The Dallas Cowboys fell to the Philadelphia Eagles 24-20 in the opening week of the NFL season.
This loss featured an explosive first half that included eight straight scoring drives to open the game, but a stalled offense in the second half prevented the Cowboys from stealing the victory in Philadelphia.
Despite the Cowboys’ loss, this Week 1 matchup still unveiled a lot about this team as the season kicks off.
Here are three key takeaways from the Cowboys’ Week 1 loss to the Eagles:
Defensive Line Struggles To Generate Pass Rush
Dallas finished this game with only one total sack while allowing Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts time in the pocket to either pass or scramble for positive yards, which is a trend that could persist for a large portion of the season.
The Cowboys were surprisingly solid against the Eagles’ rushing attack, allowing only 96 yards on four yards per carry to the Eagles’ running backs, including allowing Saquon Barkley to collect only 60 rushing yards and an average of 3.3 yards per carry.
Although those numbers do not jump off the screen, it is a better start to the season in that aspect than expected.
The bigger issues came on the Eagles’ passing plays.
Dallas was never able to consistently force pressure to collapse the Eagles’ passing pocket, which allowed Hurts time to scan the field and decide whether to hit an open pass catcher or break off for a run.
As a result, Hurts finished the game with 214 total yards and two touchdowns, with both rushing touchdowns coming on scrambles.
The good news for Dallas moving forward is that Philadelphia has one of the best offensive lines in the league, meaning there is potential for a more consistent performance in future games.
However, Dallas must find a way to generate a consistent pass rush in the coming weeks for this team to compete against the best quarterbacks in the NFL.
Cowboys’ Rushing Attack Looks Vastly Improved
Entering the season, the biggest offensive concern for the Cowboys was the effectiveness of this rushing attack, as Dallas had produced lackluster performances in recent previous seasons.
Dallas opted to bring in a completely new running back room in an attempt to spark change, with Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders handling the vast majority of rushes in Week 1.
This change resulted in the Cowboys finishing the game with 119 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns with an average of 5.4 yards per carry.
This performance also included a 49-yard rush by Sanders in which he was eventually tracked down before reaching the end zone.
By no means did this game indicate that Dallas would have the best rushing offense in the league, but it should provide hope that this rushing attack can be functional and help open up potential passing opportunities.
Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb Connection Remains Solid Despite Drops
The final takeaway comes from the consistency between quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, as the two players continued to display their chemistry despite some issues with finishing the plays.
Prescott and Lamb have spent the last few seasons solidifying themselves as one of the best quarterback-wide receiver duos in the NFL, with this Week 1 matchup once again showing opponents that the Cowboys’ passing offense will not slow down.
Lamb finished the game with seven receptions for 110 total yards, but the result could have been much higher than these final statistics.
Over the course of the game, Lamb dropped four passes that likely would have given him another 70 to 90 receiving yards, with multiple of these drops coming from well-thrown balls that hit Lamb in the hands.
Moving forward, this should not be a concern for a player who has some of the best hands in the league, though Lamb took full credit for the issues in the first game of the season.
“That’s terrible. I can’t point the finger at anybody else. I take full accountability and everything else that comes with it. As a player, I train for moments like that and the ball to come my way,” he said after the game.
These drops will not dissuade Prescott from targeting Lamb in the future, with this passing offense continuing to stand out as one of the most explosive in the entire NFL.