Week 1:
Cowboys cut Giants down to size
When the Giants stopped Dallas’ opening drive, then proceeded to score on their first possession, it seemed the Cowboys were going to get themselves into a divisional dogfight. By the time the second quarter ended, however, Dallas found their groove and was up 21-7. Dak Prescott and the offense would continue to pounce on the Giants throughout the rest of the game. Final score: 35-17.
The Player of the Game : Dak Prescott
The most important takeaway from this game is that Prescott played perfect football. He made several aggressive throws and played it safe when he needed to. Prescott finished with a quarterback rating of 158.2, only a tenth of a point under a perfect score. The entire offense had a great day. Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup each had over 100 yards receiving, and Jason Witten was able to get into the end zone in his first game back from retirement. Ezekiel Elliott also scored, but he was played on a limited basis to help get reintegrated into the offense. Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore has to be happy with the results of his new scheme. He opened up the field and added several new wrinkles to disguise the Cowboys’ offensive scheme. Constant pre-snap motions and play-action kept the Giants’ defense guessing and worked wonders for the passing game. It’s only the first game of the season, but Prescott and the offense got off to a great start.
The defense held up well and surrendured only 10 points after New York’s opening possession. Given this, they surprisingly gave up a lot of yardage to the Giants’ offense. Saquon Barkley managed to rack up 140 total yards, and Eli Manning threw for over 300 yards. Those numbers didn’t result in points; the Cowboy defense always managed to stop the G-Men just before they got into scoring position. Extremely physical cornerback play and constant pressure on the quarterback were the strengths of this defense on Sunday. These strengths should continue to frustrate opponents throughout the season.
The Cowboys started off the season by showing just how talented their roster is. They will look to continue showcasing their abilities in Washington D.C. next weekend. The Redskins lost a tough game to the Eagles in Week One and will pose more of a challenge than the Giants. The team played well in Philadelphia, and their defense bottled up Carson Wentz for a half, and quarterback Case Keenum had a three touchdown 300-yard game. The Redskins are a middle-of-the-pack team this year. They don’t have a good running game with only 32 yards rushing on Sunday. Keenum is inconsistent as QB, and the team lacks any kind of significant star power. These weaknesses will be exploited by the Cowboys, who are simply the more talented team, and have shown encouraging signs that they are capable of meeting their high expectations. Divisional games always have a chance to get tricky, but don’t expect the Cowboys to lay an egg on the road this weekend.
Dallas. 31-21, in Week 2.
