The Dallas Cowboys are already hearing the kind of early-season warning they hoped to avoid after a sloppy 28-20 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday night.
FOX Sports NFL writer Ralph Vacchiano dropped Dallas from No. 17 to No. 22 in his Week 2 power rankings and did not soften the critique.
“It’s bad enough that all that work they did to fix their defense didn’t work,” Vacchiano wrote. “But if their vaunted offense is really as mediocre as it looked on Sunday night, this could be a painfully long season in Dallas.”
The ranking slide arrived two days after the Cowboys opened the season at MetLife Stadium and failed to look like a team built for a playoff run.
Dallas managed only 244 total yards. Just 69 of those came on the ground. The Giants piled up 394 yards, converted nine of 11 third downs and held the ball for 36 minutes, 40 seconds.
New York ran 37 times for 165 yards. Dallas ran 18 times for 69 yards. That gap showed up on the scoreboard and in the standings.
Quarterback Dak Prescott completed 22 of 34 passes for 175 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. His longest completion went 17 yards. That is not the look of an offense that finished among the NFL’s top five in total yards a year ago.
The costly throw came late in the first half, with the game tied 7-7. Prescott was flushed from the pocket and tried to throw the ball away. Giants safety Jevon Holland made a sliding catch near the sideline.
“That was crucial,” Prescott said. “I was trying to throw the ball away. The guy made a hell of a play. I got to make sure that it’s out of bounds, though.”
Cowboys co-owner Stephen Jones called the interception the turning point. New York scored before halftime and again to open the third quarter, stretching the lead to 21-7.
Jaxson Dart completed 23 of 29 passes for 230 yards and three touchdowns. Tight end Isaiah Likely caught two of those scores. Cam Skattebo added a rushing touchdown as the Giants controlled the line of scrimmage.
Dallas still has the skill pieces. Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Javonte Williams and Jake Ferguson give the Cowboys no shortage of talent on offense. Williams scored twice, including a late 17-yard catch that made the final score look closer than the game felt.
The problem is the supporting details. Dallas was flagged nine times for 90 yards. Drops showed up. The run game never settled. The defense, rebuilt over the offseason under first-year coordinator Christian Parker, could not get off the field.
More than half of that defensive lineup is new. Parker’s group allowed 29 first downs and watched Dart operate with almost no consistent pressure. Last season Dallas allowed an NFL-high 511 points. Sunday did little to quiet those memories.
Head coach Brian Schottenheimer did not hide from the night.
“This is a humbling business,” Schottenheimer said. “We got humbled tonight. That’s what I told the guys. We lost Mile 1 of a 17-mile marathon.”
He also said the loss stung because the Cowboys did not play to their standard on either side of the ball. Defensive tackle Quinnen Williams pointed to third down as the clearest failure.
The schedule does not ease up. Dallas hosts the Washington Commanders on Sunday in its home opener. An 0-2 start with this defense would put early heat on a team that entered the year talking about January football.
Vacchiano’s rankings also reflected the other side of the result. The Giants jumped from No. 23 to No. 17 after John Harbaugh’s debut. Dallas’ Super Bowl odds were listed at 25-1 in that same ranking.
Prescott told teammates not to flinch. The quarterback said the standard in practice has not changed and that one loss should not scramble the plan.
That message will be tested this week. The Cowboys still have time. They also have proof that the offseason talk has not yet shown up on Sunday night.
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