With the Dallas Cowboys opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, it wasn’t clear anything useful was going to be learned. The Eagles are widely considered to be class of the NFL this year. They have arguably the most talented roster in the league, and they have a track record of success when things matter most.
Going into the game there was a very real chance the Cowboys would get steamrolled and that the game would be out of reach before either side of the ball could get into the meat and potatoes of their respective playbooks. But that’s not what happened, with the Cowboys matching the Eagles blow for blow enroute to a 24-20 opening week loss.
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While the result may be disappointing, the game itself was nothing short of exhilarating. The Cowboys proved they belong and if it wasn’t for some uncharacteristic drops from CeeDee Lamb and Jake Ferguson, Dallas would be the team celebrating the win in Week 1.
Here’s what was learned from the outing.
No 1: Schottenheimer can call plays
During training camp, first-time head coach Brian Schottenheimer said he had plenty of bells and whistles in his offense but was waiting until the regular season to show them. In Week 1 he sure did. He mixed various running schemes with a heavy degree of motion at the snap to get off to a spectacular start.
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On first review, the Cowboys had an 81 percent success rate on plays that featured motion at the snap. This doesn’t just say they were positive gains, but the gains increased their probability of scoring. It’s a major wrinkle that the previous regime avoided. It created opportunity in both phases and led to an outburst of scoring in the first half.
To the pleasure of many, Schottenheimer used WR KaVontae Turpin a variety of ways on offense as well. He used him in motion, mixed runs and passes, and essentially forced the inflexible Philadelphia defense to flex. The motion and balance dried up in the second half but the fact it was such a scripted part of the gameplan was comforting.
No. 2: This running game may work out after all
The Cowboys went into the offseason hoping to rekindle their running game. But instead of signing a high-end veteran running back or drafting a top 100 ball carrier, they settled on a collection mid-to-lower-tier options and invested a greater commitment to their offensive line. So far, that seems to be working out.
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Obviously, things were easier with Jalen Carter missing from the field, but the Cowboys showed they can move the ball on the ground when they put their minds to it. The Cowboys posted a success rate of 62 percent running the ball, even delivering an EPA of +0.05. Javonte Williams specifically jumped off the screen as a talented rusher with the power, patience and feel of a seasoned veteran.
The Cowboys have to feel pretty good about running the ball this year. As long as they use motion and keep disguising run schemes, there’s no reason the good times can’t keep rolling in Dallas.
No. 3: The defense has some grit
Heading into action in Week 1, the main question about the Cowboys defense was whether they’d be bad or really bad. After parting with star pass rusher Micah Parsons, no one gave the Dallas D much credit or hope. The fact they just held one of the NFL’s best offenses to 24 points is nothing short of shocking.
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Kenny Clark and the run defense showed grit and determination stopping the Eagles. Philadelphia has what many feel is the best offensive line in the NFL so matching up against them was no small task. Still, the Cowboys locked down, they packed the box to stop the run and trusted their secondary to hold things down on the backend.
Jalen Hurts still scrambled for far too many yards and produced far too many big plays so that’s clearly something Matt Eberflus and company will have to work on. But they flashed resolve and that’s something that’s been absent ‘round these parts for years.
Cowboys Week 1 wrap-up
With any luck, the Cowboys learned some of the same lessons the rest of the world learned on Thursday night: That motion at the snap is cheat code and something that can’t be abandoned late. That good running leads to good balance and that scores the most points. That all that work and determination put in on defense was not for naught and actually showed some positive returns. That the Cowboys hang with anyone, even the defending Super Bowl champions.
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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Motion, balance, among several things learned about Cowboys in Week 1