5 takeaways from the Cowboys’ upset win over the Bengals in Week 2

Week 2 will be much easier for Dallas Cowboys fans to reflect on than Week 1. A win against the Cincinnati Bengals later, and all of a sudden, the season has been revived in the eyes of the Cowboy faithful.

There was a lot of good and some not-so-good to take away from Dallas’ win over Cincy, and that’s what we will cover in this article. From the offense to the defense to the coaching staff, here are five of the biggest takeaways from Sunday afternoon.

5 takeaways from the Cowboys’ scrappy win against the Cincinnati Bengals

1. Micah Parsons is the early Defensive Player of the Year frontrunner

It is crazy to believe that Micah Parsons continues to play at the level he did last season or arguably even better. After finishing second for the Defensive Player of the Year award last season, he is now the clear-cut frontrunner for the award in 2022.

Parsons currently leads the NFL in sacks (4), tackles for loss (4), and pressures (13) through two weeks. According to multiple sportsbooks, the superstar edge is also now the betting favorite for the prestigious award.

Parsons is on track to have a historic year, and with the Giants and Commanders next on the schedule, he could easily have seven or eight sacks by Week 5. Barring any injuries, No. 11 is well on pace to be the second Cowboy in NFL history (the first being Harvey Martin in 1977) to win the award.

2. Kellen Moore’s play-calling needs to improve

While Week 2 was not nearly the dumpster fire we saw in Week 1, the offense still did not look great. Now, I know, Cooper Rush is at quarterback, and he’s no Dak Prescott, but he was making some great plays at the beginning of the game.

The offense looked surprisingly explosive in the first quarter. The play-calling was great. It was more aggressive, which led to more downfield plays and creativity. However, once the second half came around, it was like Kellen Moore took the rest of the day off.

The offense became a lot more predictable after the first half. I can understand not wanting to make a mistake and allow the Bengals to get back in the game, but that doesn’t mean just running the ball up the middle on every play. They played scared, and that in itself literally allowed the Bengals back into the game.

It was so nice to see the offense moving the ball into enemy territory for once early in the game, but it needs to be more consistent than what we saw on Sunday. Moore is getting the right idea of what he needs to do, he just needs to keep it coming throughout all 60 minutes.

3. Tyler Smith is looking like the right pick at No. 24

After a surprisingly solid performance in Week 1, first-round pick Tyler Smith looked even better in Week 2, and man is that exciting. If you didn’t know, quite a few people were not fond of this pick by the Cowboys. However, Smith is proving them wrong with how he’s played so far this season.

Not only is No. 73 looking like the right pick at 24, but he’s also looking like a steal. In two games, he’s allowed just three pressures, one sack, one QB hit, one hurry, and committed only one penalty at the position they weren’t necessarily planning on playing him at this early. On Sunday, he allowed only one pressure and one quarterback hit. That’s it.

The most impressive part about the first-rounder is that he’s not only doing this against NFL talent, but against some of the best talent this league has to offer. He’s lined up against Trey Hendrickson and Shaq Barrett this season, both of whom were Pro Bowlers last year.

For context, Smith was the fifth tackle taken in the 2022 draft. While one of those, Trevor Penning, hasn’t played this season, the rest have played over 100 snaps. We can remove Evan Neal from this context only because he’s been playing right tackle this season, so I want to be as objective as possible when I throw these numbers at you.

Out of Smith, Ikem Ekwonu (sixth overall pick), and Charles Cross (ninth overall pick), Smith has allowed the least amount of sacks and pressures out of the three while playing 19 more snaps than the next highest. According to PFF, he also grades out as the best blocker out of the three in both the run game and the passing game.

4. The Cowboys have been underutilizing Noah Brown

This may be more of an overreaction than a takeaway, but Noah Brown has been the best receiver for the Cowboys this year, with CeeDee Lamb on the active roster. It’s not necessarily a slight towards Lamb, but rather an appreciation for the way Brown has stepped up in the absence of Michael Gallup, James Washington, and the departure of Amari Cooper.

On Sunday, the former seventh-round pick led the team in receiving yards with 91 and had the only receiving touchdown for the Cowboys (sorry Tony Pollard, you still got it, though). Through two games, Brown has racked up 10 catches on 14 targets for 159 yards.

Brown was able to haul in his first career touchdown on Sunday and he perhaps solidified himself as this team’s WR2 until Gallup gets back. With Lamb garnering most of the attention, he’s been able to get open and become a vital part of this offense.

While it was impossible for him to get snaps last season with Cooper, Gallup, Lamb, and Cedrick Wilson all in the fold, it’s nice to see the Ohio State product get some game targets, allowing him to show off his receiving ability, instead of run blocking the entire time. Perhaps the Cowboys unlocked a hidden gem they never knew they had.

5. This team needs Connor McGovern back ASAP

The offensive line still needs to improve, but being down two starters, I can only throw around so much blame. However, Connor McGovern should be back next week at the earliest, and the Cowboys need him desperately.

While many weren’t very fond of McGovern’s play on the left side, Matt Farniok has been abysmal in his relief. This season so far, Farniok has allowed 12 pressures, seven hurries, and five QB hits. He has yet to allow a sack, but he is by far the weakest link on the line. Out of guards who have played at least 70 snaps this season, Farniok is graded as the third-worst pass blocker and fourth-worst run blocker by PFF.

The former seventh-round pick is actually the team’s backup center but was forced into the starting left guard spot after McGovern went down to injury. Being undersized alone doesn’t help him, but he’s trying his best. Unfortunately, that’s not good enough right now.

McGovern needs to get back soon. With how this offensive line looks at times, he provides a bit more stability which would help out not just Prescott, but Rush for the time being. He looked good in just seven snaps before going down, so hopefully, he can return quickly and back into form.

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