Cowboys D Historically Good in Opener

This may be the best Dallas Cowboys defense that has ever been assembled during the salary cap era, and it’s a perfect mix of old and new, smart and savvy, fast and powerful.

With top-notch veterans like Stephon Gilmore, DeMarcus Lawrence, Malik Hooker and Jonathan Hankins, mixed with youthful stars like Micah Parsons, Trevon Diggs, DaRon Bland, Damone Clark and Leighton Vander Esch. What’s not to like?

This is a group they were ready to go to war with when they wrapped up training camp just over two weeks ago.

Led by Dan Quinn, the Cowboys took the field Sunday night and made it known quick that they were in New York to dominate.

That’s exactly what they did, to a historical level, in a 40-0 ass-kicking of one of their NFC East nemeses.

There’s no possible way you haven’t heard what the Cowboys, the first team in the last 24 years to open the season with a 40-plus point shutout on the road, did to the Giants offense, but let’s review the numbers – 7, 2, 1, 1, 5 and 0.

That’s seven sacks, two interceptions, one pick-six, one blocked field goal returned for a touchdown, five forced fumbles and zero points allowed.

Let that last number sink in. ZERO!

Even in a game that was over by halftime (26-0, Dallas), the Cowboys defense kept the Giants off the scoreboard. They didn’t sniff the end zone and only came within field goal range so that a reliable Graham Gano could push it wide left.

Even though the Cowboys were playing all the defensive backups they had in the second half, plays were still being made, just by guys down the depth chart like Markquese Bell, Chauncey Golston, Sam Williams and Dante Fowler Jr.

The Giants couldn’t even get an ‘oh-by-the-way’ touchdown in the final seconds to ruin the shutout.

Shocking because teams rarely get shutout anymore. It just doesn’t happen.

Let’s put Sunday night’s blanking into some historic context.

The last time the Cowboys pitched a shutout was 82 games ago, Week 17 of 2017 – a 6-0 win over Philadelphia. The last time the Giants were shutout, came 3-plus seasons ago in 2018 when they dropped a 17-0 game to Tennessee. Hell, the Redskins/Commanders haven’t been shutout since losing 23-0 to Philadelphia early in the 1991 season, a stretch of over 500 games.

The last time the Cowboys won the Super Bowl, they shutout the Giants in the season opener, 35-0, on the road.

Ok, so, back to Sunday night and some perspective.

Let’s remember that it is just one game.

Let’s remember that it was in the pouring rain.

Let’s not forget Daniel Jones is the Giants starting quarterback.

But let’s also not forget that our eyes don’t lie.

This Cowboys defense looks different. They were much faster than Giants.

They hit harder. They swarmed to the football.

And they were relentless.

If this is the effort they are ready to give, week in and week out, then the Cowboys will be fighting for the top spot in the NFC.

And this defense will be setting the bar for the rest of the league.

In the words of DeMarcus Lawrence after the win, “We’re for real, we’re coming.”

If you don’t believe the man, just put on the tape.

Film never lies.