As bad as some might feel after the Dallas Cowboys barely defeated the New York Giants in overtime, a win is a win in the NFL. The defense might have struggled, but the offense carried the team to victory, and there was plenty to like from that aspect of the game.
From the obvious things like the play of the quarterback, or how CeeDee Lamb bounced back, to little details like the blocking of Brevyn Spann-Ford, Dallas has plenty of positives from their Week 2 victory. There are key areas of the game the Cowboys must continue to improve upon heading into Week 3 to upset the Chicago Bears on the road next week.
Dak Prescott needs to continue to play MVP-level football
Dak Prescott has played as well as any quarterback in the league through the first two games of the season. He is in the top 3 in yards and Pro Football Focus’ (PFF) overall and passing grades. He leads the league in adjusted EPA per play at 90, big-time throws with nine, and completions of 10 or more yards, 24.
In the fourth quarter and overtime against New York, he completed 15 of 20 throws for 187 yards with a touchdown and a passer rating of 116.9. He must continue to carry the team until the defense proves it can be trusted regularly.
Continue the great play from the defensive tackles
Throughout the last few seasons and into this summer, the defensive tackle position was the weak spot of the Dallas defense, but the addition of Kenny Clark has completely transformed this room. Osa Odighizuwa, Clark, and Solomon Thomas were in the top five graded players from the game against New York according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). The best player on defense against the Giants was Thomas. His 81.4 PFF grade tied him with Prescott for the highest on the team. Thomas played 28 snaps and totaled seven tackles and a QB hit.
He had a four-play streak, after a Prescott interception, where he stopped a Giants’ drive with his play. On first down, he made a run stop for one yard, then brought down Russell Wilson on a scramble on second. He stopped Cam Skattebo for no gain on third, and on fourth down, he got pressure that helped cause an incompletion. The excellent defensive tackle play from Odighizuwa, Clark, and Thomas has to continue into Week 3.
Keep throwing towards George Pickens & KaVontae Turpin
George Pickens is going to get single coverage with CeeDee Lamb on the field, and he has been nearly impossible to cover in those situations. He increased his official targets from four in Week 1 to nine in Week 2. He has eight receptions on the season for 98 yards. Those eight catches have been for seven first downs and a touchdown. He has also drawn three defensive pass interference penalties for 79 yards. That is a total of 177 yards in the first two games.
KaVontae Turpin isn’t a gadget guy in Brian Schottenheimer’s offense. Before his injury, he was as important to the offense as any other element against the Giants. He had four receptions on four targets for 47 yards and a touchdown. A screen pass for nine yards, a slant for a touchdown in traffic, a 16-yard reception over the middle, and a short pass Turpin took for an extra six yards after the catch. He is an impactful third receiving option for the Cowboys. Getting both of them the ball opens up the run game and opportunities for Jake Ferguson and Lamb in the passing game.
