If there’s one thing Cowboys Nation has come to expect in primetime this season, it’s penalties. Brian Schottenheimer called it early, and we’re seeing it unfold every week. The Cowboys’ most dangerous opponent might be the one in the mirror, and Monday night against Philadelphia was no different.

Sure, Dallas beat its division rival 38-21 to move into second place in the NFC East, but the win was far from flawless, and the NFL’s accountability report proved it. On Saturday, the league released its list of Week 7 fines, and two Cowboys made the cut.

LT Overton

When the Cowboys drafted Overton in 2026, Schottenheimer believed he was getting an elite pass rusher. “I would say LT is one of the most natural pass rushers I’ve been around for an interior guy… He’s been elite in a lot of ways rushing the passer. And he’s a guy we’re very, very high on. And were high on in the fourth round when we took him.”

But on Monday night, that same pass rush proved costly. Overton was fined $6,013 for a hit on the quarterback. The play came early in the second quarter, with 13:34 on the clock. Tanner McKee threw a short pass to Marquise Brown, but it fell incomplete.

The pass rush had done its job, and it looked like the incompletion on third-and-7 from the Dallas 9-yard line would force Philly to kick. But the referees had thrown a flag. Overton had pulled on McKee’s facemask and taken him to the ground.

Instead of settling for a field goal, the Eagles had first-and-goal from the Dallas 5-yard line. It took Dameon Pierce a single play to run it into the end zone. Instead of a 10-10 tie, Philly went up by four.

The call was hotly debated, but debating it won’t help the Cowboys on the field. That’s why Schottenheimer’s message was clear: clean it up.

“I do think that, again at the end of the day, it was five penalties for us, none for them early in the game. But we have to be better,” Schottenheimer said.

With eight total tackles so far, the rookie still needs to find his footing as the season wears on.

Shemar James

When injuries sidelined DeMarvion Overshown, the Cowboys turned to James, the linebacker they traded up for in 2025. But against the Eagles, it looked like James still needs time to clean up his tackling.

He was fined $6,171 for unnecessary roughness. Like Overton’s, his moment came in the second quarter, with 4:14 left. Caleb Downs was trying to cover Makai Lemon, who reached for a short pass before the ball bounced out of his hands. As the two came down, James crashed into Lemon, and their helmets collided.

Downs was flagged for pass interference, but the referees didn’t penalize James. After the league reviewed the footage, however, James was fined. Interestingly, it came in the same game in which he wore the green dot for the Cowboys, even with DeMarvion Overshown and Jaishawn Barham, who had previously worn it, on the field.

Despite the setback, James seems set on proving his worth on defense. “Just another opportunity to go out there and maximize my ability and ultimately win the game… I wouldn’t say forgot about me, but I’m always here, always available. I just always stay ready when my number’s called and try to execute to go out there and execute to the best of my ability.”

So far, even with the fine, James has done exactly that. He led the defense with six total tackles, five of them solo, tied with Overshown for the team high.

That’s why Schottenheimer trusts James to keep the role. “He’s played really, really well from his insertion two weeks ago. I think the just the command and control that he does out there is noticeable. You see him talking to everybody, see him driving the car if you will. I thought he did well. We’ve got a number of guys that can do it, but at the moment, he’s the one that we feel the best about. That’s not a shot at anybody else, it’s kudos to Shemar.”

Where do the Cowboys stand?

The Cowboys walked away with a win, but the penalties clearly weighed on Schottenheimer, who addressed them after the game.

“The pre-snap penalties, those have to stop. We can’t jump offsides. They did a good job with their cadence, but we’re better than that. That’s not being very disciplined. You saw, if you jump offsides, we take you out. … We have to be better… I was proud of ourselves, we had eight total penalties, one in the second half and that was on purpose. So we got better in the second half with that. But you can’t have the self-inflicted wounds pre-snap.”

The win over the Eagles improved the Cowboys to 3-4, good for second place in the NFC East behind the New York Giants (4-2-1).

Schottenheimer believes the team needs to stay focused and carry its momentum into Week 8 to remain a playoff contender.