'Let's Not Panic!' Cowboys Offense Sputters Even Before Dak Prescott Injury
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Dak Prescott’s best move Sunday night was probably exiting the field in the fourth quarter.
He didn’t have to stick around for the end.
The fear of a big drop-off offensively for the Dallas Cowboys materialized in an absolute dud. The Cowboys were walloped despite the Tom Brady and Tampa Bay Buccaneers scoring only one touchdown.
The 19-3 final underscored the concerns that began mounting in the offseason and continued through training camp. Lack of receiving quantity and quality, offensive line depth and undefined running back roles were centerstage on Opening Day’s biggest stage.
Prescott, the unquestioned leader of the offense, had a miserable showing. He couldn’t develop any chemistry with a receiving corps that amounts to CeeDee Lamb and a collection of practice-squad bodies.
When Prescott left in the fourth quarter for X-rays after twice banging his right throwing hand into Bucs linebacker Shaq Barrett, it put an end to his season opener. There was nothing to remember after completing 14-of-29 passes for a paltry 134 yards and a pick.
"Dak will be out for a while, so we'll be dealing with that," Jones said.
McCarthy, who said Prescott couldn't grip the ball before going to the locker room, expressed disappointment for his starting quarterback.
"This is very important to him," McCarthy said. "He does all the extra stuff, so you never want to see your players go through this. But it's a long journey and this is Week 1.
"We were not as clean as we would have liked."
Lamb, the de facto No. 1 receiver after Amari Cooper was jettisoned, caught only two balls for 29 yards. Dalton Schultz snagged six but none were of a real impact. Noah Brown actually led the Cowboys with 68 yards and five catches.
Cooper didn’t exactly set the league on fire with three receptions in his Cleveland debut, but the Browns won. His presence might have opened up more lanes for Lamb and Co. Then again, that’s assuming Prescott had time to find lanes.
Prescott and backup Cooper Rush were each sacked twice. Losing left guard Conner McGovern on the opening drive exasperated the issues of a line already without Tyron Smith and starting rookie Tyler Smith in the veteran left tackle’s place.
And what about the paring of Ezekiel Elliott Tony Pollard? Well, they combined for 58 yards rushing – neither had a run longer than 9 yards – and two catches. Not exactly a dynamic duo.
Any thought of McCarthy being on the hot seat coming in has to be coupled with increased scrutiny of offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. The NFL’s No. 1 offense last season managed just 244 yards and a lone field goal against Tampa Bay.
"Offensively, our rhythm was up and down," McCarthy said.
The Cowboys will surely point to the return of receivers Michael Gallup and James Washington in the coming weeks, plus pray for a healthy Prescott return, but there was absolutely nothing to hang their Stetsons on after Week 1.
"Let’s not panic,'' Prescott said after the game.
Some in Cowboys Nation might respond, "Maybe we should.''
You can find Art Garcia on Twitter @ArtGarcia92.
