Waiting for Sunday Night Football is typically agonizing, but the first week of a new season is an exception. Dallas Cowboys fans got to kick their feet up and enjoy seven hours of football before Mike McCarthy's group mauled the Giants.
The 40-0 drubbing was the biggest shutout victory in Cowboys history and their most lopsided victory over the Giants since they won 52-7 way back in 1966, just six years after the team's inception in 1960.
While the quality of football in Week 1 left something to be desired, former Cowboys like Ezekiel Elliott took the field for their new teams.
With that in mind let's go around the NFL and underline some former Cowboys who didn't meet expectations in Week 1 and one who was up to the challenge.
Former Cowboy who struggled: Brett Maher
Maher deserves credit for overcoming a dreadful start to his Rams tenure, as he missed his first two field goals. His first kick was blocked, which admittedly was the fault of the Rams' offensive line and he missed wide right on a 56-yard attempt.
Cowboys fans following along wondered what that would do to Maher's confidence after he experienced an all-time bad case of the yips in the 2022 playoffs. Impressively, Maher made his final three kicks, including a 54-yarder.
It's worth noting, though, that his final two makes came in the final five minutes of the final quarter with the Rams up multiple touchdowns. The game was already decided, so Maher wasn't under much pressure on these kicks.
Credit to Maher for coming through, but it'll be interesting to see how the veteran performs from here on out with two misses on his Rams resume after one game. At the end of the day, 3-of-5 equates to a 60% conversion rate.
Former Cowboy who struggled: Dalton Schultz
The Texans were trounced by the Ravens, but rookie QB C.J. Stroud performed well given the circumstances. He was sacked five times and under constant durress, which would lead you to believe he'd look to his tight end.
That didn't happen, as Schultz finished two 2 catches for 4 yards on five targets. That's alarming when you consider the veteran TE led the Texans with 43 routes run. It was five more than any other player, but he managed a lowly 9.5% target share, while wideout Nico Collins led the way with a 26.2% target share.
The Cowboys certainly could have used Schultz on Sunday, as Jake Ferguson dropped a pass on third down and Peyton Hendershot dropped a touchdown, but he's not keeping defensive coordinators up at night.
Brighter days are surely ahead for Schultz, but he left a lot of meat on the bone in his Texans debut given Stroud didn't have time to move the ball downfield.
Former Cowboy who shined: Kellen Moore
Yes, Mike McCarthy did something in one game as Dallas' play-caller that Moore didn't all of last season -- get KaVontae Turpin involved on offense -- but the now-Chargers offensive coordinator did great things in Week 1.
Chargers fans are already swooning over Moore. The Bolts' offense scored an impressive 34 points against the Vic Fangio-led Dolphins defense. Not only that, but Los Angeles ran the football at an efficient rate, which is something Joe Lombardi couldn't figure out over his two years as offensive coordinator.
Moore took criticism for his play-calling in the fourth quarter, but 34 points is typically more than enough to win in the NFL. Moore took what Fangio gave him and Justin Herbert wasn't asked to play the role of superman.
Herbert finished 23-of-33 for 228 yards and a touchdown, while Austin Ekeler rushed for 117 yards and a TD on 7.3 yards per attempt. Backup RB Joshua Kelley added 91 yards on the ground and a score on 5.1 YPC.
Los Angeles scoring 34 points without Herbert going scored earth was a refreshing sight for Chargers fans. The offense finally has balance.
Former Cowboy who struggled: Ezekiel Elliott
Despite a valiant effort, Elliott and the Patriots couldn't take down the rival Eagles, who admittedly played a sloppy game themselves.
It was a tough debut for Elliott in New England, as the two-time rushing champ fumbled on his second touch for his new club. Philadelphia made Elliott and the Pats pay in the form of a DeVonta Smith touchdown catch to open up a 16-0 lead.
While New England made things interesting in the second half, the 16-0 first quarter deficit proved insurmountable and Elliott's turnover played a big role in that.
Elliott fumbled zero times last season and has genuinely taken excellent care of the football throughout his career, so it was shocking he was so loose with the pigskin on this catch. Over his final two seasons in Dallas, Zeke fumbled one time over 446 carries.
Outside of the fumble, Elliott was efficient on the ground. He rushed seven times for 29 yards and moved the chains three times. That said, his fumble was a turning point in what turned out to be a close game.