The Dallas Cowboys handled their business as a road underdog to the Cleveland Browns in Week 1, as the offense held up against one of the best defenses in the NFL last season. The new defense under the leadership of Mike Zimmer was dominant, and the special teams unit might have been the best part of the team. Now Dallas returns to Texas for their home opener against the New Orleans Saints, who are 1-0 after blowing out the Carolina Panthers.

It will take multiple games before the Cowboys can establish any certainty in answering questions about the team. Still, each outing open up storylines for the team based on assumptions, unknowns, and theories. Can players continue performing well week to week, or improve after playing poorly? How will the team respond to injuries?

Dallas and New Orleans both blew out their Week 1 opponents, but was that more about themselves or the quality of the team they faced? The Cowboys were road underdogs who played against a team with the best defense in the league when they played at home last year.

Dallas had to compete with rookies playing at two offensive line spots, a rookie corner, and one corner returning from a significant injury. Their starting nickel linebacker was playing in his first game and returning from a season-ending injury.

On paper, the Browns were a legitimate opponent.

The Panthers didn’t have much to offer in terms of competition.

Saints’ quarterback Derek Carr, only threw four incompletions on 23 pass attempts. Alvin Kamara averaged 5.5 yards per rush, and a slot corner, Alontae Taylor, somehow led the team with three sacks.

Carolina just couldn’t put up any resistance, so Dallas will be an actual test of how good the Saints might be this season. New Orleans could be a top-tier team, but Dallas won games against excellent competition last season.

In 2023, the Cowboys had home victories over the Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks, Detroit Lions, and the 10-1 Philadelphia Eagles. Dallas must continue playing at the highest level at home under Mike McCarthy. If they play as they did in the playoffs, they risk losing the aura they established in AT&T Stadium. That feeling of being hard to deal with at home could give them the confidence needed when they face the Baltimore Ravens, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, and Philadelphia Eagles.

Dallas walked into their playoff matchup with the Green Bay Packers on a 16-game home winning streak, the longest since 1979 through 1981. Their last loss had been in Week 1 of the 2022 season against Tom Brady, who will call the game on Sunday. Will Dallas continue their regular-season dominance, or will a losing streak at home begin?

You can find Mike Crum on Twitter @cdpiglet or YouTube on the Across the Cowboys Podcast