After two weeks, it’s hard to say just who the 2025 Dallas Cowboys are. Are they the team that nearly beat the Eagles on the road, or that barely got by the Giants at home? Sitting at 1-1 ahead of a Week 3 matchup against the Bears, it’s hard to say right now whether or not these Cowboys are winners or losers.
Thankfully, they’re winners for the next few days. And what a way to win, having to eat several Russell Wilson haymakers and stay sure-footed. Not just Brandon Aubrey, who deserves a new contract before he gets on the plane to Chicago, but the entire team. Even as Wilson, Malik Nabers, and other receivers kept exploiting DaRon Bland’s absence and Trevon Diggs’ rust, the Cowboys stayed up and answered enough times to get their first win of the season.
Now it’s fans and analysts who are fighting to figure out which game is more indicative of this team going forward. Was it the one that went the distance with Philly? And for that matter, how much did Jalen Carter’s absence make that an unfair gauge? Similarly, how much did losing Bland this week in practice make this last game closer than it should’ve been? And if future opponents, even weaker ones, don’t have the preponderance of penalties that the Giants did, will that even the field?
That’s one of the really scary factors of these last two weeks. For the first time in what feels like forever, the Cowboys have been heavy beneficiaries of officiating. Carter’s ejection, multiple DPIs for big yardage, critical calls in clutch moments: it’s been going Dallas’ way far more than we’re used to. If this is the anomaly we expect it to be, given decades of Dallas being one of the most penalized teams in the league, then that should mean tougher sledding in most upcoming games.
The composite result of all of this is not really knowing how to feel going forward, even against a 0-2 opponent like the Bears. They’ve lost two division games, one narrowly at home and another on the road. A week after Ben Johnson’s failed return to Detroit, we now have another big storyline game with Matt Eberflus’ attempted revenge in Chicago, going against a very familiar opponent in Johnson’s offense from their shared time in the NFC North.
Thankfully, it’s not all question marks with the Cowboys. At least a few things, and important ones, feel reliable after two weeks. We already mentioned Aubrey, who is simply incredible. Here are a few more:
1. Dak Prescott is all the way back.
It took the offense a little bit to get going on Sunday, but boy, did it finish strong! Prescott was on point in every way, even setting up the winning field goal with a 14-yard run. He showed all of the same poise and confidence from a week ago and delivered in the clutch. Prescott looks more comfortable in two weeks of this offense than he did at any point last season. He did get away with a couple of near picks trying to force the ball to George Pickens, and hopefully that gets cleaned up with increased chemistry. But overall, Prescott looks ready to do his part to make Dallas a contender.
2. Javonte Williams has the stuff.
We’ll have to see how the toll of a long season affects him, especially given his injury history, but Williams looks like a legit RB1 for a winning team. He’s a decisive runner behind even narrow lanes, trusting his power to make up for potential contact. He’s also a good receiver, catching six of seven targets. The more Dallas establishes rushing efficiency, the more dangerous Prescott and the receiving weapons will become. We’ve said before that Williams only had to be as good as Rico Dowdle to be a good move, and so far he’s looking like an upgrade.
3. Schotty has the locker room locked in.
The jury is still out on his offensive playcalling, clock management, and some of the other things we judge head coaches by. But in terms of having and keeping his players motivated and dialed in throughout a game, Brian Schottenheimer is proving himself quickly. While X’s and O’s and other technical aspects of football certainly matter, so much of what elevates professional teams over others is desire and focus. These are all great athletes, often working with great coaches and coordinators. After two weeks, these Cowboys look like a more disciplined and cohesive group than we’ve seen in a while.
Those are three things that you can lean on for an entire season and beyond. But still, Dallas has a lot of questions to answer. And with the Green Bay Packers coming in Week 4, this would be a great week to build confidence in other aspects of the team. A non-division opponent like Chicago, even with the Eberflus factor, could make for a better evaluation point than these last two NFC East rivalry games.
Who are the 2025 Cowboys? The Bears may go a long way to helping us figure it out.
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