Juwan : It’s fair to say I was way off on what I thought we would see out of the Cowboys under this new regime. Run game looked nice, offensive line struggled in pass protection, receivers wasn’t getting open and a bundle of other things contributed to the Cowboys 20-17 loss Sunday. We thought this team was primed to have on of the more explosive offenses in the NFL and through the first game it looks as if not much has changed since 2019. The defense struggled, but that’s to be predicted when you lose an All-Pro cornerback, a defensive tackle you planned on relying on and a linebacker who was tasked with being the quarterback of this defense — especially when you did little to provide depth behind any of those spots. A positive takeaway is the production you got from Aldon Smith in his first game back, but on the same token you have to ask when is DeMarcus Lawrence going to start making impact plays down the stretch. This is still a good team, but so far they are far below the expectations placed upon them during the offseason.

Dylan: A close loss on the “road” to open a season without anything resembling a normal training camp shouldn’t feel as concerning as this one does. Long-term injuries to two major contributors like Blake Jarwin and Leighton Vander Esch sure make it seem like a loss that counts as more than one game. There were plenty of things/moments to be pleased with, but overall way too many opportunities left on the field and even more important players gingerly walking off of it.