DALLAS — The Dallas Cowboys open their 2024 season on the road against the Cleveland Browns. It’s a matchup between two playoff teams from a year ago, and two teams who were unceremoniously ousted early in the postseason.
It’s also a rematch of the 2008 season opener, which had similar circumstances. The Browns were coming off a 10-win year – although it didn’t result in the playoff appearance – and their expectations were high, hosting the Cowboys who were coming off a NFC East title. In that meeting, the Cowboys easily handled the Browns 28-10, and the hope in Dallas is that the same thing happens this time around.
For Dallas to get out to a fast start and win their season opener, they’ll need to play better than they have in some of their first games under head coach Mike McCarthy. Here are some of the keys to beating the Browns in Week 1:
Get at Deshaun Watson
The Browns will have their franchise quarterback in the lineup for the first time since last November, so he could be rusty. Watson didn’t play during the preseason as he continued to work his way back from shoulder surgery, so speeding up his internal play clock will be key to forcing him into mistakes. He also hasn’t played much at all over the last few years – just 12 games since 2020 – so pressuring Watson would go a long way towards beating the Browns.
That task might be easier for Dallas against an offensive line without one of their best players. Left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. is listed as questionable after just getting on the field to practice for the first time this offseason. Wills isn’t expected to start but could play against the Cowboys.
The absence of Willis would be a big blow for the Browns as they would be missing their blind side protector, but if he does play, he likely won’t be close to full strength. That’s an advantage for a Cowboys pass rush that includes Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence. Coupled with a new scheme where offenses won’t know where either is lined up, Dallas’ defense could benefit.
Keep Dak Prescott upright
It won’t be any easier for the Cowboys to protect their own signal caller. Prescott also didn’t take any snaps in the preseason, and he’ll be lining up under rookie center Cooper Beebe while his blind side will be watched by first-round pick Tyler Guyton. The rookies have been impressive in camp and the preseason but lining up in a regular season game against a pass rusher like Myles Garrett for 60 minutes is a bigger task.
Guyton seems to be taking the challenge of going head-to-head with Garrett in stride and has a good attitude about the matchup that could lead to a true ‘welcome to the NFL’ moment.
Garrett is one of the best rushers in the league and is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year after his 14-sack performance in 2023. The veteran defensive end is a handful against any offensive lineman, but it’ll be even tougher for a rookie to slow him down.
Za’Darius Smith is another pass rusher who’s had double-digit sack seasons for the Browns, so the Cowboys’ offensive line has their work cut out for them in protecting Prescott. If Prescott gets time to throw, the offense should have a better chance to move the ball against a passing defense that led the league in yards allowed last year.
Keep the run game contained
One of the real weaknesses of the Cowboys under former coordinator Dan Quinn was their run defense, which got exposed too many times. There’s a new defensive coordinator in town now that Mike Zimmer has returned to Dallas and he prefers a sounder scheme with bigger bodies in the middle.
It’ll be the first chance for second-year defensive tackle Mazi Smith to prove that his game is back to where the team had hoped when they made him their top pick in 2023 and it’s Zimmer’s first chance at improving the biggest flaw in previous seasons.
The Browns won’t have top back Nick Chubb to attack the Cowboys, but they do have a strong running game that averaged close to 119 yards on the ground during the 2023 season. Overall, it’ll be a good test for the Cowboys and their new DC to slow down the run in Week 1. If they can’t stop the Browns from running the ball, it could be a long day for the defense.
Win the turnover battle
Most games in the NFL are won by the team that claims the turnover battle, but last season the Browns made the playoffs despite having the highest number of turnovers in the league. Cleveland gave the ball away 37 times in 2023, a total that isn’t sustainable if they want to earn another postseason berth.
The Cowboys created the most turnovers during the 2021 and 2022 seasons before coming back to the pack and ranking 13th in the league last year with 26 takeaways. Zimmer won’t have last season’s interception leader and pick-six king DaRon Bland in the lineup either, but he does get another ball hawk back in fellow All-Pro cornerback Trevon Diggs.
The Browns threw 23 interceptions last year – four of which belonged to Watson in just six games – and they fumbled 11 times, eight of which came at the hands of the receivers. If the Cowboys can take the ball away from the Browns when the opportunity presents itself, Dallas should win the game. A neutral or minus score on the turnover board could make Sunday an uphill battle for the Cowboys.
Do you think the Cowboys will get off to a 1-0 start to the 2024 campaign on Sunday? Share your predictions with Ben on X (formerly Twitter) @BenGrimaldi.
