Dallas Cowboys: 5 Takeaways From Week 1 Loss

Things started out unfortunately for the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1. What can the team and fans take away from their 2016 season-opener, though?

The Dallas Cowboys opened the 2016 season with a disappointing 21-20 loss to the New York Giants in front of a national audience. They didn’t produce much of a rushing attack, the defense had issues and they made too many mental mistakes.

How Week 1 turned out for the Cowboys was a tough pill to swallow. It wasn’t the fact that they lost, it was the way they played the game on Sunday against the Giants, with too many miscues on offense, a lack of a strong defensive unit and the way the game ended for the Cowboys with the decision made by Terrance Williams on the final play of the game.

One positive for this team was the kicking of Dan Bailey, who was perfect on his four field goal attempts and his one extra point attempt. Sean Lee also had another typical game for him, leading the team in tackles. Jason Witten was his usual self as well, leading the team in receptions.

Though the loss really stung to open the season, there were some positives for this team to build on—or at least lean on—while the rest of the team tries to figure out their role for Week 2. That said, the negatives with this team are what cost them the win, even as the Cowboys controlled the clock like they had hoped to as well.

The Cowboys must limit mistakes with their play and have better decision making from here on out. A game against the Washington Redskins this Sunday will be a test as they are the defending NFC East champions, and on another note, the Cowboys don’t want to start 0-2 in their division either as that will eventually haunt them if they are in need of a tiebreaker at the end of the season.

Here are five takeaways from the season-opening contest.

Sep 11, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten (82) cannot catch a pass while defended by New York Giants free safety Landon Collins (21) in the fourth quarter at AT&T Stadium. New York won 20-19. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

5. Jason Witten is Still the Go-To Guy

If there is one player on the Cowboys roster who is always there to bail out a stale rushing game or take over for poor play by the wide receivers, it is tight end Jason Witten. Old Faithful is in his 14th season with the club, but he still plays better than most players on the roster each week.

He kept the Cowboys’ offense moving and helped out rookie quarterback Dak Prescott tremendously by seemingly always being open for the signal caller as his go-to option on Sunday. Witten finished with nine receptions for 66 yards, leading the team in receiving. He averaged 7.3 yards per catch, with his longest reception going for 17 yards.

Witten was targeted a total of 14 times in the loss, but what Witten did, I believe, is give Prescott some confidence in his NFL regular-season debut. Prescott didn’t have any interceptions (no touchdown passes, either), but the loss wasn’t the fault of Prescott, and the play of Witten was a big reason for the rookie quarterback having a solid overall day.

The Cowboys had possession of the football for nearly 37 minutes in the game, compared to the 23 minutes by the Giants. Of the nine receptions by Witten, five were in the first half. And for the entire game, three of his catches came on first down, two on second down and four on third down. Witten was targeted three times on the final drive, but all passes were incomplete.

Witten had an interesting day, to say the least, but he was one of the few players who kept the Cowboys in the game. Like most times the past couple seasons, all of his work is for naught as the Cowboys made too many miscues to gain the win.

Sep 11, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott (21) dives in for a touchdown against New York Giants free safety Nat Berhe (29) at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports

4. Improvement Needed with Rushing Game

The Giants dared the Dallas Cowboys to run the football as they honed in on stopping the rushing attack, and the Cowboys’ inability to overcome that cost them in a big way.

No. 4 overall pick Ezekiel Elliott had just 2.5 yards per carry, as he rushed the ball 21 times. He did score a touchdown on a eight-yard run. But overall, he didn’t do much to help his cause in taking any pressure off the rest of the offense. And give credit where it is due, his touchdown run was a very nice play.

Sure, the offensive line of the Cowboys could have played better as well, but when a player is drafted fourth overall on a team that desperately needed some help with their defensive pass rush and their defensive backfield, 2.5 yards per carry just won’t cut it.

This isn’t a panic mode because it is just one game in the career of Elliott, but facing the defense of the Washington Redskins this upcoming Sunday isn’t any easier, and he’ll have to do better than 51 total yards rushing.

One player who did well with his seven carries was Alfred Morris, who totaled 35 yards, averaging five yards per carry, with a team-best 13-yard rush against the Giants. Morris played a brief role, but he deserves more carries to not only take a little pressure off Elliott, but also to let him use his five years of NFL experience to help figure out how to break the defensive scheme of a team that is daring them to try and rush the football against them.

As a team, the Cowboys totaled 101 yards on the ground, with the rest of the yards coming from Prescott (two carries for 12 yards) and Keith Smith (one carry for three yards). Overall, the running game of the Cowboys has to play better and not just be out there to burn the clock with very few scoring results.

Sep 11, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) rolls out to throw a pass in the third quarter against the New York Giants at AT&T Stadium. New York won 20-19. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

3. Dak Prescott Did What He Needed To

Though he should be the backup of the Cowboys right now, an injury to Tony Romo’s back has forced Prescott to be in the starting role as a fourth-round rookie, and the Cowboys treated the game like Romo was still the quarterback, passing the ball 45 times in the season opener.

The feeling of the offense was the coaching staff of the Cowboys gave up on trying to establish the rushing attack, so they just went to the pass, and the Giants did just enough to keep the Cowboys from scoring touchdowns and forcing field goals.

Prescott didn’t make many miscues. In fact, he played well, and not just well in terms of making his NFL regular-season debut. The rookie fourth-rounder finished 25-of-45 for 227 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. He averaged five yards a completion and even rushed the football twice for 12 yards, though one of his two runs went for 11 yards.

The Cowboys know what they have with Prescott, and hopefully he continues to get better. He’s not going to be able to throw the football 45 times per game each time he takes the field. So he’s going to need more help from the Cowboys’ rushing game, plus his receivers had a few too many drops with passes he had on target as well.

Maybe it all will come together for the Cowboys next week, as Prescott did what the Cowboys needed him to do. However, the supporting cast in other areas of the team didn’t.

Sep 11, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant (88) cannot catch a pass while defended by New York Giants cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (41) in the fourth quarter at AT&T Stadium. New York won 20-19. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

2. Dez Bryant, Receivers Need To Produce

The superstar wide receiver of the Dallas Cowboys didn’t have one of his good games on Sunday, totaling one catch on five targets for just eight yards. Bryant played in the entire game, but the defensive backfield of the Giants kept him in check, plus Bryant did drop a pass or two that should have been caught.

It is this simple: if the Cowboys want to win football games, their best receiver can’t be held to eight yards in a game, especially in an important NFC East game. Very rarely do superstar wide receivers get held to under 10 yards receiving, but it happened on Sunday.

As for the rest of the Cowboys’ wide receivers, they weren’t much to brag about either, as their performance didn’t deserve a postcard home. The leading wide receiver was Cole Beasley with eight receptions for 65 yards, with an 8.1 yards per catch average. His best reception went for 12 yards. Even he made a few too many mistakes as well, dropping at least one pass right in his hands, and having another chance at a reception, though the pass thrown by Prescott was a touch too high.

Terrance Williams didn’t really show up either, and though FOX broadcaster and former Cowboys great Troy Aikman compared Williams to another former Cowboy in Alvin Harper, his performance on Sunday didn’t deserve such praise. Williams made the catch at the end of the game, but he also made a big miscue in not running out of bounds with seconds left on the clock, ending the game with no time on the clock and not allowing the Cowboys a chance at a field goal.

This entire unit needs to take a look in the mirror and create more space between them and their opponents next week, or it could be more of the same for the Cowboys in Week 2.

Sep 11, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz (80) catches a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter against Dallas Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr (39) at AT&T Stadium. New York won 20-19. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

1. Too Many Mental Mistakes

The Cowboys committed six penalties for a loss of 50 yards, but they seem to come at inopportune times, especially with the play of La’el Collins with multiple false starts. Witten had a 10-yard penalty as well, and the play of the team seemed off at times.

Yes, this was just one game, and the good thing is mistakes can be fixed, so yes, there should be some worries, but not to the point of breaking into a nervous breakdown…yet.

As for the defense of the Cowboys, well, it was what should be expected all season, so it will have its good moments at times, but overall it will be tough to watch, especially with three starters currently suspended for off-the-field issues.

Sean Lee led the team with 10 tackles, and that should happen each week, and Barry Church, though not the greatest in coverage, finished with seven tackles. Brandon Carr had one interception, and props to Morris Claiborne for his play on Odell Beckham Jr. at times on Sunday.

The defensive line of the Cowboys was easily seen as struggling, though that happened when their two top defensive ends are watching the game from home due to their issues they had this offseason, leaving them suspended for a combined 14 games. The Giants ran the ball on the Cowboys for 113 yards and six first downs. They ran the ball just 24 times, averaging 4.7 yards per carry. Plus, the Giants were 3-for-3 in the red zone.

Overall, the mistakes on both sides of the ball need to be looked at, and the play of the defense needs a lot of work, because even though they held the Giants to 20 points, it could have been worse if not for the offense keeping possession of the ball for nearly 37 minutes.

Again, it is just one week, but if problems aren’t corrected soon, they will continue to build, and thinking back to last season, we all know what will happen then.