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Jerry Jones Admits Cowboys Underestimated Giants, Makes Bold Prediction for Commanders Game

Jerry Jones has a bold prediction for the Dallas Cowboys' Week 2 game against the Washington Commanders.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones looks on during warmups prior to the game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium.  Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones looks on during warmups prior to the game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The last thing the Dallas Cowboys should be doing is underestimating anyone.

Sure, this is a historic franchise that has accomplished incredible things in the past, but the Cowboys haven't been very successful since the dynasty in the 1990s.

So, when owner Jerry Jones went reverse Dennis Green on us and admitted the Cowboys, who are coming off a 7-9-1 campaign and haven't made the playoffs in two years, underestimated the New York Giants in Week 1, it was an even worse look than it would be for a franchise that has won a Super Bowl in the last 30 years.

“They were better than how we thought they were," Jones told 105.3 The Fan. "They played better than we thought they could.”

To be clear, we would not say the Cowboys as a team, and more specifically the players and coaches, shared that view with Jones. We very much believe Jerry is speaking of his own view or else that looks even worse.

It'll be interesting to see if any reporters ask Cowboys players or coaches about Jones' comment. We would say they won't agree with him publicly, even if they really felt that way privately.

Jerry Jones' bold prediction for Commanders game

Washington Commanders wide receiver Stefon Diggs.
Washington Commanders wide receiver Stefon Diggs (3) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles during the second half at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Image | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Jerry wasn't done there. He also made a bold prediction for the game against the Commanders. That bold prediction is he believes the Cowboys' defense will play better.

“The improvement from where we played on Sunday [on defense] will be there," Jones said. "I’ll go on record saying that.”

Jones also added that there's even more emphasis on this game because of how things went down in the season-opener.

"This one is particularly challenging, not challenging, exciting if you will because we really did not do what we wanted to do in our opening game there in New York," Jones said. "This puts added emphasis on this game. We really want to play well in front of our home fans.”

So, why is Jones' prediction bold?

Well, the Cowboys have had the worst defense in the NFL for two years running now and we saw no sign of that changing in Week 1, when Christian Parker's unit got torched by the same team Jones underestimated.

And we saw all of the same issues we've seen in the past. A poor game plan, no pressure on the quarterback, no resistance in the run game, miscommunication, a lack of adjustments — and the list goes on and on and on.

So, until we see some real, tangible improvement from Parker's unit, we have no choice but to expect the worst and hope for the best, and that hope is a tiny shred at this point.

One reason for optimism is the Cowboys had to fit a bunch of new pieces together this season and we know that can take time, something the Cowboys, including Jones, have mentioned.

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Mike Moraitis
MIKE MORAITIS

Mike Moraitis is a freelance writer who has covered the NFL for major outlets such as Sports Illustrated and The Sporting News. He has previously written for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and FanSided, and got his start in sports media at Bleacher Report.