It seems as if in the blink of an eye, the entire NFL shook up. The Covid-19 pandemic gave everyone a hard time, Tom Brady left the New England Patriots, and the Dallas Cowboys had the 2020 NFL season taken from them by the football gods.
Considering how traumatic last season was for us Cowboys fans, this season couldn’t get any worse, right? Well, I’m coming to you as someone that gets disappointed by two sports teams every year. Do NOT get your hopes up too high.
Dallas Cowboys: Building up to Week 1
The team had their scares already. Quarterback Dak Prescott was rehabbing his ankle very successfully. Of course, he ended up suffering an injury to his throwing shoulder, and one that generally doesn’t happen in football.
If that wasn’t enough, star wideout Amari Cooper’s surgically repaired ankle forced him to miss time in training camp. His availability for Week 1 became uncertain, marking another top offensive name on the injury list.
Star defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence had his back issues come up once again. To start camp, he was listed on the PUP list, which already had numerous names.
Chauncey Golston, a 2021 third-round defensive lineman, had spent time on the PUP list. That prevented the rookie from getting snaps during training camp, and he remains “out” as of writing this.
Dallas’ second-rounder from 2019, Trysten Hill, is still rehabbing from his ACL tear in Week 5 last season. He played only 333 defensive snaps over two seasons. Last year was supposed to be a big season for the youngster, and this season is an opportunity to step up in a weak group.
To take away from the interior line more, Neville Gallimore dislocated his elbow. He is currently sitting on short-term IR and was a projected starter before being forced out. His absence opened the spot up for rookie Osa Odighizuwa.
Joining Gallimore on the list is a highly-touted prospect in cornerback Kelvin Joseph. He went down with a groin injury, resulting in his placement on the short-term IR. He missed the loss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and will be out for a while longer.
Future Hall of Famer Zack Martin contracted Covid-19 just before the 2021 opening game. That resulted in him missing the game as well. As you can see, there are a ton of names that got injured in the lead-up to the Week 1 matchup to get you all stressed out. Still, the high-powered offense kept fans optimistic despite being heavily unfavored.
Dallas Cowboys: Doubts didn’t stop Dak and company
To start the Week 1 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Dallas Cowboys were the underdogs by 9.5, which I took personally. I had a good feeling Dallas would lose the game, but I knew it had to be by only one score.
The Bucs are a fantastic team. They don’t have many weaknesses, and the Cowboys had glaring holes in their defense. That shouldn’t mean Dallas would get blown out. The main reason they shouldn’t is because of their quarterback.
While there were uncertainties regarding Dak’s injuries and how healthy he would be, it got put to rest quite quickly. His first snap resulted in a deep pass to Amari Cooper for a 28-yard gain. By the end of the game, Prescott had 403 passing yards and three touchdowns, along with one interception. Oh, and that interception was not his fault at all.
Dallas Cowboys: CeeDee must be better
Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb is already a star in the NFL after one season. Even with all of the adversity last season, the then-rookie still almost eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards.
Heading into this season, many believed he would dethrone Cooper as the team’s number one wideout. You would think that’s where it’s headed, considering his 15 targets. The issue is he caught seven of them and had three brutal drops. One of those drops was a tipped ball that got picked.
It’s a relief to see the youngster rebound and finish strong, but he knows he needs to be better. Hopefully, the disappointing drops will be motivation to ensure that doesn’t happen again. The positive is that until later in the game, Dak heavily favored Lamb. While Cooper ended on top, there’s a lot of trust in number 88, and he will continue to see a ton of targets.
Dallas Cowboys: The defense had its ups and downs
While the Dallas Cowboys offense is arguably among the best in the NFL, you can’t say the same about the defense. Tom Brady and his star-led offense were in a position to torch the group of defenders all night.
Brady played very well, throwing for 379 yards and four touchdowns. What’s important to note is he also threw two interceptions. Yes, neither was his fault since one was due to Leonard Fournette’s butterfingers, and the other was a hail-mary pass to end the first half.
Dallas’ defense also forced two fumbles and recovered both of them. I don’t remember the last time the Cowboys forced turnovers that often, so that’s a good showing. The downside is the interior defensive line was not the best.
The big men were consistently pushed around by the Bucs’ impressive offensive line. That and the defensive backs got burned too many times. Most notably, cornerback Anthony Brown was toyed around with by former (I mean, supposed to be) superstar Antonio Brown.
In total, Brady threw six passes that went for 20+ yards, including two on their game-winning drive. It’s safe to say the defensive backs NEED to be more stable. Then again, it’s Brady and a loaded group of receivers.
Dallas Cowboys: Ezekiel Elliott quietly played great
Stats don’t always tell the tale. Running back Ezekiel Elliott proved that narrative is true on Thursday. According to fans, having only 13 touches is his fault.
Yes, I understand that Zeke is supposed to be a superstar and carries a hefty contract. That doesn’t mean he needs 100+ yards every game (although that would be nice too). There are other ways to contribute to the team.
One often-forgotten part of a running back’s game is blocking. Elliott was very successful in making blocks to allow Dak to make plays. Put it this way, Zeke’s blocking directly led to two touchdown passes.
Averaging 3.0 yards per rushing attempt is very underwhelming. Sometimes, you need to look beyond those stats. Maybe that’s because the Cowboys needed to throw the ball. Maybe because he played a crucial role as a pass-blocker. Maybe because he does more than run the ball. Maybe because Ezekiel Elliott is not a one-dimensional running back, he is a multi-use three-down back who can play in all situations.
Dallas Cowboys: Where bad turns to worse
The most underrated part of having a successful team in the NFL is special teams. Dallas Cowboys fans know that well. You would think the team would ensure that group got better, but that’s not what we saw after one game.
Kicker Greg Zuerlein was dealing with back issues during the offseason. Maybe that contributed to him missing one field goal and an extra point attempt. You shouldn’t expect a kicker to make it from 60 yards out, so I’ll give him a pass for that.
Greg’s first attempt was from 31 yards out. That’s a kick that you can’t miss. The extra point is another can’t miss play, but it happens every so often. Overall, four points got left on the board for a game Dallas lost by two points.
While the kicking was very disappointing, so was the kickoff team. Jaydon Mickens of the Bucs averaged 30.7 yards per return. One of the three returns went for 41 yards and led to a touchdown.
Punting the ball wasn’t great but wasn’t terrible either. Mickens averaged 10.5 yards per punt return, with one going for 24 yards, before getting called back 10 yards for a penalty. You can point to the poor special teams as the main reason Dallas lost the game. It puts the group in an uncomfortable position moving forward. They aren’t valued much but have no room for error.
Dallas Cowboys: The aftermath
While the game was a disappointment, it eventually came to an end. The game was a lot closer than many expected, and the team played well overall. The torture was supposed to be over. No, the torture was not over yet. We would find out that wide receiver Michael Gallup strained his calf. It’s an injury that will have him out for three to five weeks.
That’s a significant loss in terms of talent, but the Cowboys’ loaded receiving corps can make up for it. One of the many other options can step up. Unfortunately for Dallas, they will be without their right tackle La’el Collins for the next five games. He supposedly missed drug tests and is in the process of appealing the suspension.
It seems as if things keep going wrong. Hopefully, Martin will return healthy, and the Dallas Cowboys can rebound against the Los Angelos Chargers next week. It has been a very stressful couple of months that has intensified the past few weeks. Regardless of all the terrible things that happened thus far, the Cowboys are still in line to compete as a playoff team. Let’s hope players start coming back healthy, and the special teams get cleaned up.