From old to new, the superstars played like superstars in Cleveland

CLEVELAND – If an NFL game is a bingo card, it will be difficult for the Cowboys and their fans not to fill in all the spaces after this one.

I wouldn’t call it a complete blackout across the board, but rest assured, after Sunday’s performance in Cleveland, many of the points have been met.

We were so excited to finally get to see it all when the season started, and we pretty much saw it all. And the best part? It was the headliners who did it.

Located just blocks from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in downtown Cleveland, the newly named Huntington Bank Field is a place that hosts all kinds of superstars.

Therefore, it was understandable that the Cowboys’ stars felt at home.

Dak Prescott, who had just taken the biggest sack in NFL history, came out and played a solid to good game, especially in the first half. He was crisp on his throws, made some passes in the running game and led the offense down the field to score points. It wasn’t completely clean, but points are points, especially when you have that defense.

And yes, let’s come to Mike Zimmer’s defense. We waited to see how aggressive they would be, and it didn’t take long to find out. I guess we could have asked Deshaun Watson, who was literally running for his life all day. He was sacked six times, but it felt like it was about nine or 10 sacks. After the game, Micah Parsons was upset in the locker room, thinking he should have had at least two more sacks than the one he got. Still, the pressure is what you want, and it was consistent from start to finish.

And it’s not just about pressures and sacks, as stopping the run game was a key factor in hiring Zimmer. We know Cleveland is a team that likes to run the ball, but there was no way out in the first half. The Browns had a first down on their opening drive, but never moved the chains again in the first half.

I’ve been saying it all week – and now I feel good about this prediction – that it would be much harder for the Browns to block Parsons and Co. than it would be for the Cowboys against Myles Garrett and the Browns.

And let’s get to this play by the offensive line. It wasn’t perfect at all. Garrett managed a sack and forced a fumble, but he wasn’t a huge factor in the game. The Cowboys did a good job of helping both tackles, and they also rolled Dak out of the pocket away from Garrett a couple of times.

Overall, the signing of Tyler Guyton and Cooper Beebe was a good start for this offense. I think the running game could have been better, especially in the second half. There is always something that can be improved and this running game might be at the top of the list.

But it wasn’t bad either. When they needed to get first downs and touchdowns, they could do it in the running game. How cool was it to see Ezekiel Elliott in the end zone again? That penalty on Garrett, taking the ball from the 7-yard line to the 3-yard line, was a huge play in the game. That changed the down and the distance and allowed the Cowboys to run the ball – with Zeke – into the end zone and score a touchdown.

OK, let’s move on to the things we wanted to see.

What about Trevon Diggs’ return from injury? What about Brandon Aubrey’s addition after that magical first year? And what about Caelen Carson’s first start?

Diggs was incredible before his fourth quarter interception. We didn’t even really hear anything from him, and that’s a great thing for a cornerback. And it’s not like the other side got particularly rough. Carson held up well in his first game. Again, it helps not having to cover as much.

Aubrey is an absolute weapon. It’s too bad the NFL didn’t restart the game clock like they usually do, which would have allowed him to kick and make the 66-yard run before halftime. Even without that, he was once again worth money.

And to stay with the special teams: KaVontae Turpin finally breaks free and scores on a return. With a 55-yard punt return to the home stadium, he basically decides the game.

We could go on forever with other standouts like Eric Kendricks and DeMarvion Overshown at linebacker. Wideout Brandin Cooks will be the difference maker for this offense this year, and without rewatching the game, I felt like Osa Odighizuwa lived in the backfield.

A game like this checked all the boxes.

Feel free to pick apart the running game if you have to. It really needs to get better. But to me, this game was very similar to the 40-0 win over the Giants in Week 1 last year. The defense and special teams were so dominant that the offense wasn’t forced to go out and make many plays.

The goal is to come out and dominate at the end of the day, and it felt like the Cowboys accomplished that in all three phases — and in a place where the Browns rarely lost last year.

All in all, this was an impressive start to the season as the Cowboys not only won the game, and did so comfortably, but did so with a number of outstanding players whose performances we had been waiting to see.

Dak and CeeDee Lamb got their contracts fulfilled and both played well and got the offense going early. The defense was outstanding under Zimmer and Parsons ruined the game like we’ve seen before. The special teams were…special and the new players like Kendricks, Overshown, Carson, Guyton and Beebe all look to be great additions.

Were these the things we wanted to see? Bingo!