3 Cowboys lessons we learned from Week 1: Penalties, defense and the end of Zeke

The Dallas Cowboys flat-out dominated the Cleveland Browns in Week 1, walking into the Dawg Pound and taking their lunch money. However, in any game no matter the outcome there are always a few things we can take away that can be improved upon or to be aware of in general.

While Sunday’s score says the Cowboys were outstanding (and they were), it doesn’t mean they were flawless in victory. In the grand scheme, there was a lot of good accompanied by a pinch of bad in the win.

Cowboys still prone to penalty

Another case of Groundhog Day in Dallas as this is one of the gripes about this team every season no matter who the head coach has been over the past decade-plus. In most situations, an exorbitant number of penalties will come back to bite a team in the bum. Luckily, this Week 1 matchup against Cleveland was in the bag early so Dallas’ 11 penalties didn’t play much of a factor.

With two rookies on that offensive line, this will be something to keep an eye on although the 11 flags were spread out pretty evenly. The Cowboys offense and special teams unit accounted for four penalties each while the defense garnered three.

"I think September football is what the league experiences." Head coach Mike McCarthy said. "You don't have the time that you used to have as far as fundamentals, and things like that, but everybody's on the same schedule so it's not as if one team has an advantage over the other. It's just something to be aware of and coach against."

Defense didn't miss a beat despite new scheme

This Dallas defense looked phenomenal against the Browns on Sunday. Coming into the season there was a bit of worry as to how long it would take them to feel comfortable with new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer’s scheme. Judging from Sunday’s results it seems like Micah Parsons and crew should be fine. Either that or they benefited hugely from Cleveland’s inept offense.

Between Nick Chubb still recovering from that horrific knee injury suffered last season and Deshaun Watson looking like a shell of his former self, the Browns offense looks directionless. Watson completed 24 passes for 169 yards, two interceptions and a touchdown against the Cowboys. Dallas’ defense is impressive but against an offense like Cleveland’s, it’s hard to tell how good (or great) they really are.

"Regardless of September football, you gotta find ways to win," McCarthy explained. "You can't lose sight that it was a hell of a win for us. It's the first road win. A tough environment and a very talented football team. … There's a lot that went well and in a clear victory for us, and I'm very happy for the start of the season but … we've got details to work on.

Don’t expect the old Zeke to resurface during the reunion tour

Ezekiel Elliott made his return to Big D after spending the 2023 campaign in New England. While it was a solid return for Elliott who rushed for 40 yards on 10 carries, fans probably shouldn’t expect to see much more than that as the year progresses. That doesn’t mean Elliott won’t average more carries or yards per game moving forward but don’t expect too many Zeke throwback performances.

Elliot turned 29 in July and had already seemed to hit that running back wall before leaving Dallas last offseason. His best years are long behind but that doesn’t mean Elliott can’t be a factor for the Cowboys this season in their RB-by-committee backfield.