The Dallas Cowboys dominated the New York Giants 40-0 in a historic season opener with a nearly perfect performance. But what were some nitpicky aspects of the game that could use some work going into week two of the season?
Winners
The Entire Defense
The Cowboy’s defense had seven sacks, five forced fumbles, and two interceptions off of Giants QB Daniel Jones. They played such a complete game that it’s hard to describe their performance with another word other than dominance.
Micah Parsons gets a special mention for his ability to create pressure on nearly every rep he was in the game. No one on the Giants’ offense could play comfortably with Parsons on the field.
Mike McCarthy’s 2023 theme is “Carpe Onmia,” meaning seize everything, which is precisely what the defense did during this game.
Dan Quinn has something special with this group, and he tipped his hat to what they can do this season.
Juanyeh Thomas and Noah Igbinoghene
Juanyeh Thomas and Noah Igbinoghene were the dream team of the night, kicking the team’s season off with points on the board.
During the Giant’s attempt to make a field goal on the first drive, Thomas blocked the kick, which Igbinoghene recovered and took it for a touchdown.
This play of events was the first domino to fall, setting the tone for the rest of the game.
Chuma Edoga
Chuma Edoga stepped up when the Cowboys needed him to. With Tyler Smith being inactive for the night, all eyes were on the left side of the line. But Edoga stepped up and solidly held guys off of Dak Prescott.
In the Middle
Dak Prescott
Dak Prescott was shaking off the rust from not playing during the preseason.
He had a 54.2 completion percentage, but with the rain coming down heavily for most of the game, there is no question that this played a factor in that.
Overall, Prescott was playing comfortably again under Mike McCarthy calling the plays. He had time to create play-action and release the ball quickly.
The Cowboys’ Offense Dropped Passes
The weather could have affected the amount of dropped passes during the game, especially for the Cowboys’ offense.
Keying in on this seems nitpicky since many of the drops were uncharacteristic, especially from Jake Ferguson and Peyton Hendershot.
No doubt that this will be something the tight ends watch back to correct going forward.
Brandon Aubrey
Brandon Aubrey was so close to having a perfect game. He was two for two in-field goal attempts for the night but missed an extra point attempt after a touchdown.
Yes, this is something to be nitpicky about during this game, especially with rainy conditions for a kicker. But seeing Aubrey have a perfect game next week will be the real test for him being back at AT&T Stadium.
Losers
No One
It’s hard to call anyone on the Cowboys a loser when they shut out the Giants 40-0.
All three sides of the ball scored and kept playing until the very end of the game. This was close to being as perfect of a game as a team can play, especially considering the starters didn’t have any playing time during the preseason.
