The Dallas Cowboys are now 1-0 to start the 2017 after an impressive 19-3 victory of the New York Giants. It's always good to get a division win, but the Cowboys did it in a dominant fashion Sunday night in all three phases of the game. I would like to take this opportunity to share with all of you The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly that took place for the Dallas Cowboys last night.
I would first like to say that I was really impressed with the way the Cowboys played the game from beginning to end. They looked to be pretty close to midseason form and it showed in the way they controlled the game.
So, without further do here is The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly for the Dallas Cowboys against New York Giants in Week 1 of the 2017 season.
The Good
Would it be a copout to recognize the entire Dallas Cowboys team and how they performed last night against the New York Giants? Honestly, I think all three phases the game was pretty much dominated by the Cowboys, which is a good sign for things to come. The entire team looked to be in midseason form and controlled the game from start to finish.
The Cowboys offense was able to move the ball up and down the field at will against a tough Giants defense. There were some spectacular catches made by Brice Butler and Cole Beasley to keep drives alive, but if there was one area that needs improvement it might be the red zone playcalling.
The Cowboys defense was a huge question mark heading into this contest. No one really knew what to expect from them, but they pretty much shut down the entire Giants offense and flustered QB Eli Manning the entire game. The bright spot here might just be the pass rush. They were able to get home on several occasions and that will only help the overall performance of the entire defense.
The Bad
I'm probably nitpicking here, but the only bad I noticed last night for the Cowboys against the Giants was that Dak Prescott never seemed comfortable. I don't know if it was just early-season jitters or if the Giants defense just gives Prescott more problems then others, but something was off.
Prescott seemed to have a problem with his accuracy. He overthrew several of his receivers early in the game and missed a surefire touchdown to Dez Bryant by overthrowing him as well. Luckily, that missed TD didn't come back to bite the Cowboys in the butt, but those opportunities must be capitalized on.
Prescott was able to overcome everything in the end and helped the Cowboys offense outscore the Giants. It definitely wasn't the best performance we have seen from him, but he continued to grind it out despite his struggles. That's all you can ask for from your starting QB or anyone for that matter.
The Ugly
Again, this may be nitpicking, but Ezekiel Elliott just didn't look himself last night. You didn't see the same kind of energy or explosiveness we're used to seeing from him and he just looked kind of lethargic at times. I'm sure all of this suspension stuff hanging over his head has had some kind of effect on him, but I expected him to come out against the Giants and run angry.
Zeke Elliott didn't have a bad game by any means. He was able to rack up 104 rushing yards on 24 carries and added another 36 yards through the air on five catches. That's not a bad performance at all, especially against a Giants defense that is known for shutting down the run. But, I am curious to know if something was affecting Elliott last night. He just didn't look like himself to me.
