Football finally happened. The Dallas Cowboys just completed their first preseason game with a 17-7 win over the Seattle Seahawks. It was great to see them in action after such a long hiatus from football, with lots of fun stuff to talk about. With this first game officially in the books, here are 10 thoughts on Saturday’s action.
1. Not a good start
The preseason did not start out all that great as the defense allowed the Seahawks’ offense to stroll down the field for an opening drive touchdown. The cornerbacks got tagged not once, not twice, but three times for penalties when Caelen Carson and Twikweze Bridges both were flagged for pass interference. Carson also added a facemask penalty on the same drive.
The Cowboys’ offense did not return the favor as they went three-and-out on their opening drive. It didn’t look good at first.
2. Things got better
After stumbling early, the team rebounded nicely. The defense made stops, and the offense started scoring. The Cowboys went on a 17-0 run, seizing control of the game and never looking back. It was nice to see players showing more discipline as the game went on and coming up with plays. It was especially satisfying to see the defense respond the way it did. After surrendering 80 yards on the Seahawks’ opening drive, the Cowboys defense only gave up 76 yards total the rest of the game. That’s how you adjust.
3. Houston is a problem
Last year, James Houston put himself on notice during the preseason when he made big play after big play. Well, he’s at it again. The veteran edge rusher came through with some plays, including two sacks (although one wasn’t officially counted due to an accepted penalty on the Seahawks), Thanks to his relentless motor, he’s just a guy who doesn’t quit, and when things start to break down, he finds the quarterback.
4. Howell draws first blood
The veteran Sam Howell got the nod to start over Joe Milton III, and he was solid. He played the short game, mostly dumping off passes. He had a couple of nice slant passes to Jonathan Mingo. He made quick decisions and never made any mistakes, including holding the ball too long. He was never sacked. Howell only made one big throw, and that was a 39-yard touchdown pass to rookie UDFA Camden Brown. It wasn’t flashy, but it was efficient. Speaking of Brown…
5. What can Brown do for you?
Every year, there’s an undrafted free agent wideout that catches everyone’s attention in training camp. You can set your watch to it. This year’s gem is Camden Brown. The rookie receiver has been dazzling with some nice catches, but he followed that up nicely with a great debut. He hauled in three catches for 62 yards, including two touchdowns. And both touchdowns were impressive catches, first coming back and winning a jump ball and then second with a great one-handed catch on a fade in the end zone. Hype happens, but often fades. Brown is keeping his roster-fighting chance rolling.
6. The second-half backs
All eyes were on second-year running backs Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah with the hope that at least one of them would shine. They didn’t. The longest run of each player was just four yards. Blue finished with 19 yards on eight carries (2.4 ypc), and Mafah finished with nine yards on four carries (2.3 ypc).
As bad as things were for those guys, the second-half backs looked much better. Both Malik Davis and Israel Abanikanda rushed for over five yards a carry as Davis finished with 39 yards on seven carries (5.6 ypc) while Abanikanda finished with 37 yards on seven carries (5.1 ypc).
It’s hard to know for sure without looking at the tape, but the second-half guys seemed to do a better job reading the rushing lanes, hitting the holes quickly, and pushing forward. This battle should be interesting going forward, and quite honestly, the RB2 job is firmly up for grabs.
7. Milton answers back
The team’s two backup options are contrasting players, as the younger Milton offers the team a little more big-play ability thanks to his legs and big arm. However, the problem for him has been his accuracy. In this game, the third-year quarterback looked much better. He did a good job staying in the pocket, making good decisions, and throwing strikes. The Cowboys coaches had a difficult choice entering this game, and it hasn’t gotten much easier after the game.
8. The protection held up
There were some mental mishaps from the backup offensive line, but for the most part, they had a good showing. As mentioned before, the run game improved in the second half, and neither of the Cowboys’ quarterbacks was sacked. There is still a lot to sort out when it comes to figuring which guys make the final 53, but the interior looked pretty decent, giving them something to build on.
9. The not-so special teams
It was a rough day for Nick Sorensen’s group as the special teams were horrid. In the first half, they gave up a 52-yard punt return. Then, in the second half, Traeshon Holden got caught in no-man’s land and tried to scoop up the ball near the goal line, only to not come up with it cleanly, resulting in a muffed recovery, turning the ball over to the Seahawks.
10. Goal line stand
One good thing about the punt return miscue is that it set up a nice opportunity for the Cowboys defense to make a stand. With 1st-and-goal at the five-yard-line, the defense stood their ground with a nice sideline chase-down by safety Julius Wood, and was finished off with a fourth-down sack by Isaiah Land.