Dallas Cowboys: Is Sunday’s win a sign of what’s to come?

The Dallas Cowboys dominated the New York Giants 35-17. Is the team’s performance something Cowboys fans should expect throughout the season?

The Dallas Cowboys kicked off their 2019 season with a 35-17 win against the New York Giants. With such a dominant victory against a division rival, should Cowboys fans expect similar results throughout the season?

In order to answer that question, let’s breakdown the game, both the highs and lows. And exactly what kind of opponent did America’s Team face in Week One? Let’s dive in.

Dak Prescott

Cowboys quarterback, Dak Prescott, had a perfect passer rating with 158.3, 405 passing yards, four passing touchdowns, and a 78 percent completion percentage. All four passing touchdowns were caught by different receivers. This was statistically one of the best games in Dak’s career.

Prescott looked poised and had a better vision of his options on the field. A good indicator of this was he was able to finally locate wide receiver Michael Gallup downfield a couple of times after missing those opportunities last season. The ability to see the field better is something Cowboys fans should be very excited about.

Another thing that should get Cowboys fans excited is Dak did this with running back Ezekiel Elliott sharing snaps with rookie runner Tony Pollard. It looked as if the passing game could finally be established without the running game.

Cowboys Defense

Last season, the Cowboys defense was looked at as being very underrated with developing young stars combined with several veterans to form a top unit in the league. On Sunday, the defense looked as if they were not yet ready for the season to start.

Giants star running back Saquon Barkley ran for 120 yards on just 11 attempts. That averages out to 10.9 yards per carry. Even if you take away his 59-yard run, his yards per attempt averages out to 6.1 yards. Sure Barkley is a great back, but the Giants offensive line dominated the Cowboys defensive line in the run game. It looked as if Saquon did not meet a defender until gaining five yards.

As far as passing defense, it could have been better. Tight end Evan Engram hauled in 116 yards and a touchdown, and wide receiver Cody Latimer had 74 yards. Quarterback Eli Manning had 306 yards and one touchdown with a 68 percent completion percentage.

Dallas was only able to get one sack on Manning all game. Last season, the Cowboys only got one sack in three games, and zero sacks in one. This shows that the lack of pass-rushing that happened against the Giants is not something that happens often.

For a team that was looked at as lacking anything offensively outside Barkley and Engram, the Giants didn’t play too badly. Dallas did, however, stop New York from scoring more than two touchdowns and held their ground defensively on third-down conversions. The Cowboys were 9-11 in defending on third down. Overall, it was an underwhelming game defensively. Dallas will need to improve if they expect to make a playoff push.

The New York Giants

The blowout of the New York Giants confirmed for most people that the G-Men are amongst the worst teams in the league. Notable players that the Giants lost are wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr, defensive end Olivier Vernon and safety Landon Collins.

On paper, the Giants aren’t exactly a scary team to go up against. They don’t have a top receiver, Manning shouldn’t be getting any better, they lack pass-rushers, and their linebackers are questionable.

The Verdict

Any team that loses to this depleted Giants team will be under the microscope. Had Dallas lost to New York, there would be a lot to worry about. Cowboys fans (I’m included) tend to get a little too excited at times.

The Dallas Cowboys defense is something that needs to improve, and the offense played as well as expected. The great numbers are the result of playing a poor team. Dallas should have another encouraging performance next week against the 0-1 Washington Redskins.