The Cowboys, on their first drive, faced a 4th-and-1, but chose to punt instead of going for it.
The Dallas Cowboys were shown a clean set of heels by the New York Giants in a 28-20 loss at MetLife Stadium.
But maybe had the Cowboys done one thing differently, the overwhelming momentum New York had early wouldn't have existed.
With the Giants at home and the crowd raucous, it was Dallas and Dak Prescott who got the ball first.
A chance to set the tone and take the crowd out of the equation and lay down a marker for the new season.
And on third down, Prescott hit George Pickens for a nine-yard gain, which at the time, we thought was good for a first down, but replay assist ruled Pickens short of the line to gain.
That set up a fourth-and-one from the Cowboys' own 37-yard line.
Dallas decided to punt, a decision that many, including me, think set the tone in the wrong direction for the game. With Dak on a QB sneak, the Cowboys could have easily moved the chains and continued the drive.
Instead, they punted, and the Giants then proceeded to go 63 yards in 13 plays for a touchdown, and the runaway train was off and rolling.
But does head coach Brian Schottenheimer second-guess his decision not to go for it?
"I was not going to put the defense out there in their very first drive on our side of the field," Schottenheimer said. "I just wasn't going to do it. I wanted to make them have to go the long hard road, and each week that's going to be a little bit different. But I don't second-guess that at all.
"But in terms of the decision to do that, absolutely not."
Our Cowboys insider Mike Fisher disagrees - vehemently.
"Schottenheimer's decision lacked guts,'' Fish says. "He had the chance to set a tone ... and instead, he essentially admitted that he didn't trust his defense.
"All around, a weak decision. ... that makes Dallas look weak.''
Now, when you have GOTI, as we have been told, surely, despite what you think your defense is, you have one of the best offenses in football, and a quarterback who is roughly 240 pounds, you can easily pick up that first down, right?
Well, unfortunately, we will never know, as Dallas punted, and for some, that set in motion what led to the loss.
Now, even if Dallas had of picked it up, would the outcome of the game have changed?
Who knows, but going for it and converting would have sent a message to the Giants: "We are better than you, and we know it."
Instead, the Cowboys played conservatively, and paid the ultimate price for it.
