DALLAS — Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season was a banner day for the Dallas Cowboys, who opened the year with wins on and off the field. The first victory came before kickoff when the team and Dak Prescott agreed on a massive contract extension that will keep the franchise quarterback in Dallas for at least four more years.
On the field, the Cowboys dominated the Cleveland Browns, coming away with a 33-17 win that looked a lot like the victories that the team put together in recent seasons. The script followed the same winning formula: get out to a lead, play great special teams and then attack the quarterback, punishing the opposition into submission with takeaways. Despite a few early game jitters, the Cowboys settled in and put away the Browns with a complete team effort, winning in all three phases.
This was a matchup where two playoff teams from a year ago were looking to build off disappointing endings. Mike McCarthy’s team rose to the challenge, and he won his second straight season opener in blowout fashion.
Texas Coast Year 2
Fresh off his new deal, Prescott showed early why he was worth the money. The signal-caller found his big-play wide receiver early and often to set up Dallas’ first score of the game. On their second possession, Prescott’s pinpoint accuracy to WR CeeDee Lamb down the sideline went for 34 yards and the wideout on the opposite side, a Prescott-favorite red zone target, ended the drive with a touchdown.
On 3rd-and-5, the Browns brought a blitz that saw Prescott forced to make a throw off his back foot to a spot, but Brandin Cooks made sure he was there to come down with the 21-yard score. It was the type of play where the QB must read the defense and trust his receiver. The duo made it look easy and made the aggressive defense pay for the mistake of coming after Prescott.
Checking into a winning play is one of the reasons why the organization gave Prescott a lucrative extension; he's had the right answers for almost any situation.
Dallas’ next score came from an old reliable source, returning running back Ezekiel Elliott. The team brought back Elliott to improve their red zone running game and he paid immediate dividends with a four-yard rushing score.
The biggest question mark for the team didn’t turn out to be a factor. Rookie left tackle Tyler Guyton was lining up against the reigning Defensive Player of the Year and perhaps the best pass rusher in the league and he held his own. The Cowboys couldn’t allow Browns defensive end Myles Garrett to ruin the game and he didn’t. Guyton did give up a sack, but he won enough in the trenches to keep the offense on task.
Zimmer’s debut
At 17-3 near the end of the first half, the Cowboys’ defense began to take over. Mike Zimmer’s unit proved that no matter who is the defensive coordinator, having talent will always translate.
Among the defensive standouts in the win, Micah Parsons forced the game’s first turnover when he tipped quarterback Deshaun Watson’s pass away and Dallas linebacker Eric Kendricks came away with the interception. The Cowboys would tack on three more points to take a 20-3 lead at halftime.
The defense kept coming as the Cowboys had 22 pressures in the game, leading to six sacks and two turnovers. DE DeMarcus Lawrence and Kendricks led the team with two sacks apiece, while Parson had a sack and led the unit with nine pressures.
Veteran cornerback Trevon Diggs had the other interception, picking up where he left off before his ACL injury last season.
This was eerily reminiscent of how the defense played under former coordinator Dan Quinn. The Cowboys were staked to a lead, and the defense bullied an offensive line that was down two starters. It was an impressive performance for Zimmer in his first game back with the team as its new DC.
A special unit
The special teams also lived up to their name in the Week 1 win. Kicker Brandon Aubrey made all four of his field goal attempts, including two from 50+ yards out. Aubrey connected on 50 and 57-yard kicks and is now a perfect 12-12 on attempts of over 50 yards in his career. A truly staggering accomplishment.
The second-year kicker also made what would have been an NFL record-tying 66-yard kick at the end of the first half that ultimately didn’t count because McCarthy and his coaching staff didn’t call a timeout to stop a delay of game penalty. It was one of the few things that went wrong for the Cowboys in the win.
Return man KaVontae Turpin got in on the fun with a 60-yard punt return for a score to give the team a commanding 27-3 lead in the third quarter. It was Turpin’s first career punt return score, and he looked explosive on most of his opportunities.
This was a great start to the season for the Cowboys, especially after the spring and summer months were filled with more discontent than usual for the team. It wasn’t perfect; the penalties continue to be an issue, which is another trend that’s continued from the previous few seasons, but the Cowboys looked strong while playing complimentary football.
Dallas will win a lot of games when they can play efficient offense, harass the QB, win the turnover battle, and have impeccable special teams play. We’ve seen it for the last three seasons and again on Sunday.
It’s a new year, but the Cowboys used their winning formula from the McCarthy era to start off 2024 on the right foot.
Do you think the Cowboys proved doubters wrong with their Week 1 win? Share your thoughts with Ben on X (formerly Twitter) @BenGrimaldi.
