Cowboys vs Saints: Bad Week 1 opponents make gauging each team difficult Mike Crum 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 Read all the best Cowboys coverage at the Austin American-Statesman and Cowboys Wire.

These two new Cowboys playmakers join two vets in ‘protect for the long haul’ status reidhanson The new season is underway, and the Cowboys defense find itself rich in explosive talent. Familiar faces like Micah Parsons and Osa Odighizuwa lived up to their playmaker reputations in Week 1 but new talents like Marist Liufau and DeMarvion Overshown are also flashing as key playmakers for this 2024 campaign. The quickness and impact of these players cannot be understated. Parsons is widely considered one of, if not, the preeminent pass rusher in the NFL. Odighizuwa is fast becoming one of the league’s top pressure-producing interior defensive linemen. All four are explosive. All four are gamebreakers. All four add a special explosiveness to the Cowboys defense. And all four must be preserved for late in the year. Liufau was dinged up in Week 1, but the rookie linebacker has shown he’s an explosive second-level defender who has been said to play like his hair is on fire. And Overshown, fresh off an ACL induced redshirt season, appears to be moving at a different speed than the rest of the world. Spanning from September through potentially February, the NFL season is a long one. There are 17 regular season games and as many as four postseason games on the slate. Like a marathon, just surviving to the end is a feat onto itself. Players understandably break down. In previous years Parsons and Odighizuwa have both seen their production drop as seasons progress. They have been such critical components to the defense coaches have had a hard time taking them off the field to set a more preservation-focused pace. A similar situation could be facing the two new guys at linebacker as well. Liufau straight from college, and Overshown straight from IR, are two budding star LBs with only one game on their professional resumes. The riggers of a 17+ game season are going to hit hard this year so the question is how much of a toll will it take? All four playmakers rely heavily on their explosiveness to be difference makers. Take away that explosiveness late in the season and the Cowboys lose one of their most vital elements at a time when games mean most. Deep rotations and modest usage rates will be key to keeping Dallas’ most explosive players explosive down the stretch. This might sound like a simple ask but there’s nothing simple about it. Overshown and Liufau instantly make the defense faster which impacts both phases of the game. As some of the smartest players on the roster, they fly to the ball. Overshown specifically looks to be shot out of cannon when in pursuit, doing things other players simply cannot. Quick play at the second level is critical in stopping dual-threat quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson, Jalen Hurts, Jayden Daniels and Daniel Jones. Those four alone represent 44 percent of the remaining games on the Cowboys regular season schedule. It’s going to be hard putting Overshown on a snap count in these games but for the long-term interest of the club, it’s necessary. Same goes for Parsons and Odighizuwa. Parsons is by far Dallas’ best edge rusher and with Sam Williams already out for the season, it will be difficult for Mike Zimmer to reduce his snaps. For the good of the postseason, he must. Odighizuwa is by far the Cowboys top interior pass rusher, yet Zimmer must find a way to do the same. He needs late season Odighizuwa looking like early season Odighizuwa and for that to happen, he probably needs a lower pitch count early. The Cowboys have to find a way to make their January look different this season. They need to keep their eye on prize and that means doing things in the early season so they can be at their best late in the season. Related articles [affiliatewidget_smgtolocal] Read all the best Cowboys coverage at the Austin American-Statesman and Cowboys Wire.

Former top Cowboys draft pick needs breakout game in worst way to justify strong camp buzz reidhanson Jalen Tolbert won the Cowboys’ third receiver spot rather handily this summer. The former third-round pick has been a slow burn since joining the Cowboys in 2022. The South Alabama product logged just two receptions as a rookie and 22 as a second-year player. Year 3 is supposed to be his coming out party. After cutting ties with the now-retired Michael Gallup over the offseason, targets are up for grabs in Dallas, pun intended. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound Tolbert is in great position to gobble up the majority, even if Week 1 resulted in a rather slow start to the season. Against the Browns, Tolbert logged just one reception; the same number of catches his primary competition for snaps, Jalen Brooks, pulled in. It’s not the type of inspiring debut many hoped for from the third-year pass catcher and gives credence to the idea the third receiver spot is destined to be a timeshare in Dallas this season. While it’s true snaps will be divided somewhat between WR3-WR5, Tolbert’s standing as the true No. 3 is likely pretty solid. Even though the production wasn’t there, Tolbert still posted 42 snaps compared to Brooks who posted just 13. Since the game was well in hand by halftime, it’s understandable Tolbert’s numbers were modest. Keep in mind, CeeDee Lamb only posted 61 yards receiving and Dak Prescott only threw for 179 yards. It just wasn’t an air-it-out kind of day in Cleveland. An item working in Tolbert’s favor is the situation at tight end and how it threatens to impact the Cowboys different personnel groups. Jake Ferguson is nursing an MCL sprain which means he could miss time in coming weeks. Given the falloff in talent at TE after Ferguson, it’s likely Mike McCarthy will favor more WR-heavy personnel packages. 12 and 13 personnel (two and three TE packages) will probably see a decline while 11 and 21 will be more common. The Cowboys have already stated their intention of having fullback Hunter Luepke take over much of Ferguson’s snaps. They also showed they’re happy to use blocking specialist Brevyn Spann-Ford to pick up the slack as well. It stands to reason with one fewer pass catching TE on the field, more opportunities downfield are coming Tolbert’s way. There’s no reason to worry about Tolbert’s paltry impact in Week 1 because the situation didn’t dictate a big passing day for Dallas. Coming weeks will present better opportunities, and the idea Tolbert will build upon Gallup’s 34 receptions for 418 yards from 2023, remains perfectly reasonable. Related articles [affiliatewidget_smgtolocal] Read all the best Cowboys coverage at the Austin American-Statesman and Cowboys Wire.

Cowboys draw Tom Brady for booth duty in Week 2 vs Saints, Week 3 vs Ravens Todd Brock Future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady earned mostly mixed reviews for his broadcast debut as the color analyst in Fox’s booth during Sunday’s win by the Cowboys over the Cleveland Browns. Cowboys fans, it seems, should get used to hearing TB12’s voice. Brady and the crew that also included play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt and sideline reporters Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi has been assigned to the Cowboys’ next two games as well. That puts Brady at AT&T Stadium this coming Sunday for the team’s home opener versus the New Orleans Saints and again the following Sunday for a Week 3 matchup with the Baltimore Ravens. For all of his accolades and prowess on the football field for 20 seasons, though, the 47-year-old Brady turned in a Week 1 performance that was occasionally awkward, often clumsy, and very much in keeping with his once-again status as a football rookie. But despite the cringey moments- like the Fox talking heads taking turns gushing over their new coworker or Mike Pereira leaving Brady hanging on an on-camera fist bump, there were occasional insights that show what the five-time Super Bowl MVP can bring in terms of perspective. While everyone- the Cowboys’ own coaching staff included- was breathlessly glued to the drama of Dallas kicker Brandon Aubrey teeing off on a 66-yard field goal try, the quarterback who notched over 250 career wins was dutifully eyeing the play clock. “Delay of game,” Brady muttered as it went to zero just before the snap. He didn’t add much in the way of excitement or personality, but the fact that the Cowboys were up by as much as 24 points just a few minutes into the third quarter didn’t exactly help transform the contest into must-see TV. But make no mistake: Brady isn’t going anywhere. The network is paying him $375 million over the next 10 years, and with Fox owning the rights to Super Bowl LIX, they’ll want to get him settled into a groove as quickly as possible. [affiliatewidget_smgtolocal] Putting him on America’s Team for three weeks in a row, then- while it may annoy some within Cowboys Nation- is a very shrewd move. Primarily, it cuts Brady’s homework load in half as he continues to get comfortable in the booth. He already spent the offseason months researching the Cowboys for his Week 1 debut; now he can focus on just their opponents over Weeks 2 and 3. Additionally, three weeks spent with the ratings-monster Cowboys will no doubt pay dividends as the season goes on, with Brady and Dallas almost certain to cross paths once again. And if Dallas makes the playoffs- and maybe even the Super Bowl- all the better for Fox to have their broadcast team and their brand-new golden boy be intimately familiar with the team. That familiarity, however, will have to come solely from what Brady observes from his lofty vantage point on gameday. Thanks to his pending ownership stake in the Raiders, the NFL has prohibited Brady from entering any team facilities, watching team practice sessions, and even participating in standard TV production meetings with coaches and players. Read all the best Cowboys coverage at the Austin American-Statesman and Cowboys Wire.

‘What a kick’: Inside the sequence that scrapped 71-yard FG try by Cowboys’ Brandon Aubrey Todd Brock Officially speaking, Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey connected on 4-of-4 field goal attempts in Cleveland- every single one from 40 yards or more- during the team’s 33-17 opening-day win over the Browns. Everyone knows he actually hit an NFL-record-tying fifth, too… except it didn’t count. But the kick the whole world will be talking about for a while is the one he didn’t get to even try. Special teams coordinator John Fassel went through all of it with reporters during a Monday press conference, admitting with a laugh that “the blood has boiled down a little bit” after a confusing series of events that saw Aubrey, the second-year phenom and former soccer star, drilling a 66-yard field goal… and then, for a brief but thrilling moment, prepping to try it again from an impossible-sounding 71 yards. Aubrey had already hit from 57 and 40, but his third attempt of the day came from 66 yards out, which would have tied the current NFL mark and matched a boot Aubrey made just last month during the Cowboys’ preseason game in Las Vegas. Dallas was already up 20-3 in the waning seconds of Sunday’s first half, but it took just the right sequence of events to put the offense in position for the attempt. “Coach asked me where we’ve got to get to to get in field goal range,” Fassel explained, “and I said, ‘Just across the 50.’” So when Jalen Tolbert was forced out of bounds at the Cleveland 48 with nine seconds remaining, the field goal unit hustled onto the field. But that’s when things went wonky. “What it looked like, to me, was two issues happened,” according to Fassel. “It looked like they got the quarterback ball off the field late, and they got the K-ball in late. Then once they got the K-ball set, one of the officials- when he saw a defensive substitution- stood over Trent [Sieg, Cowboys long snapper] and said, ‘Hold, hold.’ So Trent wasn’t able to address the ball to get ready to snap it. … So by the time we got over the ball and snapped it, we were one second late.” Aubrey’s ball sailed through the uprights, but the flag negated the kick. Loud complaints about the clock from Fassel and head coach Mike McCarthy fell on deaf ears (although the Cowboys could also have used one of their two remaining timeouts, even if they shouldn’t have needed to), and the line of scrimmage was moved back five yards. That first kick looked like it would have been good from 71. And for a tantalizing moment, it appeared as though the Cowboys were going to try it. McCarthy had already taken off his headset, he said, apparently content to turn Aubrey loose. “We actually considered it,” Fassel confessed. “If it was going the other way, we might have kicked it because there’s a little bit of wind at our back going the other way.” A quick check-in with Cowboys punter and holder Bryan Anger told Fassel it was going to be very close. Anger confirmed the 66-yarder was hit “about as clean as [Aubrey] can hit it” but then added, “I’m not sure it made it by more than five [yards].” The Browns already had a return man waiting under the goalpost in case the try came up short. And that got Fassel flashing back to a late September afternoon in 2008. Fassel was a first-year assistant special teams coach for the Raiders that season and saw head coach Lane Kiffin send out noted long-range specialist Sebastian Janikowski for an absurd 76-yard attempt at the end of the second quarter of a game against the Chargers. “I’ll never forget. Antonio Cromartie’s back there, and I’m like, ‘Oh, damn,’” Fassel remembered. “He catches the ball on the goal line, and we’re covering a kickoff with 10 offensive linemen against Antonio Cromartie.” Luckily, the return didn’t even reach the 30, but the Chargers were closer to a big return than Janikowski’s cannon shot had been to being successful. “That was, I think, the day before Lane Kiffin got fired,” Fassel noted. A similar play had once burned McCarthy even worse. As the 49ers’ offensive coordinator in 2005, McCarthy watched Bears return ace Nathan Vasher return a field goal attempt 108 yards for an end-of-half score. Fassel told reporters the risk of letting Cleveland back into the game with a dramatic touchdown going into intermission- and with the Browns set to receive the second-half kick- was simply too great. “Immediately, both of our memory banks went, ‘Ah, let’s go ahead and take the kicker off the field and put the ball back in the quarterback’s hands.” Aubrey was pulled, not even aware that he had been thisclose to being given a shot at the NFL record. “In the moment, I didn’t know it was from 71,” Aubrey said from his locker after the game. “I thought it was still 66, because I thought they called a timeout, not delay of game. So it’s hard to say how I would have reacted out there, but it’s probably the right call on the day in the conditions.” [affiliatewidget_smgtolocal] Winds in Cleveland on Sunday were near 15 miles per hour, with the stiffest breezes blowing into the northeast end of Huntington Bank Field, the side open to Lake Erie. That had definitely factored into Aubrey’s approaches on the day. “On the one end zone, the end zone where I got the 57 and the 66, there was kind of a big wind that picked up around the 20-yard-line going right to left and a little bit into the field. So it was tough,” he said. “In the warmup, the ball was moving a lot more than it normally does.” While the 29-year-old said he would “absolutely” like to try from 70 or beyond in a game someday, he conceded that Sunday

Winner, Losers from Cowboys impressive victory over Cleveland angeltorres Alas, the demise of the Cowboys may have been a bit oversold as evidenced by their impressive 33-17 win over the Browns in Cleveland. The entire defensive unit were winners, even though the final score had some window dressing attached. Dallas gave up fewer yards than a Browns defense elevated to elite levels last season. Just imagine when All-Pro cornerback DaRon Bland returns for Dallas. While the victory is sweet, teams and players can always be better. A deep roster chock full of impact players still has a glaring need. An injury scare for a top offensive target had all of Cowboys Nation holding their breath. Special teams cannot be overstated and the unit in Dallas has plenty of dangerous weapons. Many more winners than losers as victory has a way of curing all. Winner: Eric Kendricks CLEVELAND, OHIO – SEPTEMBER 08: Eric Kendricks #50 of the Dallas Cowboys celebrates after a tackle for loss in the first quarter of the game against the Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium on September 08, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images) The offseason talk had dissolved into, “They only signed Eric Kendricks in free agency.” That crowd may owe the veteran linebacker an apology after he collected two sacks, two QB hits, and one tackle for loss (TFL) in his Cowboys debut. His nine tackles were good for second-most on the day. He also intercepted Browns quarterback DeShaun Watson, thanks to a Micah Parsons pass deflection. Not bad for a linebacker taken from right under the nose of a conference rival during free agency. His addition to the team could have been seen as a bridge guy for the younger players but Kendricks showed he still has plenty left to give. Loser: Jake Ferguson Sep 8, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson (87) falls over Cleveland Browns linebacker Jordan Hicks (58) as he is tackled around his ankle during the third quarter at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson had a modest day statistically, catching three passes for 15 yards. His last reception of the day turned into immediate concerns over his knee. Head coach Mike McCarthy takes extra precautions when it comes to the health of the rest of his players but the play Ferguson injured himself can happen at any time. It appears the Cowboys got lucky and Ferguson isn’t going to be out for the season; he’s actually angling to play this coming weekend against the New Orleans Saints although that seems a bit optimistic. Either way, watching him struggle to walk off the field put a damper on an otherwise good day for Dallas. Winner: DeMarvion Overshown Sep 8, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown (13) tackles Cleveland Browns running back Jerome Ford (34) during the third quarter at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images Linebacker DeMarvion Overshown was touted as having game-changing ability that could alter the narrative of a disappointing 2023 draft class. After losing his rookie season to a serious knee injury, viewers got to see how suddenly he flashes across the screen. The way he closed on Browns quarterback DeShaun Watson for his first NFL sack looked like someone shot him out of a cannon. That rare closing burst was something only star pass rusher Micah Parsons had shown but Dallas now has two of those guys. Overshown finished with a team-high 11 tackles, a sack, and two quarterback hits in his first NFL regular-season game. Loser: The Cowboys run game OXNARD, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 8: Defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer of the Dallas Cowboys paces the sideline during a joint practice with Los Angeles Rams at Cowboys training camp on August 8, 2024 in Oxnard, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) Going up against what was the best defense in the league last season has a lot to do with the struggles of the Cowboys run game, but it was still disappointing nonetheless. Running back Ezekiel Elliott led the charge rushing 10 times for 40 yards and a score. As a whole, the team rushed for 102 total yards, 25 of those coming from three CeeDee Lamb rushes. Lamb is the Cowboys primary passing target. Head coach Mike McCarthy said the team will commit to their run game yet questions remain. The 57/43 percent split in favor of the passing game is a fairly well-balanced offense. Winner: Brandon Aubrey Sep 8, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Dallas Cowboys place kicker Brandon Aubrey (17) kicks a field goal as punter Bryan Anger (5) holds the ball against the Cleveland Browns during the fourth quarter at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey may be one of the most dangerous weapons throughout the entire NFL. Casually hitting what would have been a record-tying 66-yard field goal before being erased by a delay of game penalty is the type of range that could alter defensive strategies late in close games. This sounds ridiculous but the Dallas offense reaching midfield is now considered field goal range for them. The final stat line for Aubrey is just a ho-hum day of going four for four with makes from 57, 40, 50, and 46 yards, respectively. Like many others, there may have been thoughts about allowing him to attempt that 71-yard kick to end the half. Kudos to the other special teamers as well. Return specialist Kavonte Turpin returned a punt 60 yards for his first career touchdown on a return. Punter Bryan Anger averaged 49 yards an attempt on his five punts. Winner: DeMarcus Lawrence Sep 8, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Dallas Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence (90) lies on Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) after a sack during the first quarter at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images There were too many winners to name but defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence needed a

How to buy your team’s 2024 NFL Crucial Catch gear Nick Wojton The 2024 line of the NFL’s Crucial Catch Collection has arrived. The initiative released by the league once again features both apparel and headgear. All 32 teams are featured for a good cause. The NFL does not profit from the sale of Crucial Catch gear. Charitable contributions are awarded by the NFL Foundation to the American Cancer Society.  Such a topic is not only felt by those on the field. Many NFL fans have felt the impact of cancer at some point in their lives and the football family can do their part all while supporting their team. The 2024 collection is available at Fanatics and includes shirts, hats and hoodies for each team. 2024 NFL Crucial Catch t-shirt Shop NFL Crucial Catch shirts 2024 NFL Crucial Catch hat And if a hat is more your preference, your team is covered there as well: Shop NFL Crucial Catch hats 2024 NFL Crucial Catch hoodie Finally, each team also has a Crucial Catch hoodie: Shop Crucial Catch hoodies Both shirts and hoodies are available in sizes S to 4XL. T-shirts cost $39.99, while hoodies list at $94.99. Shirt sizes come in both adult and kids. Hats, which come in a variety of styles, list at $45.99. Winter knit caps list at $34.99. Grab your team’s 2024 Crucial Catch gear now. For more information please visit www.NFL.com/CrucialCatch. Shop NFL Crucial Catch gear We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. FTW operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

If We’re Being Honest: Cowboys offense was actually awful for half of Week 1 win Todd Brock There’s always something to clean up in football, always some aspect of the game that can be improved upon, no matter how good the performance. And despite a 33-17 drubbing of the Cleveland Browns which didn’t seem even that close for most of the opening-day afternoon, that has indeed been a common thread among Cowboys coaches and players since their Week 1 meeting went final. Most experts were split before the game on who would emerge victorious. The close contest that had been so anticipated that it earned “Game of the Week” status, however, became a laugher long before halftime. The Dallas offense and their two newly-signed superstars had blown the doors off the vaunted Browns defense, while the revamped Cowboys D under Mike Zimmer had embarrassed a pathetic Cleveland offense. That was the story in the aftermath of Sunday’s win. Cowboys Nation may rightfully be celebrating a decisive win over a playoff-caliber opponent and already preparing to see a jump in the power rankings for Week 2, but a closer look inside the numbers show that it may be a bit early to christen this 2024 Cowboys squad as a bona fide powerhouse. The inconvenient truth, perhaps lost in the happy haze of a Week 1 win, is that the Cowboys offense was just as bad in the second half of the game as the Browns offense had been in the first half. In several categories, they were even worse. “We were totally out of balance in the second half of the game,” McCarthy told reporters in his Monday press conference. “You’d like the [whole] game to go the way the first half went; I’m just talking about play distribution, ball distribution, all those types of things.” Sure, the Cowboys were well ahead coming out of the tunnel after intermission. But the game certainly wasn’t decided at that point, and there’s a big difference between easing off the gas a little and parking the car and walking away with the engine sputtering. A statistical breakdown by half shows that Dak Prescott & Co. did next to nothing for the final 30 minutes of play. 1st Half 2nd Half Off. plays 40 20 1st Downs 13 2 3rd Down Eff. 4-9 0-5 Rushing Plays 16 9 Rushing Net Yds 76 26 Passing Atts 21 11 Passing Net Yds 140 23 Total Net Yds 216 49 Possession 19:56 9:10 It’s worth noting that KaVontae Turpin’s electrifying punt return for a touchdown in the third quarter, while furthering the Cowboys’ lead, automatically reduced the offense’s second-half opportunities in every one of these categories. Even still, it’s awfully hard to scan that second column of stats and be crowing too loudly about the offense responsible, no matter what the scoreboard said at the end. [affiliatewidget_smgtolocal] Of particular concern for McCarthy is the unit going 0-for-5 on third down conversions in the second half; he called that “probably our biggest negative on offense.” McCarthy often speaks candidly about “September football,” and it was on display on both the shores of Lake Erie and around the league. Silly penalties. Sloppy tackling. Inaccurate passing. Mental mistakes. Missed assignments. Guys cramping and getting winded late in games. There is a legitimate amount of rust to be knocked off for nearly everyone this time of year. Some of the shortcomings noted above will work themselves out with time and conditioning and reps. No one in Dallas is panicking, and after all, a win is a win. (And a 16-point win over a team expected to be an AFC playoff contender is a fantastic way to start the season.) And after a frustrating and tension-filled offseason, Cowboys fans understandably aren’t especially eager to focus on the negative after such a satisfyingly cathartic win to kick off the season. But pretending there’s not a problem won’t help it go away. McCarthy knows there’s a problem to be fixed; he and the offense have six days to tinker with it before trying again versus New Orleans. Read all the best Cowboys coverage at the Austin American-Statesman and Cowboys Wire.