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The Dallas Cowboys are undefeated through two games of the 2019 season. That feels so good.
While the contest in Washington got off to a rocky start, things ultimately stabilized and the Cowboys found a way to persevere and score a lot of points. This is something that we all surely enjoyed.
Who were the game’s top performers? Who has room to grow? So glad you asked as we’ve got the answers. Welcome to Week 2’s winners, losers, and everything else in between!
Winner: Dak Prescott
Dak Prescott continues to impress and win converts. While he threw his first interception of the season in Washington (a tipped pass to be totally fair) he was remarkable all around.
Prescott had success through the air and on the ground which is what people have been wanting. The fact that all of his skills are being showcased is a very good sign.
QB1 (via @dallascowboys) pic.twitter.com/LihmXCuPsk
— Blogging The Boys (@BloggingTheBoys) September 15, 2019
Dak Prescott has started this season off very strong and been a big reason why the Cowboys are undefeated two weeks in. There is no doubt at this point that he’s going to get a contract to match his huge performances.
Winner: Devin Smith
The Cowboys managed to get their preseason superstar and surprise roster member Devin Smith some legitimate playing time. He delivered, all the way to the tune of a 51-yard touchdown!
RT if Josh Norman getting exposed makes you laugh (via @dallascowboys) pic.twitter.com/zb42BWwHK9
— Blogging The Boys (@BloggingTheBoys) September 15, 2019
When you’ve got speed it’s a very good idea to use it. Kellen Moore knows that. It was so great to see Smith actually utilized in this offense. He led the team in receiving yards!
Winner: Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, and Randall Cobb
It only felt fair to put all of the receivers together. The Cowboys have a trio of excellence and a group that is making things very fun for their offense.
What’s so great about this group is that they all have different strengths. Cooper is who he is in terms of a playmaker, but Michael Gallup is the chain mover and point of consistency. Cobb finds a way to always make an impact and is rarely taken down at first contact.
Fun! This is fun! We’re having fun!
Winner: Jason Witten
He’s back, and he’s back for real. It’s a beautiful thing to see.
GOLD. JACKET. WITT. (via @thecheckdown) pic.twitter.com/fx3HfvHREc
— Blogging The Boys (@BloggingTheBoys) September 15, 2019
Jason Witten needs three touchdowns to tie Dez Bryant (four to pass him) on the Cowboys all-time receiving touchdowns list. With 14 games left, it feels promising.
Winner: The offense in general
The Dallas Cowboys scored 31 points in Washington. Considering that they scored 35 against the New York Giants, that’s a lot of numbers lighting up the scoreboard.
Do you know how many times the Cowboys scored at least 30 points in consecutive games last season? Not a single one. The Cowboys didn’t score 30 in consecutive games at all last season.
Incidentally, the last time that this phenomenon happened came against the two teams that it just happened with - the New York Giants and Washington Redskins. That was back in Weeks 13 and 14 of the 2017 season, but if Dallas can average 30ish points per game this season then they are going to be in business.
That is, if the defense shows up soon, which brings us to our losers.
Loser: Josh Norman
We’ll start with a Washington loser (they lost, so they’re all losers) in Josh Norman. Oh boy.
Norman decided that it would be a good idea to talk some smack about Dak Prescott this week. Not only did he get burned by Devin Smith on the 51-yard touchdown (to be fair he expected safety help, but still) and Jason Witten (yes, Jason Witten) later in the game, Norman got stiff armed by Dak. Hard.
QB1 (via @dallascowboys) pic.twitter.com/LihmXCuPsk
— Blogging The Boys (@BloggingTheBoys) September 15, 2019
Our number one loser is Josh Norman. Oh well.
Loser: Discipline
Early on this game was not pretty for the Cowboys. They weren’t playing sound football, and they kept the self-induced errors up by committing costly penalty after costly penalty. We saw things like defensive holding and roughing the passer that just cannot happen.
It’s time to clean some of that stuff up.
Loser: Byron Jones
While he had a great play to start the day, Byron Jones was largely uneventful for the remainder of the contest. The Cowboys seemingly allowed big plays to Washington when they needed them, and Byron Jones was a big part of that.
Terry McLaurin had a nice day and that just can’t happen. Dallas has to do a better job of limiting the opposing team’s playmakers.
Loser: Jaylon Smith
At one point Smith got outdone by Paul Richardson, sometimes that happens in football. Altogether the Cowboys linebackers haven’t been too great through two games and he resides at the heart of that. He would even want the responsibility that comes with his position.
Things are hardly worthy of panic when it comes to the Cowboys defense, but they need to clean things up soon. They’re going to be playing elite quarterbacks in a few weeks and need to be ready for that.
Loser: The defense in general
Overall it was just a flat day for the Dallas Cowboys defense. They did enough, but they weren’t overly special. We’ve come to expect more from a unit that has the likes of DeMarcus Lawrence, Leighton Vander Esch, and the aforementioned Jaylon Smith and Byron Jones.
Dallas will be playing some elite quarterbacks in a few weeks, but next up they’ll have the Miami Dolphins. That’s something fun to look forward to.