Dallas Cowboys Score by the Quarter: Why the First 15 Minutes Ruined the 2025 Season

If you spent any time watching America’s Team this past year, you probably felt that familiar, creeping sense of dread every time the opening kickoff landed in the end zone. It wasn't just your imagination or the leftover stress of seasons past. The numbers are actually in now, and honestly, they're pretty brutal. When we look at the Dallas Cowboys score by the quarter across the 2025 campaign, a very specific, very ugly pattern emerges that explains exactly why a team with the league’s top passing attack finished a disappointing 7-9-1.

They simply could not start a football game to save their lives.

While Dak Prescott was busy airmailing the ball to George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb for massive yardage, the defense was essentially handing out gift-wrapped points in the first fifteen minutes. It’s one thing to be a "second-half team," but it’s another thing entirely to be outscored 132-80 in the first quarter over the course of a season. You can’t win in the NFL when you're spotting your opponent nearly a touchdown before the Gatorade is even cold.

The First Quarter Disaster: Playing from Behind

Most experts will tell you that the first quarter is about "scripted plays" and "setting the tone." For Brian Schottenheimer in his first year as head coach, the tone was usually "panic."

The Cowboys managed only 80 points in the first quarter all year. To put that in perspective, their opponents hung 132 on them in that same timeframe. Think about that for a second. By the time the second quarter rolled around, Dallas was, on average, chasing the game. This 52-point deficit in the opening frame forced Dak Prescott to abandon the run game far earlier than anyone wanted.

Look at the Week 18 finale against the Giants at MetLife Stadium. Dallas actually managed 10 points in the first quarter—one of their better starts—but the defense still looked like it was stuck in traffic on the Jersey Turnpike, eventually surrendering 34 points in a loss that served as a microcosm for the whole year.

Second Quarter Surges and the Two-Minute Drill

If the first quarter was a nightmare, the second quarter was usually where the Cowboys woke up and realized they were in a fistfight. This is where the offense typically found its rhythm.

In the Christmas Day win over the Commanders, Dallas entered the second quarter at the Washington 23-yard line. They went on a 17-play marathon that ended with a Javonte Williams touchdown. They followed that up with a late Brandon Aubrey field goal to take a 24-10 lead into the half.

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This was the "Good Cowboys" experience:

• Methodical 10+ play drives.
• Heavy involvement from tight end Jake Ferguson in the red zone.
• Brandon Aubrey being arguably the most reliable human being on the planet.

Aubrey finished the year as a second-team All-Pro for a reason. When the offense stalled near the 35-yard line—which happened a lot—he was the only reason the scoreboard kept moving. He was 36-of-42 on field goals, basically the only thing keeping the Dallas Cowboys score by the quarter from looking even more lopsided.

The Third Quarter Slump: Where Momentum Goes to Die

There is a weird phenomenon with this 2025 roster. You’d expect a professional team to come out of the locker room at halftime with adjustments and fire. Instead, the Cowboys often looked like they’d eaten a heavy turkey dinner during the break.

In the season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas led 20-14 at halftime. They proceeded to get shut out for the entire second half, losing 24-20. It wasn't just an opening-week fluke, either. Against the Giants in the finale, rookie Jaydon Blue had 77 rushing yards in the first half. In the second half? He was stuffed for -13 yards.

The third quarter was frequently a "three-and-out" festival. Whether it was Schottenheimer’s play-calling getting predictable or the offensive line—missing legend Zack Martin for the first time in a decade—running out of gas, the scoring dried up.

Fourth Quarter Heroics (Or Too Little, Too Late)

By the time the fourth quarter hit, Dak Prescott was usually in "stat-padding" or "desperation" mode. To be fair, he was incredibly productive. He finished the season as a Pro Bowler, often leading the league in passing yards because he was forced to throw 45 times a game just to keep up with a defense that allowed 30.0 points per game—the worst mark in franchise history.

We saw this "fake comeback" energy in games like the Week 14 loss to Detroit (44-30) and the Week 15 loss to Minnesota (34-26). The Dallas Cowboys score by the quarter would show a massive 14 or 17-point explosion in the final ten minutes, but it rarely mattered. The hole dug in the first half was simply too deep to climb out of.

A Quick Breakdown of the 2025 Season Trends

If you're looking for the "why" behind the 7-9-1 record, it's buried in these scoring splits:

• First Quarter: Historically bad defense. Allowed 132 points. This forced the offense into "one-dimensional" mode early.
• Second Quarter: The peak of the offense. This is where George Pickens (1,429 yards on the season) usually did his damage on deep posts.
• Third Quarter: The "Adjustment Gap." Opposing defensive coordinators seemed to figure out the Cowboys' run game (led by Javonte Williams' 1,201 yards) while Dallas failed to counter.
• Fourth Quarter: High volume, high stress. Lots of "garbage time" points that made the final scores look closer than the games actually were.

The "Parsons Gap" and the Defensive Collapse

You can't talk about the score by the quarter without mentioning the elephant in the room: the trade of Micah Parsons to Green Bay. Jerry Jones moved the generational talent for Kenny Clark and draft picks, and the immediate result was a pass rush that vanished for long stretches.

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Jadeveon Clowney did his best, leading the team with 8.5 sacks and even having a monster 3-sack game against the Giants. But one guy can't fix a unit that allowed 30 or more points in nine different games. When the defense can't get off the field on third down, the offense sits on the sideline, gets cold, and the scoring rhythm breaks.

What Needs to Change for 2026

If the Cowboys want to flip that 7-9-1 record, they have to address the "First Quarter Curse." You cannot consistently go into the second quarter trailing by a touchdown or more. It's unsustainable.

Here are the actionable takeaways for the front office this offseason:

1. Prioritize Interior Defense: The move to get Quinnen Williams was a start, but the Cowboys were still gashed for 5 yards per carry in the season finale. They need a "thumper" linebacker who can stop the run in the first quarter before the game gets away from them.
2. Script Better Openers: Schottenheimer’s opening 15 plays need more creativity. They rely too heavily on CeeDee Lamb early, making them easy to bracket.
3. Find a True RB1 Complement: Javonte Williams was solid, but the drop-off in the second half of games was massive. Whether it's Jaydon Blue taking a leap or a free-agent signing, the Cowboys need someone who can "close" games in the fourth quarter.

The 2025 season is in the books, and while the Dallas Cowboys score by the quarter paints a picture of a team that was often out-coached and out-hustled early, the talent is clearly there. Dak is still a top-tier quarterback, and the receiving corps is elite. If they can just find a way to play a complete sixty minutes instead of a frantic thirty, 2026 might actually be "their year."

Next Steps for Fans:

• Watch the upcoming NFL Draft to see if Dallas targets a high-impact linebacker to fix the early-game defensive lapses.
• Keep an eye on coaching staff changes; Jerry Jones has already hinted at "dramatic differences" coming this offseason.