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ARLINGTON -- The Dallas Cowboys had a chance late, but they failed to get in position for a game-winning field goal attempt in the final seconds. With the Cowboys out of timeouts, Terrance Williams needed to get out of bounds on the game's final play. But he cut inside. There wasn't enough time left to spike the ball to stop the clock.
Here are my five thoughts on the Cowboys dropping their season opener 20-19 to the New York Giants.
1. I give Dak Prescott a B for his rookie debut
He didn't throw a touchdown pass but he also didn't turn it over. Prescott did a good job spreading the ball around, connecting with seven different players. He also didn't try to do too much. Cole Beasley and Jason Witten were easily his favorite targets. He'll need to find a way to get Dez Bryant involved going forward. Bryant was targeted five times and nearly had a highlight TD grab. But the team's star receiver finished with only 1 catch for 8 yards. That has to change for this offense to reach its potential. Prescott finished 25 of 44 for 227 yards and a 70.9 passer rating.
2. Blame goes both sides of the ball
That's a tough loss for the Cowboys to swallow, especially against a division rival. They executed their gameplan early, dominating the clock, but still went into the halftime locker room trailing. Blame goes on both sides of the ball. They didn't execute enough on offense and the defense needed to prevent late first downs, which allowed New York to run off valuable time. Surprisingly, this is the Cowboys' first loss to the Giants in a season opener. Here are the previous eight results.
2015: 27-26, Cowboys
2013: 36-31, Cowboys
2012: 24-17, Cowboys
2007: 45-35, Cowboys
1995: 35-0, Cowboys
1986: 31-28, Cowboys
1966: 52-7, Cowboys
1965: 31-2, Cowboys
3. Tough day for Zeke
Ezekiel Elliott didn't have much running room all afternoon. He managed only 31 yards on 15 carries in the first half. He scored a third-quarter TD, but that was about it for his highlights. Elliott finished with 51 yards on 20 carries. Alfred Morris was actually more productive in the second half. Morris ran 7 times for 35 yards. Expect to see better offensive line play and more production from Elliott in Week 2.
4. Defense flipped the switch
Something changed on defense in the third quarter. We knew this group wasn't going to shut teams down, but they allowed Eli Manning to do whatever he wanted in the first half. Manning went into the locker room 13 of 16 passing, 147 yards, 2 TDs with 144.5 passer rating. The third quarter was much different. Brandon Carr recorded his first interception since Thanksgiving 2013. Benson Mayowa and Orlando Scandrick each recorded sacks. Most importantly, they kept the Giants off the scoreboard. They allowed a score late, but holding teams to 20 points has to be considered a win for them. The Cowboys must win games when opponents are held to 20 in the future.
5. Daaaaaaaan Bailey
Is Dan Bailey human? The Cowboys kicker buried field goals of 23, 25, 54 and 56 yards Sunday afternoon. Actually, he also made one from 46, however, Jason Witten was called for holding on the attempt. Bailey calmly moved back and easily nailed it from 56. What a weapon to have in a league where most games are settled by a single score. Would've been real interesting to see if he could've nailed the game-winner. Judging by how he's performed in clutch situations, the outcome might have been different.
