cowboys to extend their winning streak to four: win the turnover battle.
Schotty has a weekly goal in this regard as he wants Dallas to win the in-game turnover battle 3 to 0.
Is that doable?
The offense was superb at protecting the football early in the season, with a four-game stretch of zero turnovers, but the cough-ups have returned recently.
If the Cowboys are to beat the Lions, they can't give extra positions to an offense that can run up the scoreboard. So winning the turnover battle - by any margin that means not "sucking'' - could be the difference.