Rinse and repeat: Dallas Cowboys cruise in divisional win

It may have been a different week, but the Dallas Cowboys find the same result against a divisional foe. Here is a recap of the 31-21 win over Washington.

In Week One, the Dallas Cowboys stumbled out of the gate, fell down a score, then went streaking, scoring on five straight possessions to bury New York. Sunday, the Cowboys stumbled out of the gate, fell down a score, then went streaking, scoring on five straight possessions to bury Washington.

The rinse and repeat success has started the 2019 season off down the right path. Dallas is 2-0 with two divisional wins. In neither game were they ever really in danger of losing although there are some areas in which the Cowboys would be wise to clean up.

The new look offense is firing on all cylinders. Quarterback Dak Prescott had yet another phenomenal game. Aside from a slightly off throw that resulted in his first interception of 2019, Prescott was damn near perfect once again. He threw just four incompletions while tossing three touchdowns. In two games, he has nine incompletions and seven touchdowns. That’s absurd.

On Sunday, Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 100+ yards for the first time in 2019 and the third time in six games against Washington. Elliott looked far more game ready compared to last week. When it was time to hammer the nail into Washington’s coffin, Zeke put in the work.

The receiving corps had another stellar week with WR5 Devin Smith catching three passes for 74 yards and a score. Randall Cobb had another good day, doing things this team has not seen from a slot option. On the outside, Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup consistently caused problems for the opposing secondary.

Really, if there is any concern (and it is slight), it may be defensively. The Dallas Cowboys did improve from Week One, allowing just 255 total yards and limiting Washington’s success on third down to just twice in nine attempts. The issues would be centered around an inconsistent pass rush, a lack of creating turnovers and an inability to close out games.

After two weeks, Dallas has just two sacks. Neither Eli Manning, nor Case Keenum would be considered elusive quarterbacks, however neither was made to feel uncomfortable. In fact, Manning posted a 95.5 passer rating, throwing for 300+ yards, while Keenum’s passer rating was 103.5, throwing two touchdowns. Hopefully the debut of pass rushing specialist Robert Quinn next week helps because there needs to be more pressure on the opposing quarterback.

On Sunday, both starting safeties had easy interception opportunities and failed to complete the play. Entering Week 3, Dallas has zero interceptions and just two fumble recoveries.

Also for the second straight week, Dallas gave up a garbage time touchdown with under three minutes left to play. While it may not seem like a big deal because of the results, you would like to see the defense finish better. Dallas will beat most teams week to week if the offense continues to ball out, however when it is time to play the best of the best, little things like this will matter.

For now though, the Dallas Cowboys are 2-0 and clearly look like one of the better teams out of the gate. With Miami coming to town, a third win surely seems possible. Hopefully, the Cowboys will once again rinse and repeat their success next week at home.