ARLINGTON, Texas — The season is just two weeks old, but these Dallas Cowboys are sitting pretty at 2-0. So far Dallas appears to be a well-rounded team that can win with an efficient offense, a defense that has play-makers who take the ball away, and a special teams unit that is among the best in the league.
All of that was on display in the Week 2 win over the New York Jets. The offense was methodical in their approach, while the defense had three sacks and four takeaways. Meanwhile, the rookie kicker was perfect on his attempts. Aside from the red zone offense getting bogged down, this was another dominant performance from the Cowboys.
Here’s what else we learned about the Cowboys in their 30-10 Week 2 rout of the Jets:
Getting the ball out quick
The Jets have an elite defensive line that can make life difficult for the quarterback, and the Cowboys were down one of their starting offensive linemen to give Dak Prescott something else to worry about. Therefore, the game plan called for quick passes from Prescott to avoid pressure. It worked; Prescott got the ball out of his hands fast and wasn’t sacked once.
Prescott was accurate all game and found open receivers in the short and intermediate areas of the field on his way to 255 yards and two touchdowns. This felt more like the modified West Coast offense, dubbed the ‘Texas Coast offense’, that head coach Mike McCarthy had been cooking up this summer and it was effective against New York.
Each game brings a different set of circumstances, but Dallas demonstrated great execution of a solid game plan against the Jets. At some point, the Cowboys will need to open things up and throw the ball down the field, but that wasn’t needed in the homer opener.
Third down success
A big reason for why the offense was able to stay on task was by converting on 50% of their third downs. That was due largely to putting themselves in manageable third down situations where the Cowboys only needed four yards or less to move the chains. In those situations, the offense went 5-of-7 on the day.
The short passes that Dallas opted for to get the ball out quickly also helped to move the ball down the field at a steady clip. The safe throws gave the Cowboys opportunities in third-and-short situations, where they had no trouble converting.
With Dallas converting their chances, that kept the Jets defense on the field for over 42 minutes, wearing them out and keeping the hungry Cowboys’ defense well rested on the sideline. It’s been a fine recipe for success.
Hustle saves the day
The Cowboys played well in the win over the Jets, but they were saved by two big plays that were the result of not giving up. Late in the first quarter, the Cowboys began a drive at their own 3-yard line when Prescott hit wideout CeeDee Lamb for a big gain. As Lamb was fighting for extra yards, the ball came loose, and the Jets were in position to pick it up and wrest momentum from the Cowboys where a New York recovery would have put the ball deep in Dallas territory.
However, center Tyler Biadasz was following the play, saw the ball on the ground, and hustled to recover it for the offense among a sea of green Jets jerseys. The score was just 7-0 at that point and Biadasz’s heads up play likely saved the Cowboys some points. The offense eventually kicked a field goal to take a double-digit lead.
Later, defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence also saved the Cowboys points when he reached out and hit Jets QB Zach Wilson’s arm on a throw destined for a potential touchdown.
Lawrence wasn’t going to get a sack on the play, but the least he could do was try to disrupt the play, which he did, saving a touchdown. The Cowboys did give up a field goal but kept their touchdown lead heading into halftime before surging ahead in the second half.
The Cowboys didn’t give up on those two plays and it saved them points and forced the Jets to continue playing from behind.
Vaughn get extended snaps
Sixth-rounder Deuce Vaughn was one of the stars during the summer, but he wasn’t used much last week in the season opener. That changed in Week 2 where Vaughn saw more opportunities to make an impact. Vaughn had three carries, one of which went for 13 yards, and three catches, of which he had a long of 11 yards.
Unlike last week, Vaughn was used early in the game and after a few rough moments where things looked forced, the rookie settled in and made real contributions. This might be a sign that the offense is preparing Vaughn for more work as the season rolls on.
Trial by fire for Bass
The Cowboys were already down an interior offensive lineman with LG Tyler Smith not available, but eventually the team would be forced into using their third string guard T.J. Bass as the day wore on. The undrafted rookie was inserted in the second half after Chuma Odoga injured his elbow late in the second quarter.
Bass acquitted himself well in the win against a good defensive line, proving that he can play. With depth along the offensive line one of the biggest question marks heading into the season, the Cowboys now know that they have another option on the interior of the offensive line if needed.
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