EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The long-awaited season opener wasn't exactly the start the Cowboys were hoping for – on either side of the ball.
The offense wasn't crisp, with too many drops and questionable decisions as well as a lack of a consistent running game. And the defense didn't look a lot better than last year, giving up too many long drives en route to surrendering four touchdowns in New York's 28-20 win.
There were some memorable plays, but let's look at a handful that could've changed the overall outcome in Sunday's game.
Dart's scramble and added penalty – There was a lot happening on this one play during the Giants' first possession. New York had a second-and-10, but quarterback Jaxson Dart faked out the defense with a designed run to the left side, scrambling 22 yards to the sideline. To make it worse for the Cowboys, linebacker DeMarvion Overshown was flagged for a late hit, tacking on 15 more yards. That moved the ball all the way to the Cowboys' 22, where the Giants eventually scored and took a 7-0 lead. But once New York showed that play, it also softened up the Dallas defense, knowing that Dart would scramble to the outside, which he did later in the game a few times. It also opened up the Giants' running game, so that play had lingering effects the rest of the night.
Pickens' drop before halftime – George Pickens had a couple of big plays for the Cowboys, but he could've had even more, including a long pass down the sideline before halftime. Dak Prescott dropped a perfectly thrown ball into Pickens' hands as he had just a half-step on cornerback Greg Newsome. But Pickens just flat-out dropped the ball at the Giants' 45 on what would've been about a 40-yard gain, if not more, with 1:10 to play. The Cowboys would've been in field-goal range and probably had a shot to go score a touchdown. The drop occurred on a drive that ended with Prescott's interception.
Timeout and interception changed momentum – The final minute of the second quarter couldn't have ended any worse for the Cowboys, but it started with the offense and the decision-making. After a second-down catch by Ryan Flournoy, who didn't get out of bounds, the Cowboys elected to quickly call a timeout with 58 seconds to play. That put added pressure on the offense to convert, and Prescott threw an interception while trying to get rid of the ball. Instead of the Giants starting back around their own 15-yard line after a punt, they got the ball at the Dallas 42 with plenty of time. Had the Cowboys been in a hurry-up mode, they likely don't have the same result on the play, and if so, there's much less time. Either way, the Cowboys defense also gave up big passes down the field, and so the team went into the half down by seven after it appeared the Cowboys were in a position to take the lead themselves.
The entire Giants' drive to open the third – Let's bundle these plays into one entry, but the Giants came out to start the second half and handled the Cowboys defense with ease, resulting in a 12-play drive that never even got to a third down. The Giants not only finished with a touchdown, but chewed up eight minutes off the clock. The Cowboys found themselves down 21-7 before even getting the ball in the third quarter.
Aubrey's untimely touchback – The Cowboys had just scored a touchdown to cut into the Giants' 21-14 lead. But the ensuing kickoff by Brandon Aubrey was mishit, as the ball landed in the end zone on the fly instead of falling into the field of play. That penalty put the ball automatically at the 35-yard line, giving the Giants great field position to start their next scoring drive. The kickoff wasn't the reason the defense couldn't get off the field on that series, especially since the Giants ran basically the same play over and over for the touchdown. But the Giants had started possessions inside the 25 four other times, so getting the ball at the 35 was their second-best starting spot of the night. If Aubrey kicks that ball a yard or two shorter, it's likely a different position yet again.
