Jerry Jones sends a clear message to Brian Schottenheimer, whose tenure could be coming to an end

Jerry Jones has made one point unmistakably clear after the Dallas Cowboys’ painful loss to the Baltimore Ravens: Brian Schottenheimer still has his backing.

The Cowboys owner and general manager didn’t pretend the coaching staff handled the final moments well. Dallas surrendered a 34-31 defeat in Rio de Janeiro after several late-game decisions left Baltimore with an opportunity to steal the win.

Yet when Jones was asked whether he remained confident in Schottenheimer and his staff, his response was emphatic.

“You can 1000% assume that the confidence is there,” Jones said.

That support matters because Schottenheimer has faced immediate scrutiny during his second season as an NFL head coach.

He took responsibility for the closing sequence, admitting that he overcoached Dak Prescott on third down and that communication with special teams coordinator Nick Sorensen and game-management coordinator Ryan Feder wasn’t good enough.

The Cowboys had reached the Baltimore 2-yard line with 23 seconds remaining while trailing 31-28. After an incompletion, a false start and a Prescott scramble, Dallas settled for Brandon Aubrey’s tying field goal with seven seconds still on the clock.

That should’ve given the Cowboys another chance. Instead, Baltimore quickly turned the remaining seconds into a winning opportunity.

The kickoff went through the end zone, allowing the Ravens to begin at their own 35 without any time coming off the clock. Lamar Jackson then connected with Zay Flowers for 27 yards, setting up Tyler Loop for a 56-yard field goal as time expired.

Jones’ message leaves Schottenheimer with room to respond

Jones has acknowledged the mistakes without suggesting that they’ve changed his view of the coaching staff.

“There is no explanation you’re satisfied with. None. Let’s be sure that we all understand that. They (coaches) don’t have one that they’re satisfied with,” said Jones .

“We made mistakes during that time. There’s no question about it. So there is no explanation. But there’s an evaluation of how not to make the same mistakes again.”

Schottenheimer has taken a similar approach. He admitted that he hurt the team’s chances and promised to improve, while Prescott rejected the idea that the episode had damaged their relationship.

Prescott described their discussions as an honest debriefing on what happened, what should’ve happened and what they’ll do differently next time. That relationship will be especially important as Dallas tries to build on the offensive progress it showed under Schottenheimer .

There were other issues beyond the offense, too. Dallas’ kickoff decision gave Baltimore favorable field position, while defensive coordinator Christian Parker acknowledged that his coverage call also needed to be different.

The decision left Flowers with enough room to make the crucial reception that put the Ravens in field-goal range.

Jones ’ comments point toward accountability. The Cowboys clearly recognize that the closing sequence exposed problems that need to be addressed, but their owner isn’t publicly wavering in his support of Schottenheimer .

That leaves the coach with a straightforward challenge: make sure the painful lessons from Baltimore translate into better decisions when the next close game arrives.