Brian Schottenheimer explains how Cowboys came together after death of Marshawn Kneeland

Before the Dallas Cowboys erased a 21-point deficit to earn a 24-21 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, members of the Cowboys spent time mourning the passing of defensive end Marshawn Kneeland. 

Shortly after the Cowboys improved to 5-5-1, head coach Brian Schottenheimer spoke with NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated about how the team came together on Nov. 10 after the bye week to honor Kneeland.

Brian Schottenheimer praises Cowboys' culture amid dealing with tragedy 

"We had a team meeting and we just talked and we laughed and we cried and we cried some more," Schottenheimer explained. "We had some experts there that we could talk to. We had breakout sessions where we could talk about it, share our feelings. I’m telling you, man, the healing for me started the minute I could put my arms around some of these guys, and tell them I love them and tell them how much I miss Marshawn, and that just kind of started it."

Authorities previously shared that Kneeland died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound following a police chase on Nov. 6. 11 days later, the Cowboys notched a 33-16 "Monday Night Football" win over the Las Vegas Raiders. 

More recently, the Dallas defense held Philadelphia scoreless in the second half of Sunday's game. The Cowboys also forced a huge turnover committed by Eagles running back Saquon Barkley when the contest was tied halfway through the fourth quarter. 

"We have such a great culture, man," Schottenheimer continued. "And I know some people think that’s bull—. But this locker room is different. This locker room is special. This locker room loves one another. This locker room will fight to the end for one another, and Marshawn was a huge part of that. And if anything, I think it’s kind of brought us even closer together."

Brian Schottenheimer believes Cowboys defense has flipped a switch

The Dallas defense routinely left much to be desired with its play from Week 1 through the end of October before Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones acquired defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and linebacker Logan Wilson ahead of the trade deadline. Meanwhile, ESPN stats show that the Cowboys began Monday leading the NFL with an average of 387.3 total yards gained per game. Dallas is fourth in the league with an average of 29.1 points scored per contest. 

"It’s been very well-noted that our defense up until the bye had really struggled," Schottenheimer acknowledged. "Obviously, they played really well last week. They played great again [on Sunday], in terms of stopping the run. That’s two weeks in a row [that] teams haven’t even tried to run the ball. I mean, you hold Saquon Barkley to 10 carries for 22 yards, man? But I think the confidence is there because we know how good we are as an offense, we know how fast we can score, how explosive we can be. And now that the defense is playing to the level that they’re playing to, there’s a confidence about this team. But I do think that when you go through pain, and you go through incredible loss and grief, there’s major power that comes with that."

The Cowboys next host the Kansas City Chiefs (6-5) on Thanksgiving Day. As of Monday morning, ESPN BET had Dallas as a 3.5-point underdog for that matchup.

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