Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys offense nibbled their food in Week 1. Sunday, in the home opener against New Orleans, the quarterback plans to scarf down bigger hunks.
In the 33-17 blowout win over Cleveland, the Cowboys offense put up just 265 total yards, going 4 of 14 on third downs, and entered the red zone just once on 12 non-end-of-half possessions. Prescott and the offense repeatedly stalled out, leading to four Brandon Aubrey field goals.
On Thursday, Prescott said he expects better execution in Week 2.
"Usually, teams make that jump from Week 1 to Week 2," Prescott said, . "And just understanding we left a lot of meat on the bone [in Cleveland]. When you look at the game, as we've said around here, it was a tale of two halves, right?
"First half, we started off slow on the first drive but got it rolling after that, got some first downs and scored. We got some points in the second half, but we weren't able to convert on third down, and that was the story for us."
The key for Prescott against New Orleans is converting those third downs to keep drives alive. In Week 1, the Cowboys generated just three drives with more than one first down, none after halftime. While the Dallas defense dominated, the game could have been a bigger blowout if the offense hit pay dirt instead of settling for field goals.
"We weren't able to put that team away when we had the chance," Prescott said. "Defense did a great job of it but, for us, it's about moving forward. We're one of the best third down teams we've been, so it's about getting back on track with that [and] converting those and, when you do, you get more chances at the plate, you get more plays and that's when just the big plays come naturally in our offense. So we've got to convert those third downs."
Cleveland boasts talent on defense, so Jim Schwartz's unit getting stops last week should come as a major surprise. Sunday gets no easier.
The Saints have allowed 13.7 PPG since Week 14, 2023 (last six games) and have given up 17 or fewer points in five of the past six games. New Orleans allowed 10 points and 193 total yards in Week 1 to the Carolina Panthers. Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, et al., represent a much stiffer test for Dennis Allen's defense.
