The Cowboys have played good football and are now 2-0 with two division wins. They haven’t played the toughest teams yet, but the important thing is that they are winning. Here are five things learned from week 2.
At this rate, the Cowboys might as well keep Dak Prescott in contract limbo for the rest of the season if he is going to play like this. This week he threw for 269 yards and three touchdowns. He did throw one interception, but it hit off of his receiver’s hands. Prescott finished the day completing 86.7 percent of his passes, which included him completing 18 passes in a row.
Through two weeks, Prescott has thrown for 674 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception on 82.3 percent completion. He hasn’t played the best defenses yet, but Prescott looks sharp. The offense is on a roll and Prescott is the main reason why.
Ezekiel Elliot (photo by wton.com)
He only had 13 carries in week 1, totaling 53 yards. It was expected, as he missed so much time during his contract holdout. Elliot still needed to show he was back and he did that against the Redskins in a big way. The star running back rushed for 111 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries.
This all came against a Washington front-seven that is widely respected around the league. Elliot benefitted from good blocking, but was back to the workhorse back that Dallas fans can rely on. The future of the offense looks bright with Prescott playing well and Elliot back to form.
The receivers played well in week 1 and followed it up with more good performances in week 2. The big-name receivers of the team weren’t the only ones that stepped up against the Redskins. Devin Smith had three catches for 74 yards and a touchdown. If he can be productive for the Cowboys, they’ll have a lot of valuable offensive weapons.
Smith wasn’t the only one who produced out of the wide receiver group. Michael Gallup had six catches for 68 yards. Amari Cooper had four catches for 44 yards and a touchdown. Randall Cobb totaled five catches for 24 yards. Prescott deserves some credit, but the front office has surrounded him with some playmakers who are playing well.
This is more of a nostalgic realization than something learned, but Jason Witten is officially back. He played in week 1 and even scored. Witten followed up that performance with another solid one in week 2. With four catches for 25 yards and a touchdown, Witten cemented his status as being the safety valve for Prescott again.
Not only was Witten back, but he also showed flashes of making plays that were surprising. He lined up against Josh Norman and beat him and did much more. Maybe the year off was a good thing for Witten.
After giving up a lot of yards in week 1, the defense played better in week 2. They still allowed passing yards to Case Keenum, but the run defense played well. Adrian Peterson rushed for just 25 yards on 10 carries. He did find the endzone, but Dallas shut down a rusher that had over 1,000 yards last season.
This comes a week after giving up over 100 yards on 11 carries to Saquon Barkley, which makes things look encouraging. In order to continue to compete, the Cowboys will need to keep this up and find a way to improve the passing defense.
You can like The Game Haus on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from great TGH writers!
Players must be 21 years of age or older or reach the minimum age for gambling in their respective state and located in jurisdictions where online gambling is legal. Please play responsibly. Bet with your head, not over it. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, and wants help, call or visit: (a) the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey at 1-800-Gambler or www.800gambler.org; or (b) Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2-CALL-GA or www.gamblersanonymous.org.
