Revamped defense, reliable offense both struggle in 28-20 season-opening loss to the Giants.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — You could hear it in Jerry Jones‘ voice.
With less than an hour before the game, the Cowboys owner joined 105.3 The Fan (KRLD-FM) for his standard pregame radio hit. A question about the team’s new-look defense came up. Instead of the normal confidence in his voice about the team’s defense, a new tone emerged. Jones sounded nervous.
“I’m a little apprehensive,” Jones said. “I’ve really got a lot of feelings about what we’re going to look like when we open the box.
“I don’t mind telling you I’m nervous. I’m anxious to see how we play.”
To use Jones’ analogy, they spent the entire offseason wrapping their new defense in a box, tying it with a bow, and awaited Sunday’s season opener against the Giants to see what came out.
Inside was a result worthy of the nervousness that Jones intuitively feared.
After a quiet offseason, the Cowboys went quietly into the New Jersey night, falling to the Giants 28-20.
The Giants comfortably won this one. Perhaps the best reflection of that was how they played on third down. They converted on 9 of 11 third-down attempts, including multiple on the final drive to help put the Cowboys away.
Here are five takeaways from the Cowboys’ loss against the Giants: Trench warfare Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer said earlier this week that the game would be decided in the trenches. That battle, at least early, was decidedly won by the Giants. That was true even without Dexter Lawrence, whom they traded to the Cincinnati Bengals this offseason. The interior combination of D.J. Reader and Shelby Harris played well alongside the Giants’ embarrassment of pass rush riches, featuring Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Abdul Carter and off-ball linebacker Arvell Reese. The Giants used that group well, especially in the running game. Cowboys not named Dak Prescott averaged 3 yards per carry in the first half. Prescott was also often forced to get the ball out quickly. He was hit twice in the first half and also threw an interception on a back-footed heave as he escaped pressure. The Cowboys looked vulnerable on the offensive line against this Giants’ front. That came to fruition. Prescott finished 22 of 34 passing for 175 yards with two touchdowns and the interception. Sloppy performance Speaking of Prescott: The interception was just one example of a sloppy start for the Cowboys. Dallas had seven penalties for 60 yards in the first half. Three of those penalties resulted in first downs. The Cowboys couldn’t afford to hurt themselves against the Giants, but they did anyway. According to ESPN the seven penalties in the first half were the most they’ve had in a season opener. Overall, the Cowboys finished with nine penalties for 90 yards. That also included a taunting penalty from Javonte Williams in the fourth quarter. It pushed the subsequent point-after-touchdown attempt 15 yards back. Brandon Aubrey then missed, putting a comeback in more doubt. Another fear comes to life The Cowboys believed they could replicate the success of the Denver Broncos last year from a pass rush standpoint. Denver led the NFL in sacks thanks to a collective pass rush. They had eight players with at least four sacks. They also had Nik Bonitto, however, who had 14 sacks. One question that lingered heading into the season: Do the Cowboys have a pass rusher, like Bonitto, who could make a difference? That didn’t appear to be the case in the season opener. The Cowboys had two sacks, including one from rookie Caleb Downs, who was untouched on a blitz. The lack of pass rush was most evident at the end of the first half when Jaxson Dart completed four straight passes for 54 yards and a touchdown to Isaiah Likely, who was wide open. The Cowboys have been open about their willingness to add a defensive playmaker. There’s been thought that performances from the pass rush and secondary could prevent that. There’s a flip side to that, however, where the performance on defense could encourage a trade, as well. The Giants aren’t the Giants of old Jones was also asked on 105.3 The Fan about the Giants’ new head coach, John Harbaugh. Jones had so much respect for what Harbaugh did as the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens that he wasn’t exactly thrilled to see him. “When I saw he went to New York, my heart sank,” Jones said. For good reason. The Giants showed the physical nature Harbaugh teams are known to have. Running back Cam Skattebo was emblematic of it, running over Cowboys’ defenders all night for 81 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. The Giants of recent memory have been a walk in the park. Under Harbaugh, there shouldn’t be anything leisurely about it. Panic button time? It’s fair to say it’s only Week 1. The season opener has always been ripe for overreaction, after all. It’s also fair to say that the Cowboys needed a fast start. The road ahead is not easy. The trip to Rio will only make things tougher. It’s also the way they lost that was concerning. The defense struggled to make an impact. They bent, and bent, and bent, and often broke. They wanted to play fast and chaotic, and instead they looked slow and willing to acquiesce to the Giants’ demands. I’d recommend refraining from hitting the panic button, but feel free to let your hand hover over it.
