The first week of the NFL season is in the books, and the Cowboys are 0-1 despite a very entertaining opener in Philadelphia. The shocking trade of Micah Parsons didn’t stop them from playing surprisingly competitive football and having a shot to win right until the final minute.
As such, many have come away from the game with a sense of optimism, despite the loss. Brian Schottenheimer’s offense looked promising, and the defense rebounded after a rough first half. But moral victories don’t actually
count, and not everyone is sold on the warm fuzzies right now.
Our own David Howman and Tom Ryle have opposing views on where the team stands right now, one game into the year.
David: This game reminded me of the 2021 season opener, also the NFL’s kickoff game on the road against the reigning Super Bowl champions. Dak Prescott, fresh off a season-ending injury, was cooking against the Buccaneers and went toe-to-toe with Tom Brady in a game the Cowboys were supposed to lose by more than the two points they actually lost by.
I walked away from that game feeling as positive as I ever have about a loss, and the Cowboys wound up winning the next six games en route to a 12-5 season and the division crown. I’m not saying the Cowboys are about to win six straight, but I saw enough in this game to make me feel they’re at least capable of doing exactly that.
Tom: I’m thinking more about another season opener, last year’s big win over the Cleveland Browns. Spirits were sky high after that, and we remember how things wound up.
Obviously there is little comparison between last year’s Browns and the defending champion Eagles. What is common to both situations is the tendency to read too much into week 1 of the long NFL season. It is quite possible Philadelphia was still getting their legs under themselves and were just not quite up to their usual standards. The bizarre ejection of Jalen Carter before the first play from scrimmage also had to have had some impact.
I will freely admit that I was favorably impressed at the job Brian Schottenheimer did getting this team ready to play and how the offense came out strong. This could easily have been a win if CeeDee Lamb had not had a string of drops. But let’s see how things go this week before we start planning for the playoffs. Schotty has to keep them focused and not expecting to just walk over the New York Giants after their desultory showing against what appears to be a very good Washington Commanders squad.
David: Yeah, there’s a gaping difference between the Browns and Eagles, but there’s also a big difference between last year’s offense and what we saw on Thursday.
The Schottenheimer offense was basically everything we’ve been asking for. They used motion at the snap on 42% of their plays – that would’ve been fourth-most in the league last year – and made extensive use of condensed formations to help create separation for receivers.
They also ran the ball well all night despite all our collective belly aching about relying on Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders. Even without Jalen Carter, the Eagles have plenty of big bodies – ever heard of Jordan Davis? – on the defensive line, and Dallas was moving them off their mark all night long.
For the first time in a long time, the Cowboys offense looked fresh and innovative. The only thing that ended up stopping them in the end was, well, themselves.
Tom: I agree there are some positive signs, but as for optimism about the season? In the words of Chris Stapleton, I ain’t there yet. There have been a lot of teams that can rise to the occasion against good opponents only to fall flat when facing less formidable foes.
If you want to get my blood pumping, let’s see some consistency. Keep the offense rolling, especially as the other teams in the league get a chance to study what Schotty is doing. Get Jaydon Blue on the field to see if he can be a further boost to the running game. Find an old bucket of Stick’um for CeeDee. And have the defense play the way they did in the second half against Philly for the full 60 minutes.
Maybe it’s more fear than anything. I’ve been burned by this team so many times before, and the scar tissue is getting pretty thick after the last 30 years. I’m not going to start feeling truly optimistic over one game. What I really want to see is clear evidence that Schottenheimer has really improved the culture in Dallas. If that part carries through the season, we may indeed have more than we expected this year.
David: To quote another Chris Stapleton song, why you got to be so cold?
Sure, the Cowboys have burned us before, but this is a new year and a new staff. It’s easy to say “let’s see if they can do it again” but how far does that go? Beating the Giants this week will hardly grant any added credibility, so how long do we pump the brakes? Should we wait until they win a Super Bowl to start getting excited?
All we have right now is one game against arguably the best team in the conference on the road, and the Cowboys looked about as good as you could hope for from a loss. Obviously, a sloppy performance against the Giants – or an outright loss – would be a massive fraud alert, but right now, based on all available information, the Cowboys look to be headed in the right direction.
Tom: They have broken our hearts again and again. If this were a normal team, I might be closer to your stance.
But it isn’t. It is Jerry Jones’ team. And figuring out how to manage the mercurial and meddlesome owner/general manager is as big a challenge for Schottenheimer as anything else. Creating a better culture is key for success. That takes a consistent message, and every time a mic gets within shouting distance of Jones, he is liable to go rogue. So far the head coach looks to be doing a good job of holding his players accountable. If there is suddenly a mixed message, or worse trying to influence who is playing and who isn’t, things could erode.
The good news is that for this and for all the concerns is to stack wins. The upcoming contest against the Russell Wilson led Giants appears to be a great way to start doing just that. Get that done efficiently and we can take another look at how real the chance of success is.
