A 10-point lead, a little over two minutes on the clock, and an opposing quarterback who couldn’t make his passes count. There was no way the Cowboys were blowing this one, right? Except that’s exactly what happened in Week 8. Another weekend ended in disaster for Dallas. Look past the scoreboard, though, and the problem is clear for anyone to see: penalties.

Head coach Brian Schottenheimer, who keeps pointing to the team’s penalty problem, was forced to act. Schottenheimer admits the team pulled the player responsible, but a tough conversation hardly seems like the serious consequence most expected after that penalty cost Dallas the game.

We’re talking about Rashan Gary’s penalty in the final minutes, the one that opened the door for the Cardinals’ comeback. When Schottenheimer was asked how the team held him accountable, he said, per Clarence Hill Jr:

“We pulled him out, talked to him about it, addressed it. We addressed it today again in the meeting. RG is aware. It’s a big play in the game, but it’s not the only play in the game that affected the outcome of the game, but he was removed and it was discussed.”

Facing third-and-10 at the Dallas 29-yard line, Cardinals quarterback Gardner Minshew threw an incomplete pass intended for receiver Reggie Virgil. At that point, Arizona would likely have kicked a field goal, and Dallas could have run out the clock. Instead, the Cardinals were handed an opportunity.

Gary was flagged for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Minshew. The roughing-the-passer penalty cost the Cowboys 15 yards and gave Arizona a first down. With the ball at the Dallas 14, Minshew found Trey McBride for a touchdown. On the next drive, the Cowboys settled for a field goal, and the Cardinals answered with another touchdown. Only a missed extra point kept Dallas alive, but Arizona went on to win in overtime.

That one penalty changed the game. Gary, who finished with just two tackles, was pulled for a stretch, spoken to and then sent back out to play 11 snaps.

What’s puzzling is the choice of consequences. The Cowboys have acknowledged their penalty problem, but judging by what’s happening on the field, the message hasn’t sunk in.

Just two weeks ago, Schottenheimer called on his players to take accountability. “I told our guys we’ve got to work, we’ve got to find solutions, we can’t repeat mistakes. And they understand that.” The next two weeks proved otherwise.

When the NFL’s accountability report arrived last weekend, the same errors that had plagued the team all season were on display again. Two players, LT Overton and Shemar James, were fined for plays in Week 7. The week before, Tyler Booker was fined for a play in Week 6. Even that wasn’t enough of a deterrent. Against the Cardinals, the Cowboys committed seven penalties for 45 yards.

And even though Gary was pulled for a while, no further consequences followed. In fact, judging by Stephen Jones’ comments on 105.3 The Fan, he appears to have been let off the hook.

“When you play this game and you play it as fast as these guys play it, people are going to make mistakes, and some of our great ones have those mistakes. And that’s part of it. He has done some really, really good things for us but as you mentioned we’ve got—he’s not the only one. This is an organizational thing, top to bottom, we’ve all got to own where we are. We all know that we have to be better.”

That echoed Schottenheimer’s point that Gary’s penalty wasn’t the only play that decided the game, and it seems to be the stance across the building. Addressing the loss, Schottenheimer said, “I thought this game was a tale of two halves. We had the lead coming out of halftime, but we weren’t able to finish the game. I always have real conversations with those guys, and the word I keep coming up with as I look at is ‘consistency.’”

His message hasn’t changed in weeks: The Cowboys have good players, but they can’t make it work.

“We’ve got good players, and we have to play more consistently… I thought yesterday’s game is a great example of how you can play really well for three quarters, but if you don’t find a way to put the game away in the fourth quarter, in this league, it will come up and bite you.”

That’s why Gary’s consequences feel too light. Schottenheimer has talked about tough conversations, but it might be time for tough decisions to follow. After punches were thrown during the preseason, even Jerry Jones vowed to hold players accountable. Perhaps it’s time the Cowboys applied that same standard to their penalty problem.

Dallas has already committed 60 penalties for 516 yards, the seventh-most penalty yards in the league. If that continues over the next few weeks, winning the NFC East will look like a distant dream.

Pulling Gary to the sideline is a start, but it shouldn’t stop there, for the linebacker or the rest of the roster. The team now has a chance to set an example with Gary, to show players even if you’re a veteran, you aren’t spared of the consquences. 

The Cowboys have a clear problem, and whether they overcome it or keep paying for it depends on what Schottenheimer does next.