Overreaction Monday Week 1: Slot the Cowboys in the Super Bowl after demolishing the Browns in Cleveland

Week 1 is in the books for the Dallas Cowboys and there were no cliffhangers at the end of this chapter. Dallas handled business from start to finish against the Cleveland Brown leaving no doubt who the better team was on this day. So, since the Cowboys demolished the Browns, 33-17, folks are ready to crown them now as former Cardinals and Vikings head coach, Dennis Green once exclaimed.

There will be a lot of overreacting this week to Dallas’ 1-0 start, especially after the way they manhandled Cleveland. The Cowboys' defense had an outstanding debut under new defensive coordinator, Mike Zimmer. Dallas allowed Cleveland’s offense only 230 total yards, snagged two picks off Deshaun Watson and sacked him six times. This Cowboys defense seems to be picking up where they left off last season if you exclude the Packers playoff loss.

Dallas’ defense is legit and bringing the heat as expected in Zimmer’s scheme. While the defense looked great, we’ve seen this before. The Cowboys will get off to a great start then they’ll come up against a team that can match them at every turn and then it’s nothing but doom and gloom. Sure, this was a great win against the team that had the No. 1 defense in the NFL last season.

Sunday had all the makings of one that could have gone completely the other way with the team and Dak Prescott finally coming to terms on a new contract hours before kickoff. The two sides agreed on a four-year, $240 million deal making Prescott the league’s first, $60 million (per year) man with $231 million of that guaranteed.

Despite the good news before the game, Dak had a rather pedestrian opener completing just under 60 percent of his passes for 179 yards and a touchdown. Prescott was also sacked three times with two rookies on the offensive line at left tackle and center. Now, for some that could cause an overreaction, but growing pains are expected.

In the overall scheme of how things went down at the Dawg Pound Sunday, there will be those who are ready to advance Dallas to the Super Bowl after Week 1. Whether it be fans, analysts, or insiders, it doesn’t matter, we’ve still got 17 more weeks of the season to get through, so don’t fall for that banana in the tailpipe trick, again.

The Cowboys are off to a great start but there's a more work to do

Should these Cowboys get through the New Orleans Saints next week and the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3, then we can begin a conversation but that’s all. A 3-0 start with the Ravens on that list of teams beaten early in the season would mean something. It’s not everything but it is something.

Although the Ravens dropped their opener last Thursday to the Kansas City Chiefs in a thriller, they are expected to be in the AFC mix all year. The Ravens were the No. 1 seed in the AFC last season winning 13 games but came up short in the AFC title game to those same Chiefs, 17-10.

On Dallas’ end, one thing that could become a concern is if the offense hasn’t ramped it up by that Week 3 matchup with Baltimore. The Cowboys should be able to get past the Saints this week in the home opener, so we’ll be watching closely to see if the offense opens up a bit more.

Against the Browns, this Cowboys high-powered offense didn’t need to do much although some tightening up along the offensive line will be needed as we move along. This should be a tight battle regardless as both teams ranked No. 5 & 6 in total yards allowed last season. In points allowed the Ravens were first (16.5) while the Cowboys finished fifth (18.5).

But let’s see what happens this week with the Saints and then we can focus solely on the Ravens. New Orleans may be overlooked by some but if anyone in that Dallas locker room looks too far ahead, there could be an upset on the menu for Week 2 in Big D. So yes, the Cowboys looked pretty good against the Browns, but Cleveland isn’t the measuring stick for Dallas. Baltimore, San Francisco and Philly are the teams Dallas will be measured up against throughout the 2024 NFL season.