Some would argue that Dallas’ season-opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles answered more questions than it raised. There were so many unknowns ahead of 2025, and Week 1 gave us several things to feel better about for the road ahead. But in the end, the standings don’t care about your feelings. The Cowboys are now 0-1 overall and in the NFC East, so there’s work to be done.
Here are three questions that Dallas has to answer before hosting the Giants next Sunday, and for the remainder of the season. And no, “Will CeeDee Lamb keep dropping passes,” is not one of them. He won’t.
Can the pass rush improve?
There are several reasons that the Cowboys only registered one sack in Philly, courtesy of Marshawn Kneeland. The biggest one was Jalen Hurts, who was fantastic that night with his pocket presence and decision-making. But just last year, the Eagles allowed 45 sacks, putting them right in the middle of all teams. So it’s certainly possible to make life harder for the reigning Super Bowl MVP.
Of course, this topic is inflamed by what went down with Micah Parsons. But he’s not walking through that door, so let’s talk about who needs to. Donovan Ezeiruaku showed his potential, beating OT Jordan Mailata more than once. Against most teams, he would’ve recorded his first sack. He nearly forced Hurts into an incompletion in the fourth quarter, but Saquon Barkley made a superstar catch.
The nature of the game also limited guys like Osa Odighizuwa and Solomon Thomas from being able to attack up the middle. Keeping Hurts contained became a problem early, and the Eagles were rarely forced into clear passing situations. But if Kenny Clark and the defensive front can shut down the run like they did in the second half, most other teams will get more one-dimensional and make life easier for the pass rushers.
So yes, it’s certainly fixable. Matt Eberflus will get more familiar with his options and the best ways to utilize them as the season goes on. Ezeiruaku and Kneeland will hopefully blossom with more playing time. And most future opponents won’t present the challenge that the Eagles do. Dallas appears to have improved its overall run defense from last year, but now has to prove that they didn’t just trade one weakness for another.
Is Javonte Williams better than we thought?
One might look at Williams’ 15 carries for 54 yards, only a 3.6 average, and think it was a bad start to his Cowboys tenure. But there’s plenty of circumstance in those numbers, and the eye test was a more accurate gauge of how our new RB1 actually fared.
Both of Williams’ touchdowns were on 1st-and-1 carries, which hurt his average. Take those away, and he averaged 4.0 on the other 13. You give him the touch on Miles Sanders’ 49-yard run, which was mostly due to blocking, and his average goes up tremendously. Overall, Williams displayed good vision, decisiveness, and the power to finish runs for extra yards. He looked closer to his 2021 rookie form than the post-injury version we saw the last two years in Denver.
Now, we have to acknowledge that everyone on the Cowboys’ offense benefited from Jalen Carter’s ejection. That’s probably truer for Williams than anyone. Next week, against Dexter Lawrence and the Giants’ defensive front, will probably be a better test of just what this run game can really do in 2025.
Will George Pickens keep his cool?
Only four targets in a game is low compared to what Pickens was used to in Pittsburgh. While he knows he’s not the franchise WR in Dallas, it’s still a contract year for a guy who’s already seen his relationship with one team go sour. It’s been all fun and games during the offseason, when practice reps are generally going to go as designed. But in the regular season, if Prescott leans more on Lamb, Ferguson, and his more familiar receivers, will Pickens keep being a good citizen?
This isn’t a prediction, but just a logical concern given how Pickens’ last marriage ended. Hopefully, future games allow for a more balanced attack. The Eagles winning time-of-possession by about 10 minutes limited how much work Dallas had to spread around. And given their familiarity with the opponent, it made sense for Prescott and Lamb to do their thing. Hopefully, Pickens sees that too.
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