FRISCO, Texas – Every year, barring a tie, 16 teams in the NFL start the year 0-1.

Seasons aren't defined by the first game of the year. Most coaches at any level of football will tell you the biggest jumps they see from their teams come from Week 1 to Week 2.

The Cowboys will need a jump like that ahead of their home opener in order to avoid falling to 0-2, a deeper hold to climb out of. Since 1990, just 35 of 287 teams have gone on to the postseason after starting the year 0-2.

How do the Cowboys avoid getting to that point? Let's dive into some important areas in this week's Here We Goooo:

Keeping Jayden Daniels contained is paramount

After giving up the most rushing touchdowns to quarterbacks in the NFL last season, the Cowboys defense has three early opportunities to start the season to show improvement against mobile QBs. They didn't get the result they wanted in Week 1 against the Giants as Jaxson Dart averaged 4.9 yards per carry for 54 yards on 11 rushes.

Things don't get any easier from here. Commanders QB Jayden Daniels has 19 carries for 136 yards and two touchdowns in three matchups against Dallas. 65 of those yards and both touchdowns have come on designed runs, where he averaged 6.5 yards per carry, and 73 of those yards have come on seven scrambles, where Daniels averages 10.4 yards per carry.

In Week 1 against the Eagles, Daniels had just two designed runs for two yards. He scrambled three times for 29 yards, picking up a first down in the process. Given Dallas' history of struggling to keep mobile QBs contained, could new Commanders OC David Blough dial up a few more rushing plays for Daniels? We'll see, but Dallas' outside rushers like Donvan Ezeiruaku, Rashan Gary and Malachi Lawrence will need to try and keep him contained, with linebackers like Dee Winters and Jaishawn Barham needing to be on high alert for the chance he escapes.

Watch out for rookie LB Sonny Styles

The NFC East is home to three rookies that were stars for Ohio State's defense last season in Dallas' Caleb Downs, New York's Arvell Reese and Washington's Sonny Styles. The Cowboys faced Reese last week, and will now get to see Styles, who the team liked in the pre-draft process and hosted for a 30 visit.

In his NFL debut, the 6'5, 244 pound linebacker Styles posted four tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack in his NFL debut against the Eagles last week. The sack, as you'll see in the clip above, exhibits Style's power and physicality at the point of attack as he barrels through a solid pass protector in Saquon Barkley and uses his long arms to bring down Jalen Hurts before he can even attempt to escape.

Styles is a unique player that was a safety at Ohio State before making the move down to the second level at linebacker. I had him as my fourth overall prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft behind Downs, the Jets' David Bailey and Reese. Here's part of that scouting report: "Superb athlete. Being a former safety definitely pops on his tape in terms of athleticism and fluidity in movement. That also pops up with how raw he can be at times because he's still learning the position to a degree. Quick on his feet, rangy and can cover all over the field. Closes fast in open space and is a solid tackler but could use work finishing. High upside player." With Frankie Luvu out on Sunday, don't be surprised if Washington sends Styles after Dak Prescott a bit.

Cowboys should have opportunities to bring their pass rush to life

The Cowboys blitzed 44.4% of the time in the opener against the Giants, and forced 11 pressures and two sacks on Jaxson Dart. At time though, it didn't really feel like there was any pressure on Dart, and his passing numbers (23/29 for 230 yards, two TDs and an interception) certainly made it seem that way.

Can that change against Washington? There's a chance. The Commander's tackle duo of Brandon Coleman at left tackle and Josh Conerly Jr. at right tackle allowed a combined 15 pressures and a sack last week against the Eagles. On the interior, Chris Paul, Nick Allegretti and Sam Cosmi allowed a combined nine pressures.

So, there will be chances for the Cowboys there, I believe. Plus, Jayden Daniels held on to the football for a league-leading 3.41 seconds before throws last week, and if he does that again could give Dallas' pass rushers more time to get home. Look for Donovan Ezeiruaku to potentially have a nice outing, I thought he was Dallas' best pass rusher in Week 1. That said, he did not register a pressure in 11 one-on-one matchups against Coleman in Week 17 last season. Coleman didn't allow a single pressure on 26 pass blocking snaps against the Cowboys in that game, the most pass blocking snaps he's played without allowing a pressure in his career.