In the season opener on Sunday afternoon against the Cleveland Browns, the Dallas Cowboys surprisingly appeared to be in their first season form. They dominated the game against a supposedly very good team on home soil in all three phases and ultimately went home with a 33:17 victory.
This impressive away win answers many concerns we may have had about this year’s team, but only time will tell if they can continue to play with this dominance and continue to improve overall. However, as with any game, there were good, bad and a little ugly. Today we’ll take a closer look at each of them.
THE GOOD – Dak Prescott
The ink on his new four-year, $240 million contract probably wasn’t even dry before he faced the Cleveland Browns in Week 1, but Dak Prescott showed on Sunday afternoon why he’s now the highest-paid player in NFL history. His stats won’t blow you away, of course (179 passing yards, 1 TD), but he was decisive and accurate on most of his throws against one of the better defenses in the entire league. His command of the offense this early in the season will hopefully only continue to improve as the season progresses.
THE BAD – Jake Ferguson’s injury
Jake Ferguson is coming off a Pro Bowl season with the Cowboys and should be a key part of their offense again this year. Unfortunately, he suffered a knee injury against the Cleveland Browns. The severity of his injury and how long he might be out is unknown, but if he is out, it would be a huge blow to the offense. There is currently no one on the roster who can even come close to his level of play as a blocker or receiver.
THE UGLY – The Browns offense versus the Cowboys defense
The Cleveland Browns were without starting tackles Jack Conklin and Jedrick Wills Jr. for the season opener, but even if they had been available, it wouldn’t have prevented them from being completely dominated by the Cowboys defense. The Dallas defense finished the night with 26 quarterback pressures, six quarterback sacks, and two interceptions. They may have allowed a total of 17 points, but there’s no denying that they made Cleveland look absolutely ugly. Hopefully, this is a sign of what’s to come under Mike Zimmer’s new defensive scheme.
