Dallas Cowboys Week 1: The good, the bad and the ugly

It’s been over 48 hours since the Dallas Cowboys opened the 2021 season with a gut-wrenching 31-29 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on opening night. That 48-hour mark is relatively significant as I feel it is best to use the time to remove as much emotion as possible whenever discussing a win or a loss.

Heading into the game, had you asked me if I would take going toe-to-toe with the league champs in their own building, I would have absolutely said yes. Had there not been questionable circumstances that kept the Dallas Cowboys from pulling off the upset, maybe 48 hours would not have been necessary.

Regardless of the fact that Dallas sits at 0-1, there is no question that I was extremely proud of how this team battled. Obviously, there are things that need to be cleaned up. No matter the reasoning for the loss, we can all agree that the Cowboys did not play a perfect game. With that, let’s take this time to re-live the opener one more time and talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly from Week 1.

Dallas Cowboys: The Good

I mean, there is no way you can start any discussion of the good things that happened Thursday night without talking about Rayne Dakota Prescott. A lot has gone on since October 11, 2020, which was the last time Dak Prescott played a football game.

Not only did Prescott use game one of the 2021 season to make his return, but he also had little to no time in training camp due to a shoulder injury. Of course, he also played exactly zero snaps in the preseason as well.

So… how bout that rust, eh? All Dak did was go 42 for 58 for over 400 yards passing with three touchdowns and an interception that was not his fault. Prescott did not look like the guy who was lighting up the league before his season ended last year, he somehow looked better. If he continues to trend in this direction, it will not be long before people routinely talk of Dak as they do the ultra-elite quarterbacks in this league.

Other aspects of the game that clearly should be looked at positively would be the debut of rookie linebacker Micah Parsons, the return of receiver Amari Cooper and an improved run defense from last year.