CLEVELAND – A Dallas Cowboys team strengthened by the contract extension of Dak Prescott gained an early lead in the season opener against the Cleveland Browns.

Thanks to a Prescott-led offense, a sack-happy defense, and a special operations unit that scored plenty of touchdowns, the Cowboys never lost their position, even as Cleveland’s defensive line showed the league just how much firepower it could unleash.

Dallas won 33-17, opening the season with a blowout for the second consecutive year. But a 16-point road victory against the stingiest defense of 2023 will and should mean more than Dallas’ loss to the New York Giants in Week 1 last year.

If the Cowboys want to finally end their decade-long postseason drought, they will have to beat playoff-caliber opponents on unfamiliar territory.

With such lofty goals in mind, the Cowboys agreed to pay Prescott $60 million per year for his contract extension – and it is in that spirit that the Cowboys will view their win against the Browns.

Prescott recovered well from a first series marked by penalties and sacks and on Dallas’ second drive found receiver CeeDee Lamb for 34 yards down the right sideline en route to a 21-yard touchdown connection with receiver Brandin Cooks on the left.

The Browns’ defensive front found Prescott regularly as the Cowboys started two rookie offensive linemen, including first-round left tackle Tyler Guyton. But between sacks of Dalvin Tomlinson, Myles Garrett and Za’Darius Smith, Prescott managed to catch passes in the gaps and along the sidelines, completing 19 of 32 passes for 179 yards and a touchdown.

Running back Ezekiel Elliott contributed 49 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown in his return after a year in New England.

And perhaps the Cowboys’ most consistent, game-deciding weapon: kicker Brandon Aubrey converted field goals from 57, 50, 46 and 40 yards and also scored three successful extra point attempts.

The Browns struggled to find success against Dallas’ newly coordinated defense under Mike Zimmer. Cleveland managed just one first down in the first half compared to the Cowboys’ 13 as the Browns played without their two offensive tackles and running back Nick Chubb, who remains on the physically unable to play list as he recovers from surgeries on torn ACLs and medial ligaments.

The Browns found their rhythm on a third-quarter drive that saw Watson throw double-digit passes to tight end David Njoku and receivers Jerry Jeudy and Amari Cooper, with Jeudy eventually throwing the receiver’s first touchdown in a Cleveland uniform.

But the constant pressure didn’t help a Browns team that had hoped to better showcase Watson’s running and passing skills, as well as his drop-back passes, in offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey’s debut (while head coach Kevin Stefanski continues to call the plays). Watson had some throws that showed potential, but too often threw out of bounds or behind receivers, sometimes appearing to be on a different wavelength than his receivers running option routes.

Watson finished the day completing 24 of 45 passes for 169 yards and a touchdown. He had six sacks, allowed a fumble (which was recovered by left guard Joel Bitonio) and threw two intercepted passes, including a fourth-quarter ball that sailed through Jeudy’s hands and into the pike grab of cornerback Trevon Diggs, who was recovering from a torn ACL.

Watson and Cooper were particularly out of sync, a missed deep shot in the final five minutes being their latest miss on a 2-of-9 day for the pair.

The Cowboys’ offense faltered more often in the second half, settling for two field goals and three punts. But Dallas didn’t lose the ball, which is what a team with a reliable kicker and an aggressive defense needed.

The Cowboys will play their first home game next week against the New Orleans Saints, who defeated the Carolina Panthers 47-10 on Sunday.

The Browns travel to the Jacksonville Jaguars, who blew a lead against the Miami Dolphins this week.