The Dallas Cowboys absolutely handed it to the New York Giants on the road Sunday night in a statement performance for both teams on Sunday Night Football to open the 2023 NFL season.
Dallas’ statement included brilliant play in every area. That was magnified in the first half with the Cowboys scoring a touchdown on offense, defense and special teams.
As for the Giants, Brian Daboll’s squad proved that it was not ready for primetime. Daniel Jones threw two first half interceptions. New York’s offensive line could not hold up in front of him. It was a humiliating overall effort. On the other side, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott seemingly had all time to throw the ball.
The end result was a 40-0 Cowboys win over New York in Jersey. Below, we look at the top players and takeaways from this drubbing.
Top performances from Dallas Cowboys win over the New York Giants
Micah Parsons, EDGE, Dallas Cowboys
Entering his third season in the league, most project that Parsons will earn the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award after finishing as a finalist in 2022. Nothing we saw from the former Penn State product Sunday night changed that narrative.
Parsons was all over Jones in Dallas’ eye-opening Week 1 win. He hit the quarterback two times while recording one sack. But the stats don’t tell us the entire story in this one. Parsons put pressure on Jones another six times as he anchored a defensive line that got to New York’s mobile signal caller for seven sacks. It was something to behold for a player who will soon collect a check that defines his actual on-field worth.
Related: Dallas Cowboys standing in Sportsnaut’s NFL defense rankings
Darren Waller, tight end, New York Gaints
Acquired from the Las Vegas Raiders this past offseason, Waller was questionable heading into Week 1. The Giants are lucky he was able to go as the Pro Bowler was the only consistent receiving option on offense for Jones.
The numbers aren’t great (three catches on five targets for 36 yards). But consider this. Waller accumulated three of the Giants’ five receptions in the first half. At the very least, he proved to be a safety valve for Jones. Assuming others step up, it bodes well for the Giants. That’s the only positive for the Giants in this one.
Stephon Gilmore, cornerback, Dallas Cowboys
Both Gilmore and Trevon Diggs played brilliant football Sunday night for Dallas. Heck, Giants wide receivers were held to five catches on 14 targets, including zero in the first half alone. This is going to be one of the best cornerback tandems in the league all season.
However, Gilmore’s interception of Jones on a pass intended for the aforementioned Waller in the second quarter broke this one wide open. The Cowboys found themselves up 19-0 early in the second quarter. They ended up scoring a touchdown to push that lead to 26-0 heading into the half. One of the best corners in the NFL over the past decade or so, Gilmore continues to show he has something left in that 32-year-old tank.
CeeDee Lamb, wide receiver, Dallas Cowboys
On a rainy and wet night in which neither passing offense did much, Lamb stepped up big time for the Cowboys. He caught all four of his targets for 77 yards, representing 54% of Prescott’s passing total throughout the game.
Lamb has proven to be a consistent target for Prescott throughout the past few years. He ended last season catching 77% of his targets over the final 11 games. It used to be that Lamb was that highlight-reel waiting to happen. Now at the start of his fourth season, consistency has been more apparent. That will be huge for Dallas moving forward.
Dorance Armstrong, EDGE, Dallas Cowboys
It all starts and ends with Parsons. We noted that above. In fact, five of the seven Cowboys sacks came with the DPOY candidate being double teamed. Even then, other has to step up in one-on-one situations. We saw multiple Cowboys defenders do just that.
But we’ll focus on what former Kansas star Dorance Armstrong did Sunday night in Jersey. He sacked Daniel Jones two times while putting pressure on the Giants’ quarterback five times throughout the game. Coming off a career-high 2022 campaign in which he recorded 8.5 sacks, Armstrong might be on the verge of taking that next step.
Related: Sportsnaut’s updated NFL power rankings
Top Dallas Cowboys takeaways
Offense is still a work in progress
Going from Kellen Moore to head coach Mike McCarthy as the play caller was going to be a work in progress. With the first game taking place under less-than-stellar weather conditions, this was magnified further Sunday night.
It’s also not like the Cowboys had to do much in the second half with a 26-0 lead through two quarters. Even then, Dak Prescott completed 13-of-24 passes for 143 yards. Brandin Cooks and Michael Gallup combined to catch 3-of-6 targets for 32 yards. It’s a minor takeaway, but we’re intrigued to see how the Cowboys’ offense looks next week against a stout New York Jets defense in the friendly confines of AT&T Stadium.
Dallas Cowboys as legitimate Super Bowl contenders
Outside of some inconsistency in the passing game on offense, every single phase of the Cowboys did well in a humiliating blowout win over the Giants. It started on special teams with a blocked field goal and continued on defense with a pick-six from Daron Bland.
The Cowboys did not look back. Prescott was hit just three times and not sacked a single time. Dallas’ defense got to Daniel Jones for 12 QB hits and seven sacks. Dallas dominated on offense, defense, special teams and from a coaching standpoint. It dominated the trenches. And in the end, the ‘Boys put up one of the most dominant performances of Week 1.
Related: Sportsnaut’s updated NFL Playoff and Super Bowl predictions
Top New York Giants takeaways
What in the heck was that?
We have just one takeaway for the Giants here. What a way to blow what should have been a feel-good story in Jersey. New York was coming off a surprise playoff performance. The team retained Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley. It added to the roster and was seemingly prepared to compete in the NFC West.
About that? The Giants were outclassed in every imaginable way. You don’t lose an NFL football game by the score of 40-0 and come away without being embarrassed. You don’t get booed off the field by your home fans without being embarrassed. We have absolutely no idea where New York goes from here. But soul searching has to be the name of the game.
Dallas Cowboys stats
- Dak Prescott: 13-of-24 passing, 143 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT
- Tony Pollard: 14 attempts, 70 yards, 2 TD
- CeeDee Lamb: 4 catches, 77 yards
New York Giants stats
- Daniel Jones: 14-of-28 passing, 104 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT
- Saquon Barkley: 12 attempts, 51 yards, 3 receptions, 12 yards
- Darren Waller: 3 receptions, 36 yards, 0 TD
One final note
Giants head coach Brian Daboll kept Daniel Jones in the game with the team down 40-0 late in the fourth quarter. Tyrod Taylor only replaced Jones on the final possession. It was the talk of the social media world. Did Daboll do his quarterback wrong? I think so.