Notable headlines surrounding America’s team.
Cowboys win in dominant fashion over Browns in Week 1 – Mark Heaney, Inside The Star
It’s good to be back.
It has been too many months to count since we’ve seen a Dallas Cowboys win, and the team wasted no time in delivering a huge victory over the Cleveland Browns.
From start to finish, the Cowboys were all over the field in this one.
Non-stop pressure, sacks, and turnovers on defense led to a consistent stream of points on offense.
Let’s get into the recap of this one, because it was far too sweet to not relive.
First Half Domination
The Browns deferred after winning the coin toss, which put the ball in the Cowboys’ hands first. Despite the strong game performance, Dallas started the game on this drive with a three-and-out.
Cleveland settled for the field goal, which came in at an impressive 51 yards for Dustin Hopkins, but that was all she wrote for the Browns in the first half.
From that point on, it was the Cowboys game.
CeeDee Lamb came up with a 34-yard reception, which led to a 21-yard touchdown for Brandin Cooks on a dime of a pass by Dak Prescott. The momentum from that drive sparked the defense, to say the least.
Dallas’ defense allowed just 15 total yards in the first quarter, and 7 in the second quarter.
Talk about domination from Mike Zimmer‘s group.
The offense exploded in the 2nd quarter as well, dropping 13 points in the quarter.
Game Recap: Cowboys dominate in 33-17 win – Kurt Daniels, DallasCowboys.com
A summary of how Sunday’s action transpired.
Third Quarter
Already enjoying a 17-point lead, the Cowboys weren’t about to take their foot off the gas. After the defense forced a quick three-and-out, KaVontae Turpin gathered in the Browns’ punt at his own 40-yard line. He then darted up the middle, cut to the right sideline, picked up the blocks he needed and went the distance for a 60-yard touchdown, the first punt return score of his career. It was also the first punt return touchdown for the Cowboys since the 2017 season.
Cleveland finally showed signs of life on its next series, traveling 75 yards in 12 plays for a score. Watson completed 6 of 10 passes for 71 yards, the last of which was a 6-yard dart to Jerry Jeudy just inside the right pylon to narrow the deficit somewhat, 27-10.
But when linebacker DeMarvion Overshown then shot out of a cannon to sack Watson on fourth-and-6 at the Browns’ 49-yard line, Dallas was back in business in enemy territory. Prescott and company weren’t able to make much progress, but it was enough for Aubrey, who booted a 50-yard field goal to up the score to 30-10.
Deadline Dallas: Dak Prescott, Cowboys agree to record extension at literally the 11th hour – K.D. Drummond, Cowboys Wire
The game wasn’t the only Cowboys news from the day.
Jerry Jones always says that deadlines make deals and this time he really put things to the test. At figuratively the 11th hour, the Dallas Cowboys and Dak Prescott have agreed to a contract extension just ahead of their 2024 Week 1 kickoff against the Cleveland Browns. Actually as the club is in Cleveland for the game, the deal was literally signed at the 11th hour.
The extension, for four years and calued at $240 million, will keep Prescott in Dallas through the 2028 season, which will be his 12th in the NFL. It makes him the highest-paid player in NFL history based on average annual salary, which checks in at a neat $60 million. Selected in the fourth round of the 2016 draft with a compensatory pick, Prescott has been the team’s opening day starter every season of his career.
Prescott’s deal absolutely clears the $55 million average salary of Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence and Jordan Love; all who signed those deals coming out of their rookie contracts.
Prescott has accumulated a record of 73-41 as a starter and 2-5 in the playoffs. Prescott has an outside shot of becoming the franchise’s all-time passing yardage leader late in the season as he sits 4,724 yards behind Tony Romo’s 34,183.
It took Mike Zimmer one game to do what Dan Quinn never did as Cowboys DC – Jerry Trotta, The Landry Hat
It was not a bad debut for Mike Zimmer’s squad.
A narrative that followed the Dallas Cowboys for the entirety of last season was their inability to win a big game on the road. Critics will come out of hiding as soon as its convenient, but Dallas made an emphatic statement on Sunday with a 33-17 victory over the Cleveland Browns.
While Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and Ezekiel Elliott stole the show in the first half, the offense couldn’t find a rhythm in the second half. Granted, the play-calling was a little conservative as the Cowboys opened up a big lead, but Mike Zimmer’s defense was fantastic from start to finish.
The Browns only managed 10 points before they scored a garbage time touchdown in the final minute of regulation. Micah Parsons notched a sack, deflected a pass that got intercepted and generated close to double digit pressures.
While Parsons wrecked the game in the second quarter as the Cowboys imposed their dominance in hostile territory, the main takeaway from the win is that Zimmer had Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson seeing ghosts.
It’s only one game and fans in Cleveland have already seen enough of Watson. The boo birds were coming down at Huntington Bank Field by the end of the second quarter!
4 takeaways from Cowboys’ win vs Browns in Week 1 – Tyler Reed, Sports Illustrated
What did we learn in week one?
3. Turn Back The Clock
The running game was one of the biggest question marks coming into the Cowboys’ first game of the season. But just like a legendary band that gets back to play their greatest hits one more time, running back Ezekiel Elliot really got the people going with his first touchdown of the season in the second quarter against the Browns.
The numbers weren’t eye-popping, but the veteran back made a splash in his return to the franchise.
2. Game Changer
The pregame talk was all about how edge rushers Myles Garrett and Micah Parsons would be the stars of the game. Well, Parsons certainly lived up to his expectations and more. Parsons was a menace from the start of the game, getting in the backfield all day and helping the Cowboys grab an interception from Browns QB Deshaun Watson in the first half, along with a sack. Parsons has made a great first impression on his quest to win a Defensive Player of the Year Award this season.
Cowboys Provide First Jake Ferguson Update on Scary Week 1 Injury – Isaiah De Los Santos, SportDFW
The initial reports are optimistic.
After waiting on pins and needles, fans finally got their first update on Ferguson during the postgame press conference.
Dallas head coach Mike McCarthy told reporters that Ferguson was in “good spirits” and getting around fine in the locker room after helping the team take down Cleveland. The tight end did have his left knee wrapped in ice, and was seen walking with a limp, but he believes he could have return to the game if needed.
Ferguson added he’s set to get an MRI on Monday to reveal the extent of the injury, and he has hope it’s just a hyperextension.
Unfortunately, there’s not much to take away from McCarthy and Ferguson’s optimism. Given how strong today’s athletes are and the adrenaline of the moment, we’ve seen players do miraculous things while having significant injuries, so Ferguson thinking he could’ve played through doesn’t mean much.
How Ferguson’s knee looks and feels on Monday will provide a much better view of the situation. He may very well avoid the worst-case scenario, but that could still mean a multi-week absence is in the cards, like the Green Bay Packers just saw after QB Jordan Love’s own injury scare.
