The Dallas Cowboys spent all preseason keeping their starters on the sideline, and against the New York Giants, you could tell, especially on the defense.
Dallas looked completely lost and unprepared, like a team that hadn’t played real football since last season, because that is exactly what they are.
The timing was off, the offense never really found a groove, and the defense had communication problems over and over. For most of these guys, we are watching them play their first meaningful game.
Here are my biggest takeaways from the Cowboys’ matchup with the Giants.
1. Dak Prescott and Company Looked Rusty
Dak Prescott and the Cowboys offense never really got comfortable. We watched some decent stretches, and Dallas got some touchdowns from Javonte Williams and CeeDee Lamb, but nothing ever felt smooth.
Prescott had 175 passing yards. I know CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens were involved, but didn’t it feel like neither one of them were themselves. The running game was decent, but it seemed like the Giants defensive front controlled the game.
Most of the night, it felt like to me that everybody was a little bit off. Dallas never seemed on the same page.
I feel like some of that, if not all of it, comes from not playing in the preseason. You can practice, scrimmage and go through every situation you can think of, but it still isn’t the same as lining up against another NFL team and going full speed.
Dallas decided it was OK to let this group work through the kinks in Week 1, when it matters, instead of August. Just play one preseason game, or just one half. That’s all I ask for next offseason.
Next week the rust excuse won’t carry any weight.
2. Christian Parker’s Defense Didn’t look Better than Last Season’s Train Wreck
The offense being rusty didn’t bother nearly as much as what Jaxson Dart was abl to do against Christian Parker’s defense.
Dallas changed coordinators, but Sunday night wasn’t any different than last season under Matt Eberflus. No pressure, broken coverage, and mistake after mistake.
Jaxson Dart dissected the defense, found his tight end, Isaiah Likely, so many times it felt like he was the only receiver on the field. On top of that, Dallas couldn’t keep Dart in the pocket. I felt like Dart could’ve had 10 yards running anytime he wanted.
Parker is running a new defense, so I know some mistakes and communication issues were going to happen, but with Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clark, and new pass rushers, I didn’t expect Dart to look that comfortable all night long.
I know one game doesn’t define Christian Parker, but if the hope was that a new coordinator would make this defense look different than last season, we may be in for a long season.
To put the cherry on top. The Cowboys’ offense only had the ball twice in the second half and scored on both possessions. Do better.
3. Cowboys vs. Giants Turned Into a Dogfight
I don’t know, maybe this game was always going to be ugly.
Cowboys vs. Giants has a way of turning into a game full of penalties, turnovers, and missed opportunities. Speaking of penalties, the Cowboys still haven’t fixed that issue that has plagued them for about a decade.
We watched as the Giants looked more comfortable living in the physicality of this game. The Cowboys missed several opportunities to turn this game around, and it showed in the final score.
The offense looked out of sync, Parker’s defense looked familiar, and Dallas didn’t handle any facet of the game well enough to ever take a lead. The little things matter and this game showed the Cowboys and us fans how hype is always a nightmare scenario for Dallas.
Next week should tell us which problems were just Week 1 problems, and which ones will stick around for a while.
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