Analyzing the Dallas Cowboys Week One victory over the Giants

The Dallas Cowboys dominated the New York Giants in Week One of the 2019 season. Let us look at all aspects of the 35-17 victory.

I do not think I am the only Dallas Cowboys fan that was scratching their head after running back Saquon Barkley marched the New York Giants right down the field in the early minutes of the first quarter to take a quick 7-0 lead on the Cowboys.

After that drive, I think we witnessed how special this team can be. Yes, let’s not overreact because obviously the Giants are not anything special, but what Cowboys did on the field today sent a message around the NFL.

First off, how great was Dak Prescott? In his four years, I have never seen him consistently look that comfortable throughout a game, which resulted in him carving up the Giants’ defense for four quarters.

Prescott’s presence in the pocket and ability to throw the deep ball downfield was something that needed much work in the offseason, and yes it was only one game, but it was a complete 180 from what we saw last year from No. 4.

On the receiving end, Dallas showed it depth extremely well. With Amari Cooper playing like the true No. 1 receiver he is, it opened up the field for others such as Michael Gallup and Randall Cobb (how good was Cobb?!).

Expect to see a lot more contributions from the receiving corps as a whole this year as we have three guys that can win one-on-one matchups on a consistent basis.

I thought the game was good for running back Ezekiel Elliott as he got his feet wet after missing all of training camp. The ability to throw the football so well was extra important so we did not need Zeke to carry the load of the offense as he does so often.

Elliott still brought the physicality as he always does, and to see the way he was running today was good reinsurance that he is in prime condition to be the player he is accustomed to being.

On the defensive side of the ball, it was solid. It was not the prime time defense we saw last season that was making big-time plays all over the field, but that is nothing to worry about.

After the first drive of the game, the Dallas D got into a groove and showed even when they are not playing their best football, they can still hold NFL offenses to under 20 points, which is something special in itself.

Last but not least, offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. What Moore did on Sunday was nothing short of magnificent. The consistent pre-snap motion, the trust in his players, and the playcalling, in general, was just perfect.

Kellen Moore let Dak Prescott have the freedom to run the Dallas Cowboys’ offense and that showed to be a huge success. There was zero predictability unlike the past three years and what Moore did best was allow Prescott to run more often. I could go on and on but Kellen Moore, you are the man! On to Washington. Go, Cowboys!