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Dak Prescott aced his debut, but the Cowboys failed to back him up
The Dallas Cowboys didn’t expect much from quarterback Dak Prescott.
Behind what the Cowboys believed was a tremendous offensive line, with that stocked stable of running backs and a strong roster of receivers — including arguably the best receiver in the NFL, Dez Bryant — Prescott entered the season knowing he didn’t need to win any games for the Cowboys.
The rookie’s only goal was to not lose the team any games — keep the defenses honest and don't turn the ball over.
Prescott did his job Sunday. You can argue he went above and beyond what was expected of him — he drove the Cowboys into position to kick a game-winning field goal against the Giants, despite having only a minute and no timeouts to drive down the field.
It was the rest of the Cowboys that failed to perform in Sunday's 20-19 loss.
The Cowboys might have won the game if Terrance Williams didn’t inexplicably fail to go out of bounds after catching the ball down one with less than 10 seconds on the clock and no timeouts remaining.
The Cowboys might have won if the offensive line would have been able to get a push for the running game, or if that strong running back stable was able to do anything of note with the little they were given — Dallas ran for 101 yards in the game.
The Cowboys might have won if their biggest problem didn’t show itself in Week 1.
Whether Tony Romo, Dak Prescott, or Quincy Carter is at quarterback for the Cowboys this year, the team’s biggest impediment to winning the NFC East, a playoff game, or even the Super Bowl is its defense.
As the game progressed and the early-season rust wore off, the Giants began to dominate the line of scrimmage when in possession. The Cowboys’ defensive line — which might be the worst in the NFL — was manhandled and allowed New York to score the go-ahead touchdown with relative ease. The Cowboys had to commit everyone but the cornerbacks to stopping the run late in the contest — and the Giants don’t exactly have Adrian Peterson in the backfield.
Had Ben McAdoo, who was in his first game as a head coach Sunday, decided to do the prudent thing and gone for it with 1:12 remaining on fourth-and-1 from the Dallas 37, instead of punting, it’s likely the Cowboys would have never gotten a chance to win the game. (The punt resulted a field-position difference of 17 yards — great call...)
It was a gift possession, and Prescott nearly made the Giants pay for it. It took a lackluster team effort and a twisted bit of karmic reciprocation to give the win to New York.
Prescott was not perfect — far from it. He was a game manager who managed the game effectively — 25-of-45 for 227 yards with no touchdowns and no turnovers. But Prescott also gave the Cowboys a bit more, and that’s something to build on in the coming weeks.
Prescott might be 0-1, but the Cowboys need to look to a lot of places — you can’t pin it all on Williams, though that might be the easy play — other than quarterback to explain why that’s the case.
