I don’t think anyone expected things to go the way they did in the Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants game. Without dwelling too much on a game in the rearview mirror, the Dallas defense caught many by surprise considering the overhaul over the offseason. Guys like Jalen Thompson, Rashan Gary, and Caleb Downs were supposed to usher in something different.
Unfortunately, it was more of the same.
Here’s the good news. It was Week 1. The Cowboys still have 16 regular-season games left, and they have plenty
of time to turn things around. They have to do it in a must-win way this week against the Washington Commanders.
Here are five points to watch for as the game kicks off on Sunday.
First point: More of the same?
Heading into their matchup with the Giants, one of last week’s five points was limiting Jaxson Dart in the running game. The Cowboys had 54 yards on the ground to Dart, averaging almost five yards per carry. Dart’s ability to scramble kept Dallas’ defense on the field, which we all know how that went.
The Cowboys have another quarterback coming up on Sunday who can hurt them with his legs: Jayden Daniels. Last week against the Philadelphia Eagles, Daniels didn’t run for as many yards as Dart did in Dallas, but he was an effective runner when he had the opportunity or needed to make a play. He had five carries for 31 yards, averaging over six yards every time he would run.
Dallas needs to make sure last week’s mistake doesn’t happen again, because it’ll lead to more of the same, with the Commanders extending drives and keeping the Cowboys offense on the sidelines.
Second point: The terror twins or the DeVille twins
Somehow, someway, the Cowboys need to get CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens the ball early and often against the Commanders. Brian Schottenheimer has talked about wanting to run the ball and set the tone, but the team’s real playmakers are on the outside.
On a great day, both wideouts can have over 100 yards each and be a terror to opposing defenses. Against the Giants, it just seemed like Pickens and Prescott weren’t always on the same page, and we’ve seen how Lamb can take time to get going if things don’t go his way early in a game.
The best version of Lamb and Pickens earned them the nickname “the terror twins.” That version of the duo needs to be on display vs. the Commanders’ smaller cornerbacks. Last year against the Commanders at AT&T Stadium, Lamb went for 110 receiving yards and Pickens had 85. Both players averaged over 20 yards per catch. What we don’t need to see are the DeVille twins, which, if anyone has seen the show Rugrats, you know what I’m talking about.
Third point: A rookie DC in DC
The Commanders have the same question at defensive coordinator as the Cowboys do: Is this moment too big for them? Head coach Dan Quinn went out and hired two first-time coordinators on both sides of the ball this offseason, which could make him look like a genius or get him fired.
Washington’s DC should be a familiar name to Cowboys fans since he was in the running for the same position with Dallas: Daronte Jones. He spent most of his coaching career with the Minnesota Vikings and learned under Brian Flores over the last three seasons. Unlike Christian Parker, Jones was actually a defensive coordinator in college in 2021 for LSU. That was his only season holding the position.
Against the Eagles, the Commanders defense looked good and got the Philly offense out of rhythm on multiple drives. However, a few explosive plays happened where it looked like the secondary didn’t know what was going on (sound familiar).
It’ll be interesting to see the storylines coming out of the game because one of these teams will be 0-2, with a ton of questions surrounding their first-time defensive coordinators and whether they were the right guys for the job.
Fourth point: Reading between the linebackers
Before offseason training and the NFL draft, the Cowboys’ linebacking corps was seen as a glaring need, even with Jaishawn Barham and Dee Winters coming aboard. DeMarvion Overshown’s health was a question, and Dallas needed to keep developing second-year pro Shemar James.
As time went on, the questions around linebacker seemed to shift towards the pass rush and secondary. We should have stuck with our first instincts. With Overshown leaving Week 1 with a hamstring injury that could cost him one to two weeks, the Cowboys linebacker room looks even thinner heading into Week 2.
Barham could be called upon as the next man up with green-dot responsibilities, but with growing concerns about the defense’s ability to communicate calls properly, should a rookie be trusted to make the right calls? Dallas has Curtis Robinson and Justin Barron on the practice squad and could elevate one of them to the active roster for Sunday, but they aren’t on the same level as Overshown to fill the void.
The Cowboys were impressed by what they saw from Barham all offseason and in the first preseason game. If that player is still there, which he should be, the Dallas defense will need him in a big way this weekend.
Fifth point: Kicking and screaming
No need to panic; this is an under-the-radar point my colleague RJ Ochoa broughtup on Twitter.
Dating back to last season, Dallas Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey has now missed a kick of some kind (field goal or extra point) in 3 straight games.
This is the first time in his career he has a 3-game streak of such kind.
Aubrey is one of, if not the best, kickers in the NFL. However, if the defense struggles to start the season and the offense needs to score as many points as possible in their opportunities, missing kicks can’t happen. Questions lingered about the special teams unit’s performance last year under Nick Sorensen, and doubt remains about his return this offseason.
Sorensen stuck around, and so far, after one game, the special teams unit has not looked any better in year two. Aubrey signed a historic deal this offseason, and deservedly so. But if he starts missing critical kicks in games that could come down to three points, it could raise alarm bells about what’s happened to one of the league’s most clutch kickers.
