The Dallas Cowboys offense was good enough for a win in Cleveland. Under Dak’s leadership, bolstered by his new contract, the unit displayed confidence and fluidity in their movements. As the game advanced and the team established an early, commanding lead, they became less aggressive and their stats suffered. This week, the team will encounter a different challenge on the offensive front against the New Orleans Saints. While the pass rush threat may not be as significant this week, they will contend with a secondary that recorded the second-highest number of interceptions in the league last season and secured two interceptions in their recent match against the Carolina Panthers. So how do the offenses stack up against each other? Let’s battle it out by position and find out. QUARTERBACK Dak Prescott vs. Derek Carr Dak got his deal right before kickoff on Sunday against Cleveland. He exhibited commendable composure and executed several precise passes during the game. However, his performance was somewhat inconsistent. He effectively guided the offense and orchestrated several impressive drives, yet the momentum waned in the second half. This decline can partly be ascribed to the play-calling, influenced by the substantial lead held by the Cowboys, but for the overall game it may also reflect Dallas trying to avoid letting the Browns pass rush disrupt things and cause turnovers. It is essential for Dak to demonstrate improvement this week to reassure fans that his difficulties from the previous game were merely a minor early-season jitter. Dak should experience a more favorable situation this week due to the support from his offensive line. Last season, the Saints’ defensive line recorded the fourth-lowest number of sacks, and they were unable to secure any against the Carolina Panthers’ offensive line in their last matchup. All of the team’s sacks from the previous week were attributed to either a linebacker or cornerback. It is imperative for Dak to exercise caution regarding his ball placement this week, as this has been a recurring challenge for him. The Saints possess the ability to dominate a game through interceptions, having achieved 18 last season, surpassed only by San Francisco and Chicago. Last week against the Carolina Panthers, Derek Carr had himself a day. He threw for a passing total of 200 yards, boasting an impressive completion rate of 82% along with three touchdown passes. However, the inconsistency of Carr remains a puzzling aspect. It’s always uncertain which version of Carr will appear on the day. This season, he’s started with three touchdowns and no turnovers, contrasting sharply with the previous year, during which he recorded only six touchdowns against four interceptions in his first seven games. The element of pressure has proven to be significant; when Carr faces pressure, he struggles to locate his intended targets, although in the Panthers game he handled it very well. Last season, in games where he was sacked two or more times, his performance dwindled. He experienced ten games where he was sacked twice or more, resulting in a tally of 12 touchdowns against five interceptions, alongside three games in which he failed to score. Conclusion: It’s a positive start for both quarterbacks this year but the lack of pressure the Saints defense creates bodes well for Dak. Whereas the high amount the Cowboys defense creates makes a tough day for Carr to find a rhythm.Win: Cowboys Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images RUNNING BACK Rico Dowdle/Ezekiel Elliott vs. Alvin Kamara/Jamaal Williams It was a pleasure to witness Ezekiel Elliott’s touchdown last week, reestablishing his presence on the Dallas scorecard. There had been concerns regarding Zeke’s athleticism and whether he had lost some of his agility as he’s aged. However, his performance demonstrated that he remains in fine form. The hurdle he executed showcased his explosiveness and ability to run with strength. Unlike Tony Pollard’s experience last year, Zeke exhibited no difficulties in reaching the end zone when inside the opponent’s 10-yard line. Dowdle provided solid support, contributing with an explosive play that gained 10 yards. Additionally, Deuce Vaughn made an appearance with a rush that resulted in four yards. This running back group will encounter a Saints defense that struggled with run defense last season, permitting the 11th-highest rushing yards at an average of 119 yards per game. However, the Saints improved their performance against the run within their red zone, indicating that Mike McCarthy will need to employ greater creativity as the field becomes more confined. Alvin Kamara recorded 83 rushing yards and a touchdown in Week 1. This performance marks the highest rushing yardage Kamara has attained in a single game since 2022, a game that, coincidentally, was also against the Panthers. Kamara had an impressive season in 2020, during which he accumulated a total of 21 touchdowns. However, his performance has significantly declined since then; last season, he managed only five touchdowns and rushed for a total of 694 yards, marking a career low. Jamaal Williams also found the end zone last week, yet he too is far from his 2022 form, in which he recorded 17 rushing touchdowns. In the previous year, he averaged just 2.9 yards per carry and managed to score only one touchdown. Conclusion: Last season both these defenses had issues stopping the run, but had good days in Week 1 of this season limiting rushers. In both cases what is also true is the level of offensive power both defenses faced in terms of rushing attack. Both sides still have questions at the position, this week maybe some of those questions get answered.Win: Push Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images WIDE RECEIVERS CeeDee Lamb/Brandin Cooks/Jalen Tolbert vs. Chris Olave/Rashid Shaheed/A.T. Perry Anyone have Bradin Cooks as the Cowboys first touchdown scorer for this year? The pass was executed perfectly. Cooks had a fluctuating presence on the field last week but still managed to secure the second-most receptions on the team. Given the uncertainty surrounding the other receivers further down the depth chart, it is anticipated that Cooks will play a

Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports It is interesting looking at snap counts for Cowboys defensive tackles from last week. There isn’t much that hasn’t been said positively about the Dallas Cowboys defense in their season opening win against the Cleveland Browns. The 33-17 statement win on the road puts the team in the familiar position of starting strong on this side of the ball and giving an offense full of players that didn’t get reps in the preseason time to take form. The Cowboys were able to do this under Dan Quinn, and didn’t miss a beat in announcing to the league that Mike Zimmer’s defense is here to pick up right where the now-Commanders head coach left off. With a ton of room for improvement and fine tuning on both sides of the ball, the Cowboys still had six sacks, two interceptions, and a forced turnover on downs against Deshaun Watson, Amari Cooper, and the Browns offense. The Cowboys’ game plan was able to put the Browns in a position where they had to drop back and be a one-dimensional passing team, which not only told us a lot about a secondary still without CB DaRon Bland, but also the rotation on the defensive line. The defensive tackle position was a work in progress for the Cowboys all through training camp, the preseason, and right up until the start of the regular season as they looked to give Zimmer the right guys to work with on the interior. These new additions in Linval Joseph and Jordan Phillips both made their team debuts on Sunday, but it was carryover players Osa Odighizuwa and Chauncey Golston that led the way in snaps at DT over Joseph, Phillips, and last year’s top draft pick Mazi Smith. Dallas Cowboys Defensive Tackle Snap Counts at CLE Browns The Cowboys big lead might have led to unusual snap counts in Week 1, especially as the Browns were forced into more passing situations which don’t play to the strengths of Smith and Joseph, The Cowboys defense clearly looked at their best when put in this position to rush the passer constantly, where edge players DeMarcus Lawrence and Micah Parsons mostly stole the show. It will be interesting to see if this rotation at tackle stays the same when Dallas finds themselves in more evenly matched games against balanced offenses. Did we see just the “obvious passing downs” rotation, or can will Golston continue to get a lot of run at tackle? The Cowboys young linebacking group responded well to the defensive alignment in front of them against the Browns, filling gaps and staying off blocks to make plays all over the field as DeMarvion Overshown shined and veteran Eric Kendricks had the first interception of the season. This is what Zimmer is looking for up front, seeing Odighizuwa make good on being one of the rare players that didn’t see a single snap all preseason. He is the Cowboys’ clear number one at the 3-technique spot. It is also important to note when talking about how the Cowboys line up across their front four that Micah Parsons saw a few snaps on the interior against the Browns, Lawrence is capable of doing the same, as is rookie defensive end Marshawn Kneeland. Having the benefit of confusing an opposing offense with who may be rushing from where is obviously something Zimmer wants to take advantage of, but more stout run-stuffing players like Smith or Joseph can make this difficult. Phillips is a hybrid player that takes interior linemen by surprise with his ability to rush the passer at his size, and this role will be valuable to avoid wear and tear on the best rusher of this group in Odighizuwa. Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images The Cowboys run defense may not be 100% fixed, but the fact is they put in a solid performance on the road in their first game playing a new scheme at full game speed. Doing so while the snap count shows so much room for Mazi Smith and Linval Joseph to help them against more physical run teams is encouraging. September football is truly about learning for the first time what a team’s players can do in game situations, and right now the Cowboys defense is showing they can stay assignment sound up and down the depth chart. If Dallas’ offense gets off to the hot start at home like they did last year, look for the defense to be able to continue prioritizing players that can affect the quarterback lining up in the front seven over the next two weeks. Despite what some fans have been saying since the end of the season, and more recently when the Cowboys felt the need to add at DT late in the process, this doesn’t mean that Mazi Smith can’t still play an important role for this defense. The team is just getting started with the looks that Zimmer can deploy, and having versatility at all three levels is a huge reason why they feel comfortable with the way this defense can evolve. Defensive tackle is an important position to have depth at, and based on the first regular season game the Cowboys have veteran depth just waiting to play more snaps when called upon.

Scott Galvin-Imagn Images Your latest Cowboys injury news. It’s very early in the season, but after the statement the Dallas Cowboys made against the Cleveland Browns in the season opener, the team has to feel good about themselves. The defense was dominant under the direction of new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, and the rookies along the offensive line held up well against a potent Browns defense. However, as the Cowboys begin their week of preparation for the New Orleans Saints this weekend, the status of one of their best playmakers is unknown. Jake Ferguson left the game in Cleveland with a knee injury, and the severity of his injury is still unclear. Here’s what we know thus far about Ferguson’s availability at practice along with the other Cowboys. Wednesday’s #Saints vs. Cowboys injury report: pic.twitter.com/unQdlvWvhC — Tina Howell (@TinaHowellNOLA) September 11, 2024 Ferguson sat out of practice with his knee injury and was listed as a DNP. Eric Kendricks, who made a timely interception against Cleveland, was limited on Wednesday, as he, Brandin Cooks, Demarcus Lawrence, and Zack Martin, were given a lighter load for rest. John Stephens, who could see playing time if Ferguson is unable to play, was held out of practice but he did some work off to the side as he recovers from a hamstring injury that kept him out of the season opener. Marshawn Kneeland did also not practice today with a calf injury. We’ll learn more about the severity of the injury as the week progresses. The Saints have a lengthy injury report. Star cornerback Marshon Lattimore did not practice Wednesday, tending to a hamstring injury. Ditto for Tyrann Mathieu, who sat with a heel injury. Receivers AT Perry (hand) and Rashid Shaheed (finger) practiced fully today. Linebacker D’Marco Jackson did not practice due to a calf injury of his own.

Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images The Cowboys freed up some salary cap space this week. The Dallas Cowboys have been busy securing long-term deals with Dak Prescott and his biggest weapon, CeeDee Lamb. That also added more salary cap space for Dallas, and they put more into that pot on Tuesday. Per Todd Archer of ESPN, the Cowboys have reworked the deal of right tackle Terence Steele to give the team $4.5 million in additional cap space. The Cowboys have reworked the contract of right tackle Terence Steele, opening up $4.5 million in salary cap space. Add that to cap space saved on Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb contracts this year to the money that will most likely be carried over to 2025 ($20m+) — Todd Archer (@toddarcher) September 11, 2024 Dallas has some prime-time players who will be up for new deals soon. Most noticeably, of course, is All-Pro edge Micah Parsons. There’s also cornerback DaRon Bland as well, who has risen to All-Pro status himself. So, the Cowboys need all the extra funds they can get. The Cowboys could carry that money over to 2025, or they could use some of that extra money to possibly look at another veteran if they feel there are still some holes on the roster. Nonetheless, Dallas is certainly planning for the future with this move.

Photo by Wagner Meier/Getty Images Everything went pretty chalk across the NFC East in Week 1. Surprise, surprise; the Cowboys and Eagles are winners while the Commanders and Giants are losers. If you didn’t already know that going into the 2024 season, Week 1 was a good reminder about who runs the NFC East. We’re being facetious here, but only to a point. Everyone from oddsmakers to most casual fans had Dallas or Philadelphia winning the division this season. That hardly happens after one week, but a look at the standings today feels like it sets the tone for the rest of the year. Here are the NFC East standings after Week 1: Philadelphia Eagles 1-0 (0-0 in division, 1-0 vs NFC) Dallas Cowboys 1-0 (0-0, 0-0) New York Giants 0-1 (0-0, 0-1) Washington Commanders 0-1 (0-0, 0-1) We hate to admit it, but Philly had one of the most impressive wins of the week on their Brazilian vacation. Green Bay came into 2024 with a lot of buzz and the Eagles used that platform to remind everyone they’re still one of the NFC’s best teams. The offseason pickup of Saquon Barkley looked brilliant as he took a lot of pressure off Jalen Hurts. It’s a good thing that Dallas and Philadelphia’s first meeting isn’t until November, allowing plenty of time and film for Mike Zimmer to study the enemy. Washington’s road loss to Tampa Bay wasn’t surprising but the way Dan Quinn’s defense got handled was. The Commanders’ best chance this season was if the defense could be strong and help protect their rookie quarterback. But Jayden Daniels actually looked more competent than the other side of the ball, which is a recipe for disaster. This is clearly still a rebuilding team and they may not have the right coach for that project. From bad to worse, let’s talk about the Giants. Getting trounced at home by a Sam Darnold-led Vikings team should probably be the end for Daniel Jones, but New York’s hardly competing with Drew Lock or Tommy DeVito at quarterback. This team is fundamentally broken and may already be thinking about their race to the bottom with Carolina. Yes, Week 1 is often full of fool’s gold. Teams who rested starters in the preseason may be working out rust and new coaches may still be trying to get everyone on the same page. But allowing for that, we went into 2024 knowing full well who the Haves and the Have Nots are in the NFC East. The season-openers only validated the common-sense belief that this is a two-horse race between the Cowboys and Eagles.

Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK Last week was a prosperous one for the Cowboys. Week 1 is in the books, and the Cowboys got away with a very strong win over the Browns despite being the underdog. It was a showcase for the defense and special teams en route to a 33-17 blowout, so it’s not surprising to see lots of defenders coming away with high grades from Pro Football Focus. Let’s take a look. Few offensive fireworks, but the job got done It was not the best day for the Cowboys offense, especially relative to what they did last year with Mike McCarthy calling plays. That said, it was fairly apparent that the gameplan was impacted by the vaunted defense they were facing. Even so, the offense managed to move the ball well enough to score quite a lot of points. WR CeeDee Lamb – 68.6 CeeDee Lamb was, by far, the Cowboys’ most productive skill player in this game; he caught five passes for 61 yards and also ran for 25 yards on three jet sweep plays. Even still, Lamb’s grade is just pedestrian, a reflection of the “good, not great” day the entire offense had. LG Tyler Smith – 77.3 The highest-graded player on the offense in Week 1 was Tyler Smith, a positive sign for the guard coming off his first All-Pro selection. He was flawless in pass protection and was his usual self in the run game, moving people and opening up holes. Dallas had some of their best run plays when going behind Smith. RT Terence Steele – 67.9 For all of the attention that was on Tyler Guyton heading into this game, Terence Steele deserves some talk after this game. Steele had to go up against both Myles Garrett and ZaDarius Smith throughout this game, and he answered the call, giving up just one pressure on the day. Steele, like Smith, also looked great in the run game; he actually edged Smith out for the top run blocking grade on the offensive line with a 71.8 grade. C Cooper Beebe – 67.8 Praise is being directed Guyton’s way, and rightfully so, for only giving up a sack and two pressures against Garrett; however, his fellow rookie Cooper Beebe had an even better NFL debut. Beebe posted a goose-egg in the pressure column, one of just three rookie linemen to do that across the NFL, and also looked good in run blocking despite going against a savvy veteran run-stuffer in Dalvin Tomlinson. Cowboys rookie Cooper Beebe ranked 16th among centers in pass block win rate and 2nd in run block win rate. (ESPN Analytics / NFL Next Gen Stats) — Seth Walder (@SethWalder) September 10, 2024 Defense dominated on every level The first game under new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer was a resounding success. The pass rush was harassing Deshaun Watson all game, the secondary made everything a challenge, and even the run defense looked good. Hopefully this is just a taste of what’s to come. EDGE Micah Parsons – 75.8 Breaking news: Micah Parsons is still Micah Parsons. The versatile edge rusher lined up all over the place on Sunday and wreaked havoc on the Browns offense. He posted 11 pressures, most in the NFL in Week 1, and came away with one sack. Parsons also batted a pass in the air that resulted in a pick for Eric Kendricks. LB DeMarvion Overshown – 88.6 Nobody came away with a better grade on defense than DeMarvion Overshown. He finally made his NFL debut after missing all of last year with an injury. The wait was worth it, too, as Overshown was flying around on the field. He led the team in tackles with 11, recorded six run stops, and generated a pressure on both of his blitzes with a sack on one of them. Overshown showed himself to be a weapon in Mike Zimmer’s defense. LB Damone Clark – 77.1 Overshown wasn’t the only linebacker to have a great day. Damone Clark, who had some uneven play last season, came in as the third-best graded defender in this game. He only had four tackles, but two of them went down as a run stop. More importantly, Clark forced an incompletion on his lone target, showing improvement in his biggest area of weakness last year. CB Jourdan Lewis – 81.1 The most overlooked cornerback on this defense won’t be overlooked anymore. Jourdan Lewis was seemingly all over the field on Sunday, posting five tackles and looking physical as ever against the run. He saw two blitz calls on the day, though both plays saw the quarterback get the ball out quickly. Still, it was a sign of what’s to come for Lewis in this defense. Lewis also posted the top coverage grade for the Cowboys, an achievement given how few open lanes there were for Cleveland in this one. CB Trevon Diggs – 76.4 Trevon Diggs’ return from an injury was a triumphant one. Physically speaking, he didn’t look bothered in the slightest. Still, Diggs was targeted nine times in the game, giving up just five completions. He forced two incompletions and had two pass breakups, in addition to snagging an interception. Diggs also displayed an uptick in physicality against the run, a positive sign of growth for the star corner.

Stephen Lew-Imagn Images Looking at this week’s opponent… the Saints had quite the opener themselves. NFC South power rankings: Saints set the early tone with a dominant division win – Jaleel Grandberry, WhoDatDish.com After one week, New Orleans sits atop their division. Entering each season, every team is hoping to win the Super Bowl. For that to happen, teams must make the playoffs, and the easiest way to do that is winning your respective division. Before a team can claim a league title, or be crowned a conference champion, they must navigate their four-team division. Considering the familiarity and rivals that are usually at play in division matchups, those games are usual very tough. That wasn’t the case for the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, who dominated the Carolina Panthers. The NFC South as a whole is 2-2 after one week. With two teams opening against each other, having at least one loss was likely. 1. New Orleans Saints New Orleans was the surprise of Week 1, absolutely dominating the Panthers. The Saints delivered a performance that made all the analyst who counted them out rethink their predictions. Sure, Carolina is bad, but New Orleans looked really good. Offensively, the team did whatever they wanted to, thriving on the ground and through the air. Defensively, the Saints had an answer for everything, taking the ball away three different times. Even the special teams showed out, blocking a punt and nearly returning another. All in all, New Orleans looked like a complete football team that’s ready to compete, but the Saints must now be consistent. They’ll have a big test in Week 2, traveling to take on the Dallas Cowboys. Saints coach Dennis Allen still doesn’t care about outside noise after huge Week 1 win – Luke Johnson, NOLA.com Despite the win, Dennis Allen knows there’s still work to be done. A 47-10 dismantling of the division rival Carolina Panthers could’ve been seen as a huge clap back for the New Orleans Saints — especially after the team was dismissed by many as a non-factor in the leadup to the 2024 season. The Saints, however, are trying to keep things in perspective — and keep the outside noise on mute. “I told the team this today: There’s a lot of people outside the building that didn’t think we were capable of doing much. Those same people are probably saying a lot of great things about you today that were saying a lot of negative things about you before yesterday’s game,” coach Dennis Allen said. “So we try not to pay much attention to that, we’re trying to focus on what our job is, what we need to do, and how we get better. We know we’re going to have an extremely tough challenge this Sunday going up to Dallas.” Mouton: ‘4 Takeaways’ on Saints’ blowout win over Panthers in Week 1 – Doug Mouton, WWLTV.com There’s plenty of good to take away from New Orleans’ Week 1 win. NEW ORLEANS — Tropical Storm Francine in the Gulf makes this a very serious week in South Louisiana, but Sunday in the Superdome was a party. The truth is, New Orleans’ 37-point win in the opener probably says less about how great the Saints are and more about how terrible the Panthers are. The Saints beat a similarly terrible Patriots team early last season by 34. It’s a lopsided win over a bad team, but the truth is, lopsided wins don’t come easily in the NFL. 1) Focus Grupe Last season, then-rookie Blake Grupe missed seven field goals. Only two NFL kickers missed more. In today’s NFL, 81 percent as a kicker isn’t good enough. And the Saints brought in competition for Grupe in training camp. Irish Charlie Smyth has a cannon for a leg. But Grupe did enough to beat him out, and in Week 1 he rewarded head coach Dennis Allen with the best kicking performance of his life. Grupe went 4 for 4 in field goals – two of more than 50 yards, including his career high of 57. And he was 5 of 5 in extra points – 9 for 9 is a great start to the season. A confident, successful kicker is gonna be really important for a team that wants to run the ball and play defense. 3) Overwhelming Defense Speaking of defense, the Saints ‘D’ completely overwhelmed Bryce Young and the Panthers. One week into the NFL season, the Saints are second in the league in total defense and tied for the league lead in takeaways with three. Dennis Allen’s blitz package was brilliant. Defensive back Alontae Taylor came clean three times and he did not miss. Young had a terrible rookie season, and Sunday that quarterback rating was the worst of his now 17-game NFL career. Honestly, though, this isn’t really surprising. We expected the Saints to be good on defense. And in Week 1, they absolutely were. New Orleans Saints keep eye on Francine, prepare for possible preparation adjustments for road game against Dallas – John DeShazier, NewOrleansSaints.com The Saints hope to continue their hot start despite the harmful weather on the horizon. The New Orleans Saints are all too familiar with making plans around the possibility of hurricane impact, last having done so prior to the 2021 season. Then, the franchise moved football operations to Dallas-Fort Worth to prepare for the season opener before Hurricane Ida made landfall. The Saints played their home opener in Jacksonville, Fla., against Green Bay, then road games against Carolina and New England before returning to New Orleans to play the Giants in the Caesars Superdome in Week 4, on Oct. 3, 2021. Sunday’s game is on the road against the Cowboys, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. “Like everybody else in the city, we’re monitoring it,” Coach Dennis Allen said. “We’ll make plans accordingly. We’re going to meet (Monday) afternoon and see what kind of plans we need to make, and then we’ll go from there. I