3 critical observations from Cowboys' Week 1 win over the Browns
After a long offseason, the Dallas Cowboys started the 2024 season with a win over the Cleveland Browns. What was expected to be a close matchup between two playoff teams from a season ago ended up as a 33-17 convincing win for Dallas. being a 33-17 convincing win for Dallas.
A lot of questions circled the Cowboys heading into Week 1. How the defense would look early on in Mike Zimmer's system, how Tyler Guyton would fare against Myles Garrett and what rust, if any, would Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb have after Lamb only just returned to practice, were some of the most burning questions.
Now, Cowboys fans have some answers. Overreactions always follow the first game of the season, so we'll try our best not to get too excited. If that isn't enough foreshadowing, here are three major observations from Dallas' Week 1 win.
3. Caelen Carson can definitely handle a significant role
The news of DaRon Bland suffering a stress fracture in his foot knocked the excitement for Dallas' secondary out of Cowboys Nation. It's not often confidence is given to a rookie fifth-round cornerback, but Caelen Carson earned it in training camp and preseason.
Coming out of Wake Forest, Carson was expected to take some time to develop. He missed time in 2021 and 2022 due to injuries, playing in 36 games throughout his collegiate career.
The Browns' unquestioned top weapon is former Cowboys wideout Amari Cooper. Known as one of the best route-runners in the league with sticky hands, one would think that a rookie fifth-rounder would get exposed. Cleveland certainly tried to expose Carson, but they failed spectacularly.
Cooper primarily lined up on the right side of the formation, which matched him up with Carson. The seven-time 1000-yard receiver was limited to two catches for 19 yards on nine targets. It's safe to say Cooper was more or less erased from the game by the "Seatbelt."
The play recognition from Carson was very impressive. It enabled him to jump up and play physically on the ball. He knocked down two passes and continued to make the windows tight for an already-struggling and pressured Deshaun Watson to thread the ball in.
It did not happen, but there were two plays where Caelen had an opportunity to intercept the ball. The hope is that he can continue the dominant play he had on Sunday, and come down with passes in his catch radius.
It's important not to give Carson too many flowers after one game. However, having a great performance against one of the most consistent wideouts in the league is very encouraging. With potentially four more games as a starter while Bland recovers from surgery, Cowboys fans should be more comfortable for next week's home opener against the New Orleans Saints.