The excitement is mounting after the Cowboys dominated the New York Giants in their season opener on Sunday Night. While there is a lot to be excited about, in the NFL expectations must always be tempered. Week 1 is always full of surprises and football fans never fail to overreact after one game. The Patriots blowout loss to the Chiefs on opening night should serve as a reminder to us all. In 2014 the Chiefs destroyed the Patriots early in the season 41-14 and the dynasty was declared dead. The Pats regrouped however, and won the Super Bowl that same year. Recall that the Cowboys lost their season openers in 2014 and 2016 and yet both times went on to win the division. Conversely they started 2-0 in 2015 only to finish 4-12. It is a long season ahead and each week presents a new challenge, but with that in mind, here are a few of the major positive takeaways from season opener.
- The revamped offensive line was as dominant as ever: The Giants front four was a formidable test and this group responded with a dominating performance.
- Dak Prescott finally got the monkey off his back: He was far from perfect, missing some crucial throws, especially in the red zone, but he did not turn the ball over and finally gets a “W” against the Giants.
- Jaylon Smith IS for real: His snap count was supposed to be limited, but he was impressive enough in his regular season debut that the coaches let him stay on the field. He responded by finishing second on the team in tackles behind All-Pro Sean Lee and making some key plays.
- The Cowboys secondary held up: I was concerned about the turnover in the secondary in the offseason but that unit played exceptionally well shutting down the Giants receivers. https://cowboyscoffeetalk.com/position-preview-secondary/ Anthony Brown came up huge after Orlando Scandrick left the game and rookie Chidobe Awuzie stepped up in his pro debut. Often criticized free agent Nolan Carrol also held his own and there were no issues with the safety play from Jones and Heath.
- Defensive Line brought the pressure: The main reason the secondary played so well is that the defensive line was able to generate pressure. Demarcus Lawrence, the man referred to as “Tank”, was exactly that on Sunday. He was my pick to emerge as the “War Daddy” that this pass rush has been missing. https://cowboyscoffeetalk.com/position-preview-defensive-line/ I was fortunate enough to meet him during the offseason, and when I did I told him I thought he would get 12 sacks this season. His response was to correct me, after a brief pause, and confidently declare “Fifteen!” He is certainly on pace after his performance in week 1. Yet as well as D-Law did play, he was not the biggest reason that the Cowboys were able to generate pressure. The biggest factor was the interior pressure they created and the guy that was the most disruptive was second year standout Maliek Collins. Collins is the best defensive lineman on the team and the catalyst of the pass rush. Charles Tapper, Tyrone Crawford and Stephen Paea all had solid performances as well.
Despite all of these positives there are a few things to note. The Cowboys did not perform particularly well in the red zone. A problem that proved costly to them last season against the Giants and if not corrected, could result in losing close games going forward. Secondly, while the secondary did play well, they did not have to worry about Odell Beckham Jr. That will not be the case in the rematch at MetLife Stadium. Finally, while it is a good sign to see this team pressure the quarterback, they did have the luxury of facing one the weakest offensive lines in the league. They will face some much better offensive lines throughout the course of the season. I am encouraged by what I see regardless. Eli Manning does not get sacked often and the defensive line will regain suspended defensive ends David Irving and Damontre Moore. Hopefully the Cowboys defense can put up another strong performance again next week in Denver. If they do not, it will be a long day for Dak Prescott against the Bronco’s vaunted pass rush, while trying to navigate the “no fly zone”.