Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer celebrates after a touchdown against the New York Giants at AT&T Stadium Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Cowboys' OT thriller embodies Brian Schottenheimer 'culture' in Dallas

Originally posted on Dallas Cowboys on SI
By Josh Sanchez | Last updated Sep 16, 2025 7:50 AM ET

The Dallas Cowboys had to rally and dig deep to pull out a Week 2 win over the division rival New York Giants in an instant classic. The Cowboys were a solid favorite going into the game, but it went down to the wire with the team relying on some historic Brandon Aubrey heroics to pull off an overtime thriller.

While many believe the Cowboys should have had their way with the Giants, the way Dallas won says a lot about what Brian Schottenheimer has preached since taking over as head coach.

From the moment Coach Schotty was named head coach, he preached "culture" and was aiming to build a strong locker room. The way the Cowboys came together through the adversity shows they were ready for exactly what he has prepared them for all offseason.

After the game, star quarterback Dak Prescott presented Schottenheimer with the game ball, and Schottenheimer expressed what it meant for him for his team to have his back.

Brian Schottenheimer had the @dallascowboys locker room HYPED after his first win as head coach ️@InsideTheNFL Mic'd Up on X pic.twitter.com/OIN8WvxHfW
— NFL (@NFL) September 15, 2025

“These guys saw in me the work ethic, the warrior mentally to fight to the end,” Schottenheimer said, via SI.com's Albert Breer. “They had my back. We’ve built something pretty special here from a culture standpoint. And I’ll remember this one for a long time.”

This is the type of win that can go a long way in keeping that culture going, especially for a young team that is the third-youngest in the league.

We'll have to see if the Cowboys can keep the momentum rolling into Week 3 when they hit the road to the Windy City for a showdown with the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field.

Kickoff is set for 4:25 p.m. ET on FOX.