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5 things to watch when the Cowboys play the Browns on Sunday

September 07, 2024
NFL: Tennessee Titans at Cleveland Browns
Andrew Nelles-Imagn Images

What do you want to see from the Cowboys on Sunday?

Football is finally here. The Dallas Cowboys will kick off their 65th year in the league against the Cleveland Browns. Over the last 30 years, the Cowboys have only lost to the Browns once, but it just so happened that it was the last time these teams squared off in 2020. Dallas will be looking to nip that winning streak in the bud with a nice road victory to kick off the new season. Here are five things to watch on Sunday.

A tough assignment for the rookie

One of the biggest storylines of the new season was how the team would cope without the presence of Tyron Smith. After 13 years in a Cowboys uniform, the veteran signed with the New York Jets in the offseason, leaving a huge void at left tackle. Dallas drafted Oklahoma tackle Tyler Guyton in the first round and he’s looked good in training camp and preseason action. It has many fans feeling better about the left tackle situation, however, he’ll draw a difficult first test.

Myles Garrett was the first overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft and has been an All-Pro defensive end almost every year he’s been in the league. He’s the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. Garrett has 46 sacks over his last three seasons and is arguably one of the best edge rushers in the game. As good as the rookie Guyton has looked so far, there will be some growing pains along the way, hopefully, the ones we see on Sunday won’t sting too much.

Not getting the run-around

The Cowboys' defense is coming off two straight years finishing in the Top 5 in points allowed, a feat they hadn’t accomplished in 30 years. Despite being a good unit, they have been known to have some breakdowns against the run occasionally. Over the past two seasons, they allowed over 200 yards rushing four times. That’s not good.

The Cowboys have beefed up their interior defensive line with three DTs weighing at least 325 pounds (Mazi Smith, Linval Joseph, and Jordan Phillips), and they’ve improved their linebacker group with two new faces (Eric Kendricks and Marist Liufau). The run defense will try to get off to a good start against the team that ran for a franchise-most 307 yards against them in 2020. The Cowboys will catch a break as the Browns will be without their top running back Nick Chubb and lean heavily on second-year back Jerome Ford.

A date with an old friend

When the Cowboys traded away Amari Cooper to Cleveland, fans were ready to riot. How could they give up on such a talented receiver? The initial trade to Dallas seemed like a career saver for Cooper. His targets went up, his receiving yards went up, and his touchdowns went up.

Oddly, Cooper’s productivity looks even better in Cleveland. His two-year stretch has produced more receiving yards and touchdowns than any two years in either Dallas or Oakland.

Best two-year stretch...

  • With Oakland = 2,224 yards, and 11 touchdowns
  • With Dallas = 2,303 yards, and 13 touchdowns
  • With Cleveland = 2,410 yards, and 14 touchdowns

He appears to have found a home where he can once again be the alpha receiver. How will Cooper fare against his former team?

The return of 88

An Amari Cooper revenge game will be a big storyline, but he won’t be the only wide receiver in the spotlight as the guy who pushed him out of Dallas will also command some attention. Fans never saw CeeDee Lamb in training camp, so when he steps on the field on Sunday, it will be our first look at the team’s new star receiver since last year. His contract holdout almost went the distance, but now he’ll be playing for the Cowboys a long time.

The hope is Lamb’s lack of camp action won’t result in a slow start and that he can hit the ground running. On a Sunday afternoon in September four years ago against the Browns, Lamb scored his first career NFL touchdown. And then he scored his second. Hopefully, he can continue his success against Cleveland.

A defensive battle

After a dozen seasons with less than eight wins, the Browns have now strung together four straight years with at least eight wins, including two playoff appearances. The turnaround coincides with the hiring of head coach Kevin Stefanski who was Mike Zimmer’s offensive coordinator in Minnesota in 2019. Seven years ago, the Browns scored the fewest points in the league, but they have gradually improved and finally worked themselves into the top 10 last year.

While the offense has improved, it’s Jim Schwartz’s defense that has them poised for a strong season. No team allowed fewer yards than Cleveland last year. With strong players like Myles Garrett, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Denzel Ward, and Za’Darius Smith, this defense is loaded with talent.

The Cowboys have a good defense too. Don’t be surprised if this game has that rusty Week 1 feel where points are hard to come by. Limiting mistakes and quality special teams might be the difference maker in this one.


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