The Dallas Cowboys defeated the New York Giants 40-37 in a thrilling Week 2 overtime matchup that provided more clarity on the outlook for the 2025 season.

In one of the most exciting games of the season thus far, the Cowboys and Giants combined for 44 total points in the fourth quarter and overtime. While it is still early in the 2025 regular season, this game provided a few pieces of insight that the team must take advantage of for the rest of the year.

Here are three takeaways from the Cowboys’ Week 2 victory:

Offensive Line Setting Up Rushing Attack

Entering the 2025 regular season, the Cowboys’ offensive line and rushing attack were easily the two biggest concerns on the offensive side of the ball.

However, many of the concerns have been quieted after very solid performances against two of the best defensive lines in the NFL.

Dallas has already matched up against the reigning Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles and the division rival New York Giants, with both of these teams emphasizing the defensive line to help shut down the run and pressure quarterbacks.

Despite playing against two stout defensive lines, the Cowboys’ offensive line and running back room have shone in the rushing attack.

Dallas ranks 10th in the league in rushing yards through the first two weeks of the season, compared to the team’s 26th ranking in that same category during the 2024 regular season.

Additionally, running back Javonte Williams has broken out as one of the most impressive offensive players for the Cowboys, pacing the team with 151 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns.

The most encouraging part of the Cowboys’ development is that many of the offensive linemen have remained the same across the past two seasons.

The biggest shifts in personnel come with the team’s running back room and coaching staff.

In addition to Williams joining the team this offseason, the Cowboys signed running back Miles Sanders to a one-year contract. The running back has already proven to be a strong addition, accumulating 68 rushing yards and one touchdown in the first two games.

Additionally, the Cowboys looked outside of the franchise for offensive line coaching, bringing in Klayton Adams as offensive coordinator and Conor Riley as the offensive line coach.

Adams and Riley have an extensive history working with offensive lines at both the collegiate and professional levels, indicating that the Cowboys were serious in their pursuit of improved play within that unit.

The bad news for the Cowboys is that the team will have to spend the next six to eight weeks without center Cooper Beebe, who was diagnosed with a high ankle sprain and will miss a large portion of the regular season.

Now, the challenge for this team to maintain its rushing pace has grown even larger.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE DALLAS EXPRESS APP

Brandon Aubrey is the Best Kicker in the NFL

NFL kickers have consistently been among the most valuable players in the league, as they consistently lead their teams in total points scored.

In recent years, this importance has grown even more as kickers have become more accurate with even stronger legs.

Teams without star kickers often find themselves in difficult positions with crucial drives stalling out due to concerns about whether a kick can reach the goal posts.

Luckily, the Cowboys do not have this issue.

Aubrey has been one of the most effective kickers since entering the league in 2023, with the former Toronto FC soccer player possessing one of the most accurate and strongest legs of any player in the league.

To start the season, Aubrey has made all six of his field goal attempts through two games, including three of these attempts coming from longer than 50 yards away.

Aubrey put together one of the best games of his career in Week 2, making an NFL season-long field goal from 64 yards away to send the game into overtime and subsequently making the game-winning kick as time expired to secure the victory.

 

Through the first two weeks of the 2025 season, Aubrey is tied for the most field goals made from over 50 yards and has yet to miss an extra point. Moving forward, Aubrey has the potential to become one of the best kickers in the history of the NFL.

Aubrey has already collected a plethora of NFL records early in his career. According to CBS Sports, Aubrey holds the following NFL records just three seasons into his career:

  • NFL record 35 straight made field goals to begin career
  • Made 14 fields from over 50 yards in 2024, breaking the record for the most in a singular season
  • Longest field goal in Cowboys’ history at 65 yards. Also holds the second- and third-longest field goals in NFL history, with a 65-yarder ranking second, and his most recent 64-yarder now sits at third on the list.

This type of kicking presents a massive advantage for the Cowboys on every offensive drive, as it severely reduces the number of yards the offense needs to pick up in order to be in scoring range. Rather than the offense needing to reach the defense’s territory to have a realistic shot at points, the Cowboys just need to reach midfield for Aubrey to have an incredibly realistic chance to put points on the board.

Aubrey has become one of the league’s most effective weapons, and he is not going anywhere anytime soon.

More Defensive Juice Will Be Needed

The Cowboys’ defense put together a strong showing in the team’s Week 1 matchup against the Eagles; however, that performance did not carry over into the second week of the season.

Dallas surrendered 37 points against a team that is expected to finish with a middling offense, including multiple deep passes in which receivers took the top off of the Cowboys’ secondary.

Despite the win, this matchup highlighted multiple deficiencies within the defensive unit.

The two biggest issues that stand out are the Cowboys’ secondary and pass rush.

Realistically, the issues in the secondary come following an injury suffered by cornerback Daron Bland, who is expected to miss “multiple weeks” with a foot injury, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.

Prior to this injury, the Cowboys’ secondary appeared to need improvement, but the necessary personnel were already on the roster, with Trevon Diggs working to ramp up after an injury.

Now, every player in the secondary has been bumped into a bigger role.

Dallas could look to bring in a veteran cornerback to help fill this gap until Bland is able to return, though recent indications are that the franchise would prefer to let the players already on the roster step into these roles.

The second biggest issue for this defense is the pass rush, as Dallas has struggled to consistently generate pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

In addition to collecting sacks and forcing a loss of yards, consistent play from the team’s pass rush can also force the opposing quarterback into making bad decisions.

Clearly, Dallas has come to this realization as well, with the team recently announcing that it has signed former No. 1 overall pick Jadeveon Clowney to a contract.

Although Clowney is no longer a player who can consistently generate pressure on every play, the veteran pass rusher should still play a significant role in the Cowboys’ pass defense.

Obviously, holding teams to very few points is always the goal for a defensive unit, but that is not a reality for this team.

Instead, the Cowboys must focus on slowing down opposing teams’ passing offense, as the Cowboys’ offense has already proven that it can put up points with the best teams in the league.

This defense just needs to do enough to help the offense.