(Editor's note: The content provided is based on opinions and/or perspective of the DallasCowboys.com editorial staff and not the Cowboys football staff or organization.)
FRISCO, Texas — With the vanilla successfully extracted, my wish ahead of the season for a more flavorful experience in 2025 being granted by head coach (and offensive playcaller) Brian Schottenheimer and offensive coordinator Klayton Adams, it's time for an early check-in to see how the Dallas Cowboys' offense is doing heading into mid-September.
All things considered, it's pretty damn sweet.
I'd be remiss if I didn't point out the fact there are still some things to clean up, i.e., drops, but that was at least much, much less of an issue in the nailbiter against the New York Giants in the overtime win at AT&T Stadium — seeing as George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb, the latter being the biggest offender in that category one week prior — caught fire in the fourth quarter and beyond to help Dak Prescott secure the 40-37 victory.
And as it turns out, ice cream and fire can, in fact, coexist.
I'll prove it.
[metrics contributions by NextGen Stats]
Poetry in Motion
There was a time when many wondered if the Cowboys knew they were allowed to utilize presnap motion at a high rate to deceive opposing defenses as well as revealing tells such as man versus zone coverage, but no more, because Schottenheimer and Adams are basically a motion picture.
Absolute cinema, if you will.
Led largely by the utilization of KaVonte Turpin offensively in ways once only dreamed of in Dallas, the All-Pro returner used in motion on 21 of his 40 snaps, and has 47 total yards of production on those plays (a team-high) along with a critical touchdown against the Giants that helped spark a stagnant offense when they needed it most.
He is also averaging 6.1 yards of separation, and has reeled in all four of his targets to create a passer rating of 155.2 when targeted — the guy who couldn't get much burn with the previous coaching regime for some reason.
There's also the comparison of overall motion over last season.
- 2024: 24.6% (ranked 23rd in NFL)
- 2025: 37.7% (ranked 11th in NFL)
- Margin of change: +13.1% growth YoY
And what about the impact it's had on the rushing and passing attack, respectively? I'm glad you asked, you beautifully curious human.
- Rushing production with motion: 199 of 254 yards, 3 of 4 TDs, 5.4 ypc
- Passing production with motion: 331 of 549 yards, 2 of 4 TDs, +3.3% completion rate over expected versus non-motion dropbacks
Prescott has had motion on a whopping 63 percent of his 92 dropbacks, by the way, with his overall completion rate over expectation (12.6%) landing at second-best in the league behind only Matthew Stafford and a Los Angeles Rams offense orchestrated by none other than Sean McVay.
Yes, I'm telling you Schottenheimer has the Cowboys' offense, in more than one category, in the same conversation as an offense run by McVay. That's one hell of a compliment and it's something Dallas has been seeking for ages now: a young-minded, adaptive and trendsetting offensive-minded playcaller who can compete with the likes of McVay and Kyle Shanahan, to name a couple of heralded offensive gurus.
But speaking of Dak Prescott …
Rayne Coat
Is it, once again, set to be torrential Rayne in the Dallas area?
It damn sure seems that way, as the thunderclouds roll in from the west.
It's too early to make that definitive claim for the longterm, but it's not too early to say, scientifically, Prescott is on pace to rival his MVP-worthy season in 2023 (4,516 passing yards), as well as the 2019 season (4,902 passing yards) that very nearly dethroned Tony Romo as the franchise's all-time single-season passing leader — the All-Pro currently on pace to throw for 4,666 yards, a projection dampened by the aforementioned drops.
In all, there were 80 expected yards lost on drops.
The Cowboys have suffered five combined drops through the first two games, most of them happening in the first week, and those were huge chunk plays and not simply chip shots, meaning a lot of meat was scraped off of the bone, albeit unintentionally.
Imagine this, however: Prescott leads the league with a 75 percent completion percentage (15-for-20) on third down — 11 of those resulting in a first down — and not only is this also despite critical drops, but so are the following numbers.
- Throws pass the sticks on third down: 80% (16 of 20)
And, for perspective, the team's five drops through two weeks is tied for 2nd-most in the NFL, a point I'm only harping on to fully illustrate just how much of a heater Prescott is enjoying early on.
Also, you might want to get some drops of your own before reading this, but the kind you put in your eyes because they're probably about to pop out of your orbital sockets and, as such, will require moistening.
- Open percentage:: 34.9% - lowest in the NFL
- Tight window percentage: 24.4% - highest in the NFL
- Completion percentage: 68.6%
- Expected completion percentage: 59.3%
- Margin of difference in Comp%: +9.3% above expected
I literally chuckled giving that information to you because, I mean, come on, folks.
But wait, there's more, because he's even deadlier in the clutch heading into Week 3, narrowly having two comeback wins in as many weeks, but getting the required assistance to achieve one in Week 2 against the Giants.
4th quarter vs. NYG:
- 12-for-16 passing
- 133 yards,
- 1 TD
- 0 INT
- 120.1 passer rating
- 8.3 yards per completion
- 75% completion rate
- 6 QB pressures suffered
Overtime vs. NYG:
- 4-for-5 passing
- 51 yards
- 0 INTs
- 109.2 rating
- 10.2 yards per
- 80% completion
- 3 QB pressures
- 1 sack suffered
Fact is, after a slow start by Lamb and others, the stability of Jake Ferguson notwithstanding, considering the Pro Bowl tight end delivered 78 receiving yards on 8.7 yards per catch to help keep the passing attack from staying cold in a grave for much of the game until Lamb and Pickens could come alive, Prescott delivered 50 percent of his total yardage in the last two sessions of the game.
He also saw upticks in yards per completion +2.35 yards per attempt), passer rating (+17.95 rating) and completion percentage (+4.4%) with the the jaws of defeat gnawing at his heels, and several of his throws throughout the game, and at least once with the game on the line, stood tall in the face of a free blitzer to deliver a perfect throw to move the chains and give all-world kicker Brandon Aubrey a shot at doing exactly what he did.
Hey, some ice cream does have butter in it, right?
Now here's the added scoop: the rushing attack is back in full effect in Dallas.
Heel'ing Factor
There's a conversation to be had regarding the two visits to the inactives list by Jaydon Blue, indeed, but that dialogue should have nothing at all to do with the performance of Javonte Williams because, admit it, you were one who wondered if he could ever be the pre-injury version of himself that earned PFWA All-Rookie Team honors with the Denver Broncos in 2021.
So did I.
One thing is for certain and two things are for sure though, and that's the fact no one should be wondering anymore, not after witnessing plays like this against the Giants' heralded defensive front — on a play wherein the offensive line didn't produce their best work in clearing a lane.
Literally everything you want to see from a running back, outside of pass protection, was put on full display in that 30-yard touchdown run: patience, vision, physicality, decisiveness and burst.
Through two games, he already has three rushing touchdowns, two short yardage and one explosive, tallying half of the team's entire 2024 production in that category, and if he scores a fourth touchdown in Chicago against the Bears in Week 3, he will pass Alvin Blount and Herschel Walker as the only player in the Cowboys' long and storied franchise history to score more than three touchdowns in his first three contests with the team.
Let that sink in for a moment like an iceberg-punched Titanic.
And that's just the start of what the film and science show regarding the former Tar Heel.
Led by Williams, the Cowboys' once deceased rushing attack suddenly looks like an episode of Marvel Zombies, averaging 5.1 yards per carry (t-3rd best in the NFL) and the team's four rushing touchdowns (also 3rd-best in the NFL), inclusive of Miles Sanders' against the Giants, means Dallas literally has one of the best rushing offenses around.
Now mix in Prescott's thirst to get back to, or close to, his Mississippi State level of mobility in the pocket and, well, the Cowboys' ground attack is locked, loaded and ready.
It all leads to sensational success with play-action pass.
Play-Action Totals:
- Completion Percentage Above Expected - 24.8% (2nd in NFL)
- Tight Window Percentage - 11.1% (16.8% decrease over non-PA dropbacks)
- Passer Rating: 105.6 (23.8 point increase over non-PA dropbacks)
Look at those improvements in performance once a run is established and respected; and, as such, the play-action begins forcing defenses to account for it as linebackers and defensive backs have to second guess what to do in real time, and edge rushers pause to try and read the play instead of simply being able to pin their ears back and hunt.
It's night and day. It's Mercury and Pluto. It's Rhodes Scholars and Eagles' fans.
In other words, they couldn't be more different.
The effectiveness isn't exactly against porous defenses either, considering both the Eagles and the Giants are two of the best in the entire NFL, and rarely allow you enough space to spit, let alone run for positive yards.
Is it all perfect, though? Not at all, but that's what they should be most excited about, the fact they're better at running the ball than all but two other teams and their offensive line is young and still working to gain in-game chemistry as they go along.
Losing starting center Cooper Beebe for upwards of two months won't help, but it may not hurt as much as if they didn't have a faceater in Brock Hoffman ready to step in and tandem with fellow maulers All-Pro Tyler Smith and rookie first-round pick Tyler Booker.
As the offensive line gets more cemented in its play, the sky might be the limit for Williams and Co. — sky blue, if you will. Yes, that's a triple entendre, because we're having fun here, right?
The Cowboys' offense certainly is, and if they keep this up they'll earn sprinkles down the road.
We all know sprinkles are for winners.
