For the second consecutive season, the Dallas Cowboys opened the season with a blowout win on the road. Their 33-17 win over the Cleveland Browns was a strong display out of the gate, particularly by the defense that limited the Browns to just one first down in the first half. The Cowboys led 20-3 at halftime and tacked on another touchdown two minutes into the second half courtesy of a KaVontae Turpin punt return.
The flow of the game is always important context to consider when examining snap counts. As it relates to Sunday, much of the second half for the Cowboys’ offense was played in preservation mode while the defense was in position to prevent an aggressive comeback attempt by the Browns. With all things considered, let’s dive in.
Quarterback
Dak Prescott (62), Cooper Rush (1)
Playing hours after signing the richest contract in NFL history, Prescott was solid overall. He acknowledged after the game that he could have been better, and the entire operation could stand to be crisper, but Prescott did what he needed to do. After a rough opening drive, Prescott drove the Cowboys down the field, covering 70 yards in six plays. It culminated with Prescott identifying the Browns’ blitz at the line of scrimmage and then beating it with a timing throw to Brandin Cooks for the touchdown.
“The timing and the throw and the way he laid it out there shows those guys are on the same page,” offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said.
The Cowboys’ offense put up 27 points on a stellar Browns defense, in Cleveland. With the way the Cowboys’ defense played, Prescott needed to set the tone, control the game and not lose it. He did a fine job of that.
Dak ➡️ Brandin
We are COOKin’ 🍳
📺: #CLEvsDAL on FOX
📲: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/LvklCbYJ1e pic.twitter.com/BtlWfyuHV9— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) September 8, 2024
Running back
Ezekiel Elliott (32), Rico Dowdle (28), Hunter Luepke (20 on offense, 25 on special teams), Deuce Vaughn (2 on offense, 8 on special teams)
Elliott was the lead back of the committee, but it truly was a committee, at least between him and Dowdle. The snap counts were similar, as were the carries. Elliott ran the ball 10 times while Dowdle had eight. Elliott had a couple of catches and Dowdle had one.
“We wish we would have gotten more attempts to run the football,” offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said. “We struggled with it on third down in the second half. But yeah, we’re going to go into game plans knowing that we’re going to be a committee.”
Elliott showed burst from the outset, with a hurdle over Browns cornerback Denzel Ward on the first play of the game. Elliott’s performance was encouraging and better than what many expected. The key now will be to see how sustainable it is over the course of the season. Dividing the load between him and Dowdle should help.
“When you get a committee going, it keeps guys fresh,” Schottenheimer said. “That’s what we’ve always loved about it, historically.”
Mike McCarthy said Monday that the team would have liked to get more opportunities for Vaughn, too. Schottenheimer singled out Luepke as a guy he considers “a steal” and somebody who “does not get enough credit for what he does for our offense.”
Wide receiver
Brandin Cooks (60), CeeDee Lamb (45), Jalen Tolbert (42 on offense, 7 on special teams), Jalen Brooks (13 on offense, 29 on special teams), KaVontae Turpin (6 on offense, 11 on special teams)
Given the nature of the game, the Cowboys didn’t need Lamb to do the heavy lifting, especially in the second half. Lamb made his mark early, catching Prescott’s first completion of the season on the first drive and a 34-yard catch on the second drive to get the Cowboys into scoring position. Of note: Lamb also had three carries for 25 yards.
“Having the ball in my hands is probably when I’m most happy,” Lamb said. “However that is and if it’s easy for the team, just get me started.”
Last year, Cooks didn’t catch his first touchdown until Week 6 on Oct. 16. With a touchdown Sunday, Cooks now has a touchdown in four consecutive regular-season games. Last year, the Cowboys were 7-1 in games that Cooks caught a touchdown.
Turpin’s fingerprint on the offense was limited but he made his presence known on special teams with the punt return for a touchdown that helped put the game out of reach for a sputtering Browns’ offense.
Tight end
Jake Ferguson (39), Luke Schoonmaker (13 on offense, 19 on special teams), Brevyn Spann-Ford (19 on offense, 4 on special teams)
The big story for the tight ends is the health of Ferguson. After the game, Ferguson was seen walking out of the stadium with a limp and his left knee wrapped. Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones said Monday on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas that the injury is more of a bone bruise. Ferguson tweeted out “God is good” and Prescott, McCarthy and Schottenheimer all were upbeat when asked about Ferguson’s availability.
Offensive line
Tyler Guyton (63), Terence Steele (63), Tyler Smith (62), Cooper Beebe (62), Zack Martin (62), Brock Hoffman (1), Asim Richards (1), T.J. Bass (1)
Guyton and Steele were the only Cowboys — offense or defense — to play 100 percent of snaps. Martin took accountability for Prescott taking a big sack up the middle on the second play of the game.
Guyton was tasked with the toughest assignment — blocking superstar pass rusher Myles Garrett in his NFL debut. Garrett had his moments against Guyton, which was expected, but the rookie left tackle held up well. Beebe had a great day in pass protection and wasn’t credited with a single pressure allowed. Schottenheimer said both rookie offensive linemen graded out well.
Defensive line
Micah Parsons (69), Osa Odighizuwa (61), DeMarcus Lawrence (52), Marshawn Kneeland (44), Chauncey Golston (29), Mazi Smith (23), Jordan Phillips (15), Linval Joseph (13), Tyrus Wheat (3)
Defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer had a great debut. Zimmer said he expected the Browns to run the ball a lot more than they did, but overall the defense was stout. That began with the way the front played against a banged-up Browns offensive line. Lawrence was impactful and Kneeland had a solid debut. None of the players were a glaring weakness.
Parsons has to be listed under some position but he was a true hybrid player, showing up in a variety of places in the defensive front. The Browns devoted plenty of attention to him.
“We got a lot more double-chip protection in this ball game than we anticipated,” Zimmer said. “We knew they did it but, as coaches, we need to do a better job of helping (Parsons) out with some of our alignments so he’s not getting chipped every single play.”
Zimmer said that there were other ways he wanted to use Parsons but the Cowboys didn’t get to it in Cleveland.
EK is headed the other way 🔄
📺: #DALvsCLE on FOX
📲: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/LvklCbYJ1e pic.twitter.com/k2miX6KTDu— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) September 8, 2024
Linebacker
Eric Kendricks (51), DeMarvion Overshown (44 on defense, 8 on special teams), Damone Clark (26), Nick Vigil (25 on defense, 25 on special teams), Marist Liufau (9 on defense, 13 on special teams)
Aside from Parsons, two of the best players for the Cowboys’ defense Sunday were Kendricks and Overshown. The Cowboys faced a dual-threat quarterback in Deshaun Watson and Zimmer said that having a player with the speed and intellect of Overshown allowed the Cowboys to place him as a quarterback spy.
Nick Vigil’s snap counts went up after Kendricks exited the game due to dehydration. Both Kendricks and Vigil are linebackers Zimmer is familiar with after having them in previous NFL stops.
Secondary
Donovan Wilson (72), Malik Hooker (72), Trevon Diggs (72), Jourdan Lewis (68), Caelen Carson (60), Israel Mukuamu (16 on defense, 22 on special teams), Markquese Bell (4 on defense, 29 on special teams), Juanyeh Thomas (4 on defense, 28 on special teams)
The Browns tested Carson early but the rookie fifth-round pick held his own and nearly had a couple of interceptions. Diggs, in his return from an ACL tear, played 95 percent of the snaps and notched his first interception of the season. One of the most underrated players from a great defensive showing came from Lewis, who continues to handle his business in the slot and be an energy guy for the unit.
(Top photo of Brian Schottenheimer and Ezekiel Elliott: Nick Cammett / Getty Images)
