The Cowboys have all the pressure on them to win at AT&T Stadium, but how do they do it?
The Dallas Cowboys will come into Sunday's Week 2 game against the Washington Commanders with a lot of pressure on their shoulders.
After the Week 1 debacle against the New York Giants, Dallas now faces a real possibility of starting the year 0-2 if it can't address its defensive deficiencies against Washington.
On offense, it was a scratchy start last week, and the same can't happen for GOTI, as many think heading into this game that the offense once again has to do the heavy lifting.
The Commanders pushed the Philadelphia Eagles to the brink on the road, so they will be anything but a pushover.
So, how do the Cowboys avoid an 0-2 start and get their first win on the board?
By doing these five things.
1 - Start fast:
Whether that is Dak Prescott and Co. marching down the field for a touchdown, or Chrisitan Parker's defense forcing a three-and-out, give the crowd something to cheer about.
If the Commanders force a three and out, or Jayden Daniels scored a touchdown on the first drive, the AT&T Stadium crowd will get antsy and nervous.
Put all of it to ease with a fast, but polished start with no silly penalties or turnovers.
2 - Maintain rush integrity:
And what I mean by that is keep Daniels in the pocket. Jaxson Dart hurt Dallas countless times with his legs last week, and Jayden is far more dangerous than Dart as a runner.
He picked up 31 yards on five carries against the Eagles, so Parker's defense has to contain him to the pocket.
Don't let him slip out and pick up big yards with his legs. Those plays are back breakers.
3 - Get GOTI rolling:
The first half in New York was disjointed, and while the Cowboys scored touchdowns on their only two second-half drives, penalties aided them.
Get back to what made you good last year. Establish Javonte Williams, get George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb rolling, and seriously, get Jake Ferguson involved.
From Week 15 last season, Ferguson's yard totals have been 16, 19, six, five, and then six against the Giants. Get your tight end involved.
4 - Curtail Commanders' dynamic trio:
Stefon Diggs, Terry McLaurin, and Antonio Williams are Daniels' big three, and Parker's defense has to curtail them.
Diggs had 55 yards and a touchdown against the Eagles, while Williams posted 64 yards and a touchdown, while McLaurin only had 14 yards, so he is due for a bounce back.
Get the secondary communicating in the way you want, Christian, because if the same problems persist, those three will tear apart Dallas through the air.
5 - Control the line of scrimmage:
In a nutshell, win the physical battle. The Giants steamrolled the Cowboys' defensive line with the run game last week, and in Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Washington has a running back who can zip through the tackles. Rachaad White is the power back and is more than capable of punishing the Cowboys.
So, stop the run and bring the physical nature back on defense.
Offensively, Dallas has to get Javonte rolling. The run game was stifled in New York (just 69 yards), and this Commanders defense, under the eye of Brian Flores understudy Daronte Jones, is more than capable of stopping the run.
Winning both of these battles is perhaps key for the Cowboys, as a run game takes the pressure of the passing attack, but also sets up play-action. And defensively, making Washington one-dimensional could give the defense time to tee off and go quarterback hunting.
