Is panicking after Dallas Cowboys Week 1 loss an overreaction?

The Dallas Cowboys lost an ugly game Sunday in Charlotte against the Carolina Panthers. Is the season lost or are we overreacting?

Ok, I know. The Dallas Cowboys 16-8 loss to the Carolina Panthers was a harsh reminder of the second half of the 2017 season. WIth fans up in arms in message boards and across social media, it feels as if the Cowboys are on their way to a 0-16 season. But let’s take a step back.

Due to a myriad of reasons, the lineup that started the game Sunday was on the field for all of two preseason drives. None of which featured running back Ezekiel Elliott. Asking a team playing regular season football after only a few snaps as a unit in the preseason to be up and running at full speed is a reach. Was it a mistake to sit the starters? Probably. But rust is not insurmountable, and we got to see a little bit wear off in the second half.

Lack of playing time also plays into penalties and discipline. The Cowboys were the ninth-least penalized team in 2017, and their lack of live game action before Week 1 showed in their lack of readiness. Jason Garrett coached teams are not the most dynamic or exciting but have always been disciplined. I expect this trend to continue.

This lack of cohesion and experience as a unit made this specific matchup much harder because the Panthers strength is rush defense. The Cowboys were simply not ready yet for that type of challenge up front, and that, in turn, made the offense have to rely on the passing game.

In a perfect world, the team would have eased into a matchup like the Panthers with a game or two against a team with an average to below average rush defense. But unfortunately, you have to beat the best to be the best, and the team wasn’t ready this week.

To fans who expected the passing game to be in midseason form Week 1, you expected too much. Even the most optimistic of us should understand that such a roster turnover takes time to settle itself out, regardless of if it’s successful or not. Rarely do four new players come in at any position group and take-off immediately, it usually takes a few weeks to get going. Having to rely on the passing game Week 1 put too much strain on a part of the team that is going to take some time to develop.

Finally, rarely are Week 1 performances indicative of what the season has to offer. I could write a book on how many times a team has looked impressive week 1 or the first few weeks of the season and has ended poorly. Conversely, there are plenty of examples of teams looking terrible to start a season and ending up deep in the playoffs and even champions.

If you told anyone weeks three through seven in 2017, where quarterback Dak Prescott threw for multiple 300-yard and three touchdown games, that the team would struggle to score double digits two weeks later; they would have laughed in your face. I’m sure if you told anyone now the team would be a playoff squad they’d laugh too. But if history is right then the team playing week 1 won’t be the same one as Week 11.

Do we really think Sean Lee will miss that many tackles every game this season? Do we really believe Tryon Smith is good for two penalties a game now? These are prime examples of established All-Pros who suffered from a lack of preseason work. They’ll certainly be better.

All across the board Week 1, there was sloppy undisciplined play along with teams who need time to get up and running. This team has had so little real game action together that there will be growing pains and some ugliness. But with guys like Elliott and Beasley who barely played at all in the preseason, you could see the rust start to peel back in the second half. Week 1 is way to early to count any team out.

Yes, most stretches of the game featured inept play offensively and the defense had to do its best to keep the game within reach. But this game does not define the 2018 season. Let all the pundits and talk show hosts act like the sky is falling, I’ll be waiting a few more weeks before I can actually get a clear picture of what this team is. You should do the same.