The Dallas Cowboys hit the field for the first preseason game of the 2022 National Football League season on the road against the Denver Broncos on August 13. The Cowboys lost by a final score of 17-7, though neither team played many expected starters. The most significant question mark after the game will be whether the coaching staff can address penalties, an issue from 2021 that plagued the team. Dallas led the NFL in penalty yards in 2021.
Neither the Cowboys nor Broncos managed to find traction in the first quarter.
After trading punts on four offensive drives, Cowboys backup quarterback Cooper Rush — starting in place of Dak Prescott — made the first error of the game, throwing an interception to Denver safety P.J. Locke on a pass intended for wide receiver Jalen Tolbert. The turnover ultimately didn’t hurt as Denver failed to convert on a fourth-and-2 on the next drive.
The ensuing drive saw the Cowboys also fail to convert a fourth down that was made more challenging by an offensive holding penalty by rookie linebacker Tyler Smith who saw his first playing time as a Cowboy. The penalty was the second in the quarter that took away opportunities for short yardage chances.
“I think we all recognize that this isn’t the regular season,” head coach Mike McCarthy said to the press following the loss. “This is preseason. I don’t think this has anything to do with last year. But I didn’t like the number of penalties. I made it clear. I talked about it at halftime, and I talked about it briefly in there (the locker room). We’ll take a long look at it.”
Ultimately, the Cowboys would be flagged for 17 penalties on the night, costing the team 129 yards. The end result could have been much worse, as the Broncos declined numerous penalties throughout the game, including two penalties on one play in the second quarter that led to the Broncos’ first score of the night.
Following the Denver touchdown, another holding penalty against Tyler Smith set the Cowboys back 10 yards, a hole out of which the offense could not climb.
The next Denver drive also got the benefit of a Dallas penalty, this time on defensive end Tarell Basham who was flagged for roughing the passer after driving Denver QB Josh Johnson into the turf on an incomplete pass on second-and-13. Six plays later, Johnson hit receiver Kendall Hinton on a deep shot to put the Broncos up 14-0.
The final penalty of the first half came against Dallas with 0:00 on the clock. Denver lined up for a 57-yard field goal attempt, but the kick sailed wide right. Cowboys cornerback Kelvin Joseph was flagged for offsides, giving Denver five yards and a second chance to make the kick. From 52 yards, Broncos kicker Brandon McManus was good, and the teams went to the locker room with the Broncos owning a 17-0 lead.
The Cowboys’ offense struggled to move the ball in the first half. The offense managed only four plays past the 50-yard-line in the half and made no significant threat at scoring.
The second half offered little in the way of hope for the offense. After getting two stops that resulted in a punt and a turnover on downs, the Cowboys managed to get into Denver territory to set up an attempt for a long field goal.
Lirim Hajrullahu was the starting placekicker for Dallas as the Cowboys look to replace Greg Zuerlein, who was released after the 2021 season. Hajrullahu is in a two-way competition against former Cowboys kicker Brett Maher.
Hajrullahu missed his first attempt — a kick from 56 yards, though some of the blame for the miss falls on the offensive line. A false start penalty against Dallas’ Anthony Lindstrom transformed a 3-10 to a 3-15, a distance that Hajrullahu was unable to make up.
When Dallas did finally score points, it was a short pass from third-stringer Ben DiNucci that connected with receiver Simi Fehoko from 12 yards out late in the fourth quarter. Maher came on to kick the extra point, which was successful.
The score would be the final time either team would successfully move the ball in the game, as both offenses suffered turnovers on downs to end the game with a final score of 17-7.
The Dallas Cowboys will return to Southern California this week as training camp continues. The team will hold a joint practice with the Los Angeles Chargers Thursday ahead of the team’s preseason contest on August 20. The Cowboys will then return to Dallas for the final preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks.
