Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images Mike Zimmer is off to a fantastic start in his return to the Cowboys. Perhaps the Dallas Cowboys’ most impactful move this offseason was reuniting with Mike Zimmer as their defensive coordinator. Zimmer’s return to the franchise started with a bang as his defense dominated the Cleveland Browns in Dallas’ 33-17 season-opening victory. After so many starters and key backups sat out the entire preseason, this was our first look at Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, Trevon Diggs, and others since the departure of Dan Quinn. They certainly didn’t miss a beat as Parsons and Lawrence combined for three sacks and Diggs had an interception in his first game since Week 2 of 2023. Veteran CB Jourdan Lewis also had a strong game, being in on several key stops. Some new faces also shined in their Cowboys debuts. LB Eric Kendricks, who probably wouldn’t even be here if not for his long history with Zimmer in Minnesota, had two sacks and an interception for an outstanding afternoon. DeMarvion Overshown showed he was worth the wait after missing his rookie year, flashing all over the field with impact plays. Rookie CB Caelen Carson was close to forcing a turnover a few times and held his own overall. In general, Dallas’ defense looked like a well-coached unit. They played with passion and rarely seemed to be out of position. If not for some missed opportunities to take Browns QB DeShaun Watson down in the backfield, the game would’ve been even more one-sided. Watson was able to slip out of some would-be sacks and keep drives coming, but it was far from enough to turn the tide. Many will be quick to cite Cleveland’s battered offensive line and Watson’s lack of playing time over the last three years as reasons for their ineptitude. It’s not unfair; the Browns were missing both starting offensive tackles. Watson, who’s only played in six games each of the last two years after missing all of 2021 with his personal issues, is clearly a mess right now. This was far from the top caliber of offenses that the Cowboys will face this season. But dominating another NFL team is never easy, and especially as the road team. The Cowboys came into this game as the betting underdogs and came out with one of the more lopsided scores of Week 1. And with their own offense only generating 35 more total yards than Cleveland’s, Dallas’ defense made the difference by stifling drives before they could turn into points. Brandon Aubrey’s four field goals all came after Dallas’ offense was set up with short fields off a three-and-out, two failed fourth-down conversions, and an interception. The Cowboys never went more than 17 yards on any of those drives, but Aubrey was still in range thanks to the defense keeping Cleveland stymied. Those accounted for 12 of Dallas’ 33 points. Again, far biggest tests will come for Mike Zimmer’s crew. One is on the way in the New Orleans Saints, who just hung 47 points on the Panthers. But we’ve often criticized the Cowboys for playing down to the level of their opponents and that certainly didn’t happen on Sunday, at least not on Zimmer’s side of the ball. It sent a message that Dan Quinn didn’t take Dallas’ defensive prowess with him to Washington and they should remain a strength for the Cowboys in 2024.

Scott Galvin-Imagn Images Everything worked well for the Cowboys in Cleveland. What offseason contract drama? Just hours before their season opening kickoff in Cleveland against the Browns, the Dallas Cowboys secured Dak Prescott as their franchise quarterback of the future with a four-year, $240 million deal that makes him the highest-paid player in NFL history. Literally just in time for the regular season, the Cowboys took this huge step towards quieting what was a long distraction, and helping bring the focus back to the talent of this football team – which was on full display with an efficient game that saw Dallas jump ahead 27-3 in the third quarter and hold on 33-17 to start 1-0 for the second season in a row. It was a mix of other players with big contracts and expectations like the freshly-inked CeeDee Lamb, or Micah Parsons setting the tone throughout. Maybe even more impressive for the Cowboys was the way new players like Demarvion Overshown, Caelen Carson, Tyler Guyton, Cooper Beebe, and even Ezekiel Elliott in his return all fit in seamlessly behind these stars to give the Cowboys a complete effort to blowout an AFC playoff team from a year ago. 27 straight points from the Cowboys after a Browns opening field goal was more than enough for Mike Zimmer’s defense to shine in the defensive coordinator’s debut, making the Browns one-dimensional and getting after Deshaun Watson in the pocket. It was a familiar game plan for the Cowboys in a lot of ways. Trust Prescott to play at a high level with Mike McCarthy calling plays, trust the defense to bring down the level of the opposing quarterback, and trust special teams to come up with a potential game-breaking play which they did when KaVontae Turpin scored his first punt return TD with the Cowboys in the third quarter. The Cowboys are hopeful the new wrinkles they did show, as a team on a season-long mission to prove they’ve learned from recent playoff failures, can make this win just one of many as they kept pace with the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1 to open up a one-game advantage on the New York Giants and Washington Commanders. Before the Cowboys return home for their AT&T Stadium debut against a Saints team that won by the widest margin of week 1, 47-10 against the Panthers, here are a few notes on their performance at the Browns. Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK The Browns opening drive was cut short after a 4th-and-2 false start penalty took their offense off the field and led to a Dustin Hopkins 51-yard field goal. It was Micah Parsons’ presence that helped draw the false start against Cleveland right tackle Dawand Jones, who needed all of the headstart he could get to deal with the speed of Parsons on the edge. Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence stole the show in the front seven for the Cowboys working against two backup tackles for the Browns, but the interior showed up as well with Osa Odighizuwa making his season debut and chasing down Watson on a scramble on third down before the penalty. It was the type of play that showed why Odighizuwa earned the “street clothes treatment” for the entire preseason as the Cowboys are not exactly deep at DT and will be counting on Odighizuwa to push the pocket consistently. The Cowboys were known as an aggressive, get up field at all costs defense up front under Dan Quinn. On Sunday they looked just as dominant while staying sound in their run fits and pass rush contain as a defense still loaded with talent for veteran play caller Zimmer. This game was not a true test of how improved the Cowboys are in run defense, with the Browns playing without Nick Chubb and forced to drop back pass 45 times after falling behind, but their size and ability to shed blocks in the front seven was much more apparent. For now, the Cowboys best run defense may still be some version of not letting the other team get comfortable running it thanks to the pressure their own offense presents, but the foundation was clearly laid for them to stand up against teams that will be more ready to test their physicality between the tackles. After going backwards on their opening drive on offense, the Cowboys turned to two players they will put a lot of trust in all season long to score their first points of the season. Rico Dowdle, CeeDee Lamb, and Brandin Cooks were the only players to touch the ball on a six-play, 70-yard scoring drive to give the Cowboys a lead they’d never surrender. Prescott’s incompletions on this drive came to Turpin and TE Jake Ferguson, who was later hurt and didn’t return to action. It’s easy to forget that the Cowboys only scored at least 30 points three times on the road last season, at the lowly Commanders, Giants, and Panthers. When lighting up the scoreboard at home, they had no issues creating space for Lamb and Cooks to take over games, and it was encouraging to see McCarthy’s scheme get the same looks for these receivers in a road test against Jim Schwartz’s defense to start the year. Cooks’ touchdown to open the scoring was a corner route he made a living on scoring in home games in his first season with the team, doing so on Sunday against the blitz as Prescott stood in and delivered the ball downfield. Ken Blaze-Imagn Images Lamb’s touches on the first touchdown drive were a ten-yard jet sweep to the opposite side of Myles Garrett and a 34-yard completion against Denzel Ward. Lamb carried the ball three times for 25 yards, getting him involved instantly and helping Dallas keep an aggressive Cleveland front four honest. The Cowboys being able to score with only their top players moving the ball early opened up other looks like heavy tight end sets that aided rookie Tyler Guyton

Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images What would you say were the five biggest plays from Sunday? Football is back and the Cowboys are undefeated! They marched into Cleveland as 2.5 point underdogs and whooped the Browns to the tune of a 33-17 final score. It wasn’t the most exciting game ever, but Dallas controlled things for the majority of the day with a methodical offense, stifling defense, and some really special moments on special teams. These five plays were especially crucial in the final outcome of the game. False start forces Browns to settle for field goal It’s easy to forget now, but things didn’t look too hot for the Cowboys right out the gate. Their offense started with a three-and-out and Bryan Anger shanked a punt, setting the Browns up at midfield. It didn’t take much to get into field goal range, but the defense made a stop on third down. Facing fourth and two at the Dallas 28, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski opted to go for it. However, tackle Dawand Jones – starting in this game in place of injured Jack Conklin – moved early, drawing a false start and backing Cleveland up five yards. That led to the decision to take the field goal instead. Considering that Cleveland had averaged 4.6 yards per play on that opening drive, odds seem good that they would’ve been able to convert the fourth and two attempt. Instead, they settled for three points, giving the Cowboys the chance to take the lead instead of just tie things up. Dak Prescott drops dime to CeeDee Lamb to flip field Following the Browns’ field goal to go up 3-0, the Cowboys offense retook the field, looking to do better than they did on their first drive. That happened almost immediately, with CeeDee Lamb gaining a first down on a jet sweep run and moving the ball near midfield. Following a dropped pass from KaVontae Turpin, the Cowboys faced second down at their own 40-yard line. Dak Prescott, who had an uneven performance on the day, uncorked a beautiful pass that dropped right into CeeDee Lamb’s bread basket. CeeDee Lamb sheeeeesh : #DALvsCLE on FOX : https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/njXPh1jmQ5 — NFL (@NFL) September 8, 2024 All in all, the pass picked up 34 yards and completely flipped the field from the Dallas 40 to the Cleveland 26. Three plays later, Prescott found Brandin Cooks in the endzone for a touchdown to give the Cowboys the lead. They never gave the lead back to the Browns either, but it was the Prescott-to-Lamb connection here that set it all up. Micah Parsons’ first sack of year comes on third down The Cowboys’ next offensive possession ultimately ended in a punt, a harbinger of the struggles they’d face all day against this talented Browns defense. Still facing a narrow 7-3 score, Cleveland had a chance to retake the lead. Two quick incompletions from Deshaun Watson brought up third and long, though. Standing at their own 20-yard line, the Browns had Watson drop back to pass again. That’s when Micah Parsons came through: HERE COMES THE Micah Parsons with his first sack of the year! #DallasCowboys : FOX pic.twitter.com/BJZJZdJaoM — FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) September 8, 2024 Parsons not only fought off the chip from the running back, but he managed to circle around his defensive tackle on the delayed stunt and get right to Watson for the impact play. This was just one of many big plays for Parsons in this game, who put up nine total pressures, but it set the tone for the game this defense was about to have. Micah Parsons tips the pass to Eric Kendricks for the interception Following the Cowboys’ next touchdown, they had staked out a 17-3 lead with a little over two minutes to go in the first half. Things were getting close to blowout status, but the Browns were just one good drive away from being right back in it. That didn’t happen. The Browns followed up the two minute warning with a holding penalty that backed them up to their own 26 on second down. As Watson looked for somewhere to go with the football, Parsons made another impact play, getting his hands up at the right time. Welcome to the crew, Eric Kendricks! First pick of the season with some help from Micah Parsons. This Cowboys defense is looking pretty good. #CowboysNation (via @NFL) pic.twitter.com/0XQL63MMgz — SportsDay Cowboys (@dmn_cowboys) September 8, 2024 The headshands-up play tipped the ball up and allowed Eric Kendricks to get underneath it and secure the interception. Dallas would ultimately settle for a field goal, but that extended the lead to 20-3 and further damaged the confidence of Watson and the offense. That allowed the Cowboys to enter halftime with a strong lead. KaVontae Turpin ices the game with first career return TD Coming out of the halftime break, the Cowboys hadn’t put the game on ice just yet, but they were getting close to it. Cleveland got the ball to start the third quarter, but a sack from DeMarcus Lawrence on third down ended that drive quickly. Corey Bojorquez came on to punt the ball away to KaVontae Turpin, who had already put together some solid returns in this game. This time, though, Turpin did the thing that Cowboys fans have been waiting years for: KAVONTAE TURPIN. 60-YARD PUNT RETURN TD. Cowboys up big in Cleveland. : #DALvsCLE on FOX : https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/o9fjs7PsJo — NFL (@NFL) September 8, 2024 Turpin returned the punt 60 yards for a touchdown, his first return touchdown in the regular season and, in doing so, he put this game on ice. The Cowboys went up 27-3 early in the third quarter, an insurmountable lead given how the Browns offense had played all day. Even when Watson threw a touchdown pass on the following drive, this game was pretty much over the moment Turpin took the punt to the house.

Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images 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

Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images Name one good, bad, and ugly thing from the Cowboys 2024 season opener. The Dallas Cowboys looked surprisingly as if they were already in midseason form in the season-opener against the Cleveland Browns Sunday afternoon. They completely dominated in all three phases of the game against what is expected to be a really good team on their home turf and ended up walking away with the 33-17 victory. This impressive road victory answers a lot of concerns we may have had about this year’s team, but only time will tell if they can continue to play with this type of dominance while also continuing to improve as a whole. Like with any game though, there was some good, some bad, and a little ugly sprinkled in there as well. Today, we’ll take a look at each one. THE GOOD – Dak Prescott The ink on his new four-year, $240 million contract probably wasn’t even dry yet before he took the field against the Cleveland Browns in Week 1, but Dak Prescott went out and showed why he’s now the highest-paid player in NFL history Sunday afternoon. His stats of course won’t wow you (179 passing yards, 1 TD), but he was decisive and accurate with most of his throws against one of the better defenses in the entire league. His command of the offense this early in the season will hopefully only continue improve as the season progresses. THE BAD – Jake Ferguson’s injury Jake Ferguson is coming off a Pro Bowl season with the Cowboys and was expected to be an integral part of their offense once again this year. Sadly, he suffered and injury to his knee against the Cleveland Browns in the game. The severity of his injury is unknown as is how much time he could possibly miss, but if he misses time it will be a significant blow to the offense. There’s no one else currently on the roster anywhere close to his level of play as both a block or and receiver. THE UGLY – The Browns offense against the Cowboys defense The Cleveland Browns may have been without their starting tackles Jack Conklin and Jedrick Wills Jr. in the season opener, but even if they were available it might not have saved them from being completely dominated by the Cowboys defense. Dallas’ defense finished the night with 26 QB pressures, six QB sacks, and two interceptions. They did give up a total of 17 points, but there’s no denying they made Cleveland look absolutely ugly. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come for them under Mike Zimmer’s new defensive scheme.

Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images The Cowboys are big-time favorites in Week 2. The Dallas Cowboys came out of the gate red-hot for the 2024 season. They crushed the Cleveland Browns, who were 2.5-point favorites going into the game, by a score of 33-17. Besides the Browns brief three-point lead early in the game, it felt as if they were never really in it. The Cowboys defense throttled Deshaun Watson and company. The Cowboys get to go home and prepare for Week 2 when they host the New Orleans Saints. The Saints also got off to a banging start with a 47-10 beatdown of the Carolina Panthers. So we have two hot teams coming into a Week 2 showdown. The difference is the Cowboys went on the road and played a playoff team from a year ago, while the Saints were at home versus what is the consensus worst team in the league. That, and homefield advantage, helps explain the Cowboys opening up as 6.5-point favorites (FanDuel) for the Week 2 game versus the Saints. So what’s your call BTB? Would you give those points and bet on the Cowboys? Check out our partner FanDuel for you betting needs.

Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images The Cowboys open their season against the Browns in Week 1. More chat for the Cowboys and the Browns game. This is an open thread for game chat.