Despite the Cowboys’ Week 1 loss, the season opener wasn’t a total disaster.
In our preview of this matchup, we laid out a very narrow path that the Dallas Cowboys needed to follow if they were to upset the defending champs: win the turnover battle, have Dak Prescott go nuclear, and score a touchdown on special teams.
Dallas did none of those things.
And yet… they easily could have won this game.
The Cowboys needed breaks, and they got them—just not in the ways we expected. Jalen Carter, Philadelphia’s best defensive player, was ejected before the first offensive snap for spitting on Dak Prescott. There was an hour-plus-long lightning delay in the middle of the third quarter. And the Cowboys were gifted 110 free yards on Eagles penalties.
So how did Dallas lose, even with all that in their favor? Let’s unpack it.
Dallas Cowboys Week 1 Loss: Promising Signs and Familiar Flaws
Dallas Only Needed One More Break
Our preview to this game laid out a nearly impossible three-item checklist, and we said Dallas would need all three to upset the defending champs.
Turns out, they probably only needed one.
If KaVontae Turpin makes a house call, Dallas probably wins. If they win the turnover battle—or just break even—they probably win. Instead, they lost the only turnover of the game, and it was a backbreaker.
Miles Sanders fumbled in the red zone, killing a drive that had been extended by a third-and-long penalty just one play earlier. That was three points off the board, maybe more. When you lose by four, that’s a devastating mistake.
But the real disappointment was Dak Prescott. For as good as he looked in the first half, he was equally disappointing in the second.
He wasn’t bad, but he definitely wasn’t great. And if he’s 10 to 15 percent better—if he hits a couple more tight-window throws, if he pulls the trigger a half-tick quicker—Dallas probably escapes with a win.
However, CeeDee Lamb didn’t do his quarterback any favors. He was credited with three drops, including one on a perfect throw from Prescott with just under three minutes to play that would’ve put Dallas in the red zone. And while the fourth-and-three play won’t go down as a drop, he had a chance to make a play for his team and came up short. Tough catch? Absolutely. But if you are considered one of the league’s best wide receivers, that’s a play you have to make.
If even one of those things had gone Dallas’ way, the Cowboys’ Week 1 loss might have been an upset victory.
Signs Of Life: What Looked Promising
Despite the loss, Week 1 wasn’t a total disaster. There were a couple of genuine bright spots that should give fans a sliver of hope that the Cowboys can be competitive this year. Let’s start with the run game.
Surprisingly, it looked competent. Jerry Jones and the Cowboys were lambasted this offseason for once again punting on the running back position, but for at least one night, it looked good.
Javonte Williams, who we didn’t see at all in the preseason, looked healthy and ran hard—he scored both of Dallas’ touchdowns. Miles Sanders only had a handful of carries, but one of them went for 50. Yeah, the fumble was brutal, and yeah, it flipped the game. But as a pure rushing unit, this backfield didn’t embarrass itself. And that’s a promising sign. 22 carries for 119 yards against Philadelphia’s defensive front is a lot more than any of us expected.
More impressive, though, was the offensive line. Even without Jalen Carter, the Eagles’ front seven is strong—and Dallas held up. Prescott had time to make it through his progressions and he wasn’t sacked once. That’s a big improvement over what we saw in 2024.
You also have to tip your cap to head coach Brian Schottenheimer. For a guy many believed didn’t deserve this opportunity, he acquitted himself nicely in his first game at the helm. Schottenheimer found a way to get the run game going, dialed up some deep shots, and generally kept Dak out of obvious passing situations. They may not have executed everything cleanly, but the on-field product generally looked good.
The offense gave you enough in this game to believe there’s something to build on. But will it be enough to overcome their deficiencies?
Familiar Flaws
For all the promising signs, the Cowboys are still 0-1—and the reasons why shouldn’t be surprising.
Let’s start with the obvious: the pass rush. The Cowboys failed to generate consistent pressure on Jalen Hurts, who looked unbothered and comfortable in the pocket. It’s almost like Dallas was missing the most disruptive pass rusher in the NFL… oh right—they were. Without Micah Parsons, the pass rush was toothless. Hurts had clean pockets and too much time to go through progressions or take off and run.
And that’s the other issue: run defense. While Saquon Barkley was held in relative check, the Eagles still ran for 158 yards and three touchdowns—two by Hurts. The Cowboys weren’t gashed, but were still pushed around at the point of attack. Philadelphia controlled the line of scrimmage and did exactly what Cowboys fans feared: run the ball at will.
The secondary held up better than expected, but it’s hard to evaluate their performance when Hurts didn’t really need to throw—he completed 19 of 23 passes for just 152 yards. The one shot he did take resulted in a 51-yard completion to Jahan Dotson. A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith were quiet—four catches for 24 yards between them—but they weren’t needed in this game. When Hurts’ first read was covered, he pulled it down and ran.
If Dallas can’t stop the run and can’t create pressure, it won’t matter who’s in the secondary. And if this defense can’t generate negative plays, the Cowboys will struggle to get off the field. Just like they did on Thursday night.
Cowboys’ Week 1 Loss: No Moral Victories, But Something To Build On
The team stats in this game were pretty even.
Dallas finished with 22 first downs. Philadelphia had 20. The Cowboys ran 56 plays. The Eagles ran 62. Total yardage? 307 to 302. Dallas had every chance to win this game, they just came up a little short.
There are no moral victories in the NFL, but even in Dallas’ Week 1 loss, there were encouraging signs. And if just one of the three things from our preview had hit, the Cowboys probably steal this one.
But they didn’t.
Now it’s on to Week 2. If Dallas can clean up the mistakes and stay healthy, they showed enough to believe they can be competitive. But the margin for error is razor-thin, and in a stacked NFC, “almost” won’t be good enough.
Main Image: Eric Hartline – Imagn Images
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