Their record will read 0-1, but the Dallas Cowboys did some good things that should get fans feeling much better about the 2025 season than they might have felt heading into the game. Back in 2021, the Cowboys headed down to Tampa Bay to face the Buccaneers on opening night and ultimately lost a close match. However, the offense was humming, Dak Prescott was back to being healthy again, and the defense showed signs of improvement, all of which eventually led to a 12-5 season.
There is still a long
season ahead, and no one knows if 12-5 is an achievable feat, but the Cowboys showed similar glimpses to opening night in 2021 that may signal this team has a little more fight in it than previously expected.
First point: The offense can be efficient under Brian Schottenheimer
It would have been interesting to see if Dak Prescott and the offense would have been just as effective to open the game if Jalen Carter were on the field. That never happened because Carter’s inability to remain composed for more than six seconds after kickoff led to him being ejected from the game before it really started.
With Carter in the locker room, Dallas had a magnificent game plan to open the season, blending the run and the pass. The one thing that stuck out immediately was the use of motion, specifically with KaVontae Turpin. The Dallas wide receiver was used in motion at a career high rate of 53.8% (14 times, including nine in motion at snap), almost double his motion rate from last season (23.8%), per NFL Pro.
The use of motion is a massive distinction from what was done under Mike McCarthy and his offense, especially during his last year, when things felt stuck in the mud. The Cowboys’ offense scored points on their first four drives, stunning the Philadelphia crowd, and Dallas was trailing just one point before halftime.
Dallas once again started marching down the field after the Eagles took a 24-20 lead on their first possession of the second half, and drew up a beautiful run down the sidelines by Miles Sanders. The fumble to follow and the weather delay stalled the offense’s progress, as they would not score again for the rest of the game. On paper, it didn’t look like the most incredible night in the world for Schottenheimer’s first game, but if you dust away the drops from CeeDee Lamb and the fumble from Sanders, things look a lot prettier and should give fans hope moving forward this year.
Second point: The defense continues to struggle against mobile quarterbacks
During Rod Marinelli’s tenure as Dallas’s defensive coordinator, one of his lessons always sticks in the back of my mind whenever the Cowboys play a mobile quarterback. Marinelli would say, “You have to keep them in the well,” meaning keep them in the pocket. Don’t let them run around and break free.
On Thursday night, the Cowboys continued to be hurt (no pun intended) by the same issues of letting Jalen Hurts scramble for 62 yards and two touchdowns. Per NFL Pro, Hurts scrambled on 39.4% of dropbacks against the Cowboys in Week 1, his highest rate in a game since 2023. The biggest concerns on defense heading into the season were stopping the run up front and the health of the cornerback position. Third on the list should have been if they have the discipline to keep mobile quarterbacks from hurting them with their legs.
Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Justin Fields, and others have beaten the Dallas defense over the last few years by creating plays outside of the pocket. In an era where the quarterback position features players who are dual-threat athletes, this happens. However, against Dallas, it seems like it’s a repetitive issue with no solution.
The Cowboys play some of the more elusive signal callers on their upcoming schedule. If they want to get off the field on third down and give the ball back to their offense, defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus needs to channel his old mentor, Marinelli, and keep the quarterback in the well.
Third point: Javonte Williams is the clear RB1 for Dallas
If anyone was left debating who would be Dallas’ No. 1 running back this season, those arguments ended against the Eagles. Javontae Williams had a solid debut, and while he was not the most explosive back on the field, he proved valuable in the red zone.
In the past, Dallas struggled trying to run the football when they were within five yards of scoring. Maybe it’s because the Cowboys now have a combined 988 pounds in the middle of their offense, but Williams was able to score from the one-yard line both times.
Dallas decided to make rookie Jaydon Blue inactive in Week 1, illustrating the coaches’ belief in Williams and Miles Sanders. The fumble in the third quarter was a massive reason Dallas lost the game, so Sanders’ position as RB2 may be challenged by Blue going forward.
Brian Schottenheimer continues to praise Williams for his physical style as a runner and what he can bring to the offense this year. Barring injury, Williams has a firm grip on being the Cowboys’ lead back for 2025. Looking ahead to Week 2, he should be able to flourish more against the New York Giants, who struggled defending the run versus the Washington Commanders.
Fourth point: The young offensive line was not perfect, but glimpses of what could be are evident
Any time an offensive lineman throws a left hook at a defensive end, it will be caught on tape and blow up on social media. For Tyler Guyton, it was hopefully a sign of a physical style of play fans could expect from him in year two.
The Cowboys’ young offensive line, led by Guyton, Tyler Smith, Cooper Beebe, Tyler Booker, and Terence Steele, struggled at times with Philly’s defensive front, but for the most part, they matched their physicality and moved bodies in the run game.
Despite not surrendering a sack, Prescott was pressured 13 times, about the league average among Week 1 starters at quarterback, per Pro Football Focus. However, the Cowboys quarterback showed he’s rejuvenated after recovering from his hamstring injury and still can evade rushers when the pocket starts to close in.
In the run game, Dallas’ line moved Eagles defenders, leading to a combined 119 yards rushing and two touchdowns in the red zone. Terence Steele also had a devastating block on safety Reed Blankenship, which caught the attention of NFL analyst Brian Baldinger.
If the Cowboys’ line can have a similar performance to what they had in Week 1 against the Giants, who have an equally talented front four on defense, then Dallas’ offensive line will start being considered one of the league’s best.
Fifth point: Is this the start of another MVP-level campaign for Dak Prescott?
Even though Dallas lost, the biggest winner from the game might have been Dak Prescott. If you let the box score tell the story of his performance, it doesn’t paint the full picture. Looking at the underlying stats from the weekend of games, Prescott’s performance on opening night is top five among all signal callers according to PFF’s passing metrics.
As mentioned above, Prescott had his mobility back after taking this offseason to recover from a severe hamstring injury that was season-ending last year. He looked comfortable in the pocket and threw some beautiful touch passes to his wide receivers.
The night would have been a lot better had CeeDee Lamb not dropped so many passes. Among all quarterbacks for Week 1, Prescott was tied for first with Joe Flacco for most dropped passes (four). If Lamb and Jake Ferguson come down with a few of those critical passes, the Cowboys might end up winning the game and Prescott is praised for his aggressive play.
The same way he looked Thursday night gave flashbacks to when he went on a heater down the stretch of the 2023 season where he finished as runner up in the MVP conversation. With low expectations heading into Schottenheimer’s first year, an MVP-level campaign from No. 4 will change expectations in a heartbeat and turn Dallas into a wild card contender.
