The final score could have been even more lopsided. The New Orleans Saints proved too much for the Dallas Cowboys, who were riding high after their NFL‘s Week 1 victory but were overwhelmed by Derek Carr and company. In response to the heavy defeat, QB Dak Prescott delivered a clear message to his defense.
The seasoned quarterback for Mike McCarthy’s team did not hesitate to acknowledge that the Saints were overwhelmingly superior throughout the game. He emphasized that adjustments are necessary for the team to secure future victories this season.
In an interview with Jon Machota of The Athletic, Dak Prescott did not shy away from addressing his team’s mistakes and acknowledged the strengths of the opposing team. Machota asked, “How surprising was the Cowboys’ defense performance yesterday?”
“It’s surprising, but it’s the NFL. Hell, I’m thinking it’d be nice to be doing that on our side of the ball more than I’m worried or critiquing our defense. Obviously, that’s a good team. Alvin Kamara looked damn good. Derek Carr put the ball where he needed to. That offense is rolling right now.
“… Credit to the play caller over there and to that team of coming out and being ready on a noon start. It made it tough on our defense, which made it tough on the whole team. I’m trying to get there with our offense.”
The Cowboys and the challenging task of rebounding
The franchise, long overseen by Jerry Jones, always begins the season with the same goal: winning the next Super Bowl. Retaining star players like Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb created high hopes and significant excitement among fans and the staff.
A decisive 33-17 debut victory over the Cleveland Browns led many to believe that the Cowboys would indeed be serious contenders this year. However, last weekend, Prescott and company faced a reality check with a tough defeat to the Saints, leaving their record at 1-1.
The opportunity to turn things around begins next weekend with a tough opponent ahead: the Baltimore Ravens. Led by Lamar Jackson, the Ravens have yet to secure a victory and are also searching for their path to redemption in the NFL.
Jerry Jones and the loss to the Saints
When it comes to analyzing the current state of his organization, there is no more authoritative voice than GM Jerry Jones. After the game, the owner issued a warning to Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys following their defeat to the Saints.
“This is early. The big lesson here is you can get to thinking you’ve got it figured out way too early. We’ve got to learn and this group has to learn from what they experienced. This is extraordinarily disappointing. We will correct this. We will improve. This is early. This is very, very early. We certainly didn’t see this coming. Obviously, we’ve got a lot of room for improvement here.”