Monday was a day for head-scratching and crow-eating for the Dallas Cowboys and their fans. After an offseason of everyone saying all the right things, Sunday night was a chance to finally back up all the talk and hype.
Unfortunately, only the New York Giants' legitimized offseason optimism with a 28-20 victory that felt more dominant than the scoreboard might suggest.
Instead of celebrating, Cowboys Nation is wondering how this happened. Here are three prevailing questions coming out of the season opener, the answers to which may have long-reaching ramifications in 2026.
3 questions stemming from Cowboys' Week 1 loss
What happened to the Cowboys' offense?
Both sides of the ball were bad, but at least some of us expected growing pains on defense. After all, you had mostly new starters playing their game in a new scheme. Christian Parker was calling his first game as defensive coordinator. Then there were in-game injuries to veteran leaders like Malik Hooker and DeMarvion Overshown.
The idea going into 2026 was that we only needed the defense to get solvent again, just average, so that Dallas' dominant offense would no longer be undermined. Well, after Week 1, Klayton Adams' side of the ball has no business pointing fingers at anyone.
Dak Prescott was off, missing some throws and making poor decisions. A terrible effort to throw the ball away near the end of the second half led to an interception an a quick Giants touchdown, turning what could've been a halftime lead for Dallas, or at least a tie, to a 14-7 deficit.
There was nothing dynamic about the CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens duo, especially with some bad drops. But it also seemed like they were struggling to get open, which makes you wonder what was going on with Adams' play designs or Brian Schottenheimer's calls. Part of Prescott's struggles was that he rarely had open receivers outside of checkdowns.
Yes, Tyler Smith was out, and that probably contributed to Javonte Williams' 3.4 yards per carry. But the offensive line wasn't really the issue, with even Tyler Guyton and Terence Steele having solid games overall. Prescott didn't see a lot of pressure, and when he did it was mostly from having to hold the ball too long.
Hopefully, this was just a rusty performance for starters who never saw the field in the preseason. But if this keeps up, it's not going to matter how fast the defense comes together.
Is it time to give up on DeMarvion Overshown?
There was a groan heard around the Nation when Overshown came up limping from a play, clutching his hamstring on the way to the sideline. He did not return to the game, and Brian Schottenheimer said on Monday that he's facing a 1-2 week absence.
This isn't Overshown's fault, of course, but at some point the Cowboys can't be hamstrung (pun intended) by a chronically absent starter.
It was one thing when Overshown was just getting started and there were other guys to lean on, but Dallas put a lot of faith in him this offseason with how they handled the ILB room. Overshown was expected to lead on the field, even handling "green dot" responsibilities. Unfortunately, Overshown's constant availability issues continue to sabotage his undeniable potential.
Without him, you have an undersized Dee Winters and inexperienced Jaishawn Barham. If Overshown is going to miss games, Dallas may need to tap into their freed-up salary cap space and find someone to bolster the middle of the defense.
If nothing else, it may be time to fully invest in Barham as your Mike now and, hopefully, for the future. There will be some early struggles for the rookie, but the dividends could come sooner than later. It's only Week 2, meaning Barham could be comfortable for the later portion of the year and, hopefully, the playoffs.
Is Brandon Aubrey okay?
Aubrey's miss on a 48-yard extra point, made longer by Javonte Williams' bonehead taunting penalty, wasn't enough to raise a flag over. But the two he made, from even short distances, weren't exactly down the middle. Even Aubrey is entitled to an errant kick here and there, but we didn't see any of his usual clean, line drives through the uprights.
It's concerning because of last season, when Aubrey looked unusually shaky down the stretch. While he's just a fourth-year player, Aubrey is still 31 after spending many years in professional soccer. Regardless of your NFL mileage, things start happening after 30 to all men, and many players have been unable to keep going beyond that point.
Some positions allow for experience and leadership to mitigate declining physical gifts, but not kicker. It's an unforgiving role, and some guys are only as good as their last kick. Aubrey's highs over the last few years have earned him a little grace, but it won't last long. We saw that with Dan Bailey, who quickly disappeared once he stopped performing after a brilliant career.
Granted, nothing Aubrey did last night cost the Cowboys the game. But if he is asked to make the difference in an upcoming contest, we can only hope that the "Butter" returns to his kicking.
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