By Jon Machota, Saad Yousuf, Zac Jackson and Lauren Merola
All eyes were on Dak Prescott as he walked into Huntington Bank Field on Sunday as the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL. Hours before the Dallas’ season-opening kickoff against the Cleveland Browns, the Cowboys quarterback inked a four-year extension worth up to $240 million, a league source said, making Prescott the highest-paid player in league history.
“This was the thing to do for what we’re here for and that’s to win a championship,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said of Prescott’s new deal before the game.
The road there started Week 1, as the Cowboys came out sharp in the first half to take a 20-3 lead. The Browns, on the other hand, managed only one first down in the first 30 minutes. Were it not for a Cowboys offensive drive that went backward to start the game followed by a big punt return given up by Dallas, the Browns may not have scored a single point.
The Cowboys kept the momentum rolling right out of the half by forcing a Browns three-and-out before KaVontae Turpin returned the punt 60 yards for a touchdown and the 27-3 edge. The Browns matched scores on the ensuing drive with its first touchdown of the game on a six-yard pass from Deshaun Watson to Jerry Jeudy. They posted one more score with under a minute to play in their long, distant chase of the Cowboys.
What went wrong for the Browns?
The Browns just aren’t good enough offensively. It’s not on one person, though Watson’s dink and dunk attempts certainly didn’t consistently challenge the Cowboys’ defense. Cleveland dug itself an early hole, which magnified its offensive line issues and inability to create explosive plays.
The Browns got one first down on their first drive and turned good field position into a field goal, but they finished the first half with nothing more.
There’s a lot to be fixed, and the Browns clearly didn’t click in Watson’s first live action in 10 months. Maybe a different approach wouldn’t have changed anything Sunday, but the Browns mostly jogged through training camp and weren’t ready to keep up with the Cowboys. — Zac Jackson, Browns beat writer
David Njoku leaves in walking boot
An awful day could get worse for the Browns if Pro Bowl tight end David Njoku has any kind of significant injury.
Njoku was taken to the locker room with an ankle injury soon after a 29-yard catch in the third quarter. He left the stadium in a protective boot and will get more tests Monday morning, Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said. — Jackson
Dallas’ defense looks complete and hungry
Dallas’ Mike Zimmer had as good of a debut as defensive coordinator as he could have hoped for. The Cowboys smothered the Browns at every level, starting with Micah Parsons serving as a one-man wrecking crew early on. Parsons got pressure around the edge and up the middle.
He finished with one sack but could have easily had at least a couple more.
Eric Kendricks also had a phenomenal game, starting with his pursuit in the run game. That area was a sore spot for the Cowboys in 2023 and Kendricks, both with the mental and physical elements of his game, served as a major boost. Trevon Diggs also had a great game in his return from a torn ACL last year.
In the second half, Diggs followed up a sure tackle on one drive with his first interception of the season on the next. He nearly had a second interception on the drive after that. The most impressive player, though, was linebacker DeMarvion Overshown.
The second-year linebacker had his entire rookie season wiped out last year with a torn ACL in the preseason. Overshown’s combination of speed and athleticism was on display all evening, whether it was tackling players up the field or spying Watson and taking away time and space from him.
Overall, the Cowboys’ defense forced Watson to look pedestrian, with throws sailing over receivers all day. Without Nick Chubb, the Browns had no run game to help Watson out, either. — Saad Yousuf, Cowboys beat writer
Special teams seals Cowboys’ victory
Dallas’ offense was better than Cleveland’s offense — Prescott played a complete game, finishing with 179 yards and one touchdown on 19-of-32 passing — and Dallas’ defense was better than Cleveland’s defense. But the reason Sunday was such a blowout for the visiting team is because of Dallas’ special teams.
Turpin, one of the NFL’s top returners, finally broke through with his first career return touchdown to start things off in the second half. The play was blocked well, but Turpin did a great job of reading things before eventually cutting to the outside to avoid the last few defenders.
Turpin had a head-scratcher early in the game when he didn’t catch a punt deep in Dallas’ territory, but good things happen when Turpin is making good decisions and getting into space. It was a good sign to start the season with that type of big return.
The other key on special teams was even more obvious: Brandon Aubrey legitimately might be the NFL’s best kicker. He made all four field goal attempts, including one from 50 and another from 57. He made a 66-yarder right before the half but the kick didn’t count because of a delay of game penalty.
That’s a crazy impressive kick indoors. To knock that through outdoors is something very few could accomplish in perfect conditions. As soon as the Cowboys cross midfield, they are in realistic field goal range. — Jon Machota, Cowboys beat writer
(Photo: Jason Miller / Getty Images)
