3 standouts (and 2 duds) in Cowboys convincing win over the Jets

Two weeks are in the books and the Dallas Cowboys have two blowouts under their belt.

In Week 1, they stuck it to the New York Giants in their own stadium. The 40-0 win was massive for their confidence and we could see that in how fired up they were in Week 2. Their defense again led the way with Zach Wilson being sacked three times while also throwing three picks.

It was enough for another blowout, with Dallas winning their home opener 30-10. Here, we look back over the latest win with three standouts and two duds for the Cowboys in Week 2.

Cowboys standout: Dak Prescott, QB

There were actually those who criticized Dak Prescott for not throwing for more yards in Week 1. Clearly, those people didn't watch the game, since the Cowboys offense was in clock-killing mode by the second quarter.

That wasn't the case in Week 2 as the offense had to do more work — without the aid of a special teams and a defensive touchdown. That led to Prescott throwing for 255 yards on 31-of-38 passing with two touchdowns and no picks.

He started out hot and stayed that way. On the opening drive, Prescott was 5-of-5 passing for 41 yards and added a 15-yard run in the red zone as well to convert a third-and-six. He capped that drive off with his first touchdown pass of the season, hitting Jake Ferguson from four yards out.

One of the best throws Prescott made was on first-and-12 backed up against his own goal line. Instead of coming out and playing it safe, Prescott fired a bullet into the hands of CeeDee Lamb, who took off for 31 yards. Lamb fumbled at the end of the play but the ball was recovered by Tyler Biadasz, who deserves a ton of praise for his hustle down the field as well as the heads-up play.

Prescott hit nine different receivers and had touchdown passes to two different tight ends. His night could have been even better as he nearly hit Jake Ferguson in the end zone for a second touchdown but just missed.

Even with that one whiff, Prescott was in full command of the offense and now has no turnovers in the first two games, making it look as though his claim of throwing fewer than 10 picks wasn't that crazy.

Dud: DaRon Bland, CB

Last week, DaRon Bland was one of the many studs for Dallas after recording a pick-six. Bland was on the receiving end of a fortunate bounce as he pulled down a Daniel Jones pass and ran it in for a touchdown. Initially, that one looked to be complete as Saquon Barkley had it in his hands but Trevon Diggs delivered a hut that forced the ball into the air and into Bland's hands.

This week, Bland had his name called a couple of times again — but not for good reasons.

Following the Jets' first punt of the day, Dallas had to start with the ball at their own five-yard line thanks in large part to Bland. To be fair, Thomas Morstead had a great punt that covered 58 yards and KaVontae Turpin called a fair catch at the 10-yard line. However, a flag was thrown moving it back to the five.

The offense wasn't bothered, gaining 78 yards on 14 plays before making it a 10-0 start when Brandon Aubrey hit his first of five field goals.

Bland was flagged again late in the game, this time on defense. With the Jets trying to put together a drive they could feel good about, they were stopped on fourth-and-five when Zach Wilson missed Garrett Wilson. They were given a new set of downs though with Bland being called for pass interference.

Thankfully for Dallas, Wilson ended up throwing a terrible pass on the next play, which bailed Bland out. Looking for Michael Carter, Wilson threw it right into the hands of Diggs, who recorded his first pick of the season.

Cowboys Standout: CeeDee Lamb, WR

Once again, CeeDee Lamb proved Dallas correct in assuming he could be the No. 1 wideout. While it's true they were ripped off when trading away Amari Cooper, Lamb has proven to be a far superior player.

What makes him stand out is how he can move all over the field. Lamb will line up out wide as well as in the slot. He will even go into the backfield at times and is constantly causing confusion for opposing defenses with how he's used in motion.

He also showed insane toughness, hauling in catches despite contact.

All of that was on full display Sunday as Lamb hauled in 11 passes for 143 yards. He was constantly finding himself open, even coming up big when targeted on third downs. He converted a third-and-two early in the game and later hauled in a pass on third-and-14 from the Jets 39, going for 15 yards, as he helped set up Brandon Aubrey's 55-yard field goal.

Last season, Lamb went off with 107 receptions for 1,359 yards and nine touchdowns. He then started out slow this year with 77 yards on four receptions against the Giants. For most players, that's not a slow start but Lamb — who has had four games with at least 10 receptions in his last six contests — proved he can routinely do better than that.

Dud: Cowboys goal line running

As good as the Cowboys were in this game, there was one major area of concern — their ground game couldn't do anything near the goal line.

Dallas was continually getting into the red zone but had to settle for far too many field goals. Brandon Aubrey ended the day 5-of-5 and while he drilled a 55-yarder with ease, he also connected from 21 yards, 26 yards, and 30 yards. In those situations, the Cowboys just couldn't punch the ball in as the Jets were overpowering them near the goal line.

The one time Dallas finally broke through with the run inside the 10 came following the interception from Jayron Kearse. Tony Pollard took a handoff six yards and dodged more than one defender as he ran it in for six. Unfortunately, this one didn't count since Tyron Smith was flagged for a hold, pushing them back 10 yards.

That led to them calling out Brandon Aubrey for his fifth field goal attempt of the game, which he knocked through.

In all, the ground game manged 134 yards but needed 44 attempts to reach that number. They also had no touchdowns on the ground.

Against the Jets, it wasn't an issue but going forward, this cannot be the norm.

Stud: Micah Parsons, EDGE

Before this season began, Micah Parsons had no problem letting anyone who would listen know that he had his eyes set on the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award.

It didn't feel like a wild claim at all considering he had 26.5 sacks in his first two seasons in the NFL. And after two games in the 2023 season, it seems more likely than ever that he can be in the running.

Parsons had three tackles and a sack against the Giants while also being credited with two more pressures. This weekend, he was even better.

Throughout the day, he was chasing Zach Wilson down and finished with two sacks. He nearly had a touchdown as well, when he ripped the ball out of Dalvin Cook's hands for a fumble but after review, Parsons was down by contact after taking the ball away.

He even made plays that won't show up in the stat sheet. Parsons drew a hold on Duane Brown and ran past the center to pressure Zach Wilson into an ill-advised and hurried pass. That led to Jayron Kearse taking it away for his first interception of the season.

Parsons continues to be the motor for this defense and they look prepared to have the most turnovers in the NFL for a third season in a row.

More Dallas Cowboys news and analysis: