The Dallas Cowboys opened locker room availability on Monday, but reporters found no players to interview after the home loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Most of the roster had already left the facility before the media got in, turning a scheduled session into an empty room.
That matters because the Cowboys fell to 3-5 after a 33-30 overtime loss at AT&T Stadium, with Chad Ryland sealing it on a 42-yard field goal. Jon Machota said he could not remember a locker-room availability where the majority of the roster had left before reporters arrived, a sign of how sharply Monday broke from routine.
Jerry Jones still backed Brian Schottenheimer after the loss, saying a lot of people let him down and calling it a total team effort. That defense landed before the team had offered any player explanation for the defeat, leaving the postgame message to come from the top while the locker room stayed silent.
The backdrop is not flattering for the Cowboys. They have not reached a Super Bowl since winning Super Bowl XXX in the 1995 season, and they have failed to qualify for the playoffs since 2023. Schottenheimer took over from Mike McCarthy last season, and the team is now in second place in the division behind the New York Giants.
For now, the story is less about what was said than what was missing. The Cowboys are next scheduled to face the Indianapolis Colts on Nov. 8, and the unresolved question is whether the next media access produces answers that Monday did not.
