2) Cowboys blow Giants off their own field
In the preseason predictions above, I assumed Dallas would win the NFC East and New York would miss the playoffs. But man…40-0?!! I wouldn’t have thought that the gap between these two division opponents would be so big.
In the first Sunday night game of the season, the Cowboys stormed MetLife Stadium and recorded the largest shutout in franchise history. This was a nationally televised beating. And while the end result certainly surprised me, Dallas’ well-rounded performance didn’t. This roster is stacked and Mike McCarthy had his team ready to rock. Kudos also go to defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and special teams coordinator John Fassel, as their respective units accounted for the Cowboys’ first two touchdowns.
Given the team’s overall performance, not much was asked of Dak Prescott and the offense. Still, I was impressed by Tony Pollard’s ability to act with authority. The 26-year-old running back’s 2022 season ended with a broken leg in Dallas’ Divisional Round loss to San Francisco. Eight months later, he carried the ball 14 times for 70 yards and two touchdowns. Defensively, the Cowboys were a complete wreck, racking up seven sacks and three takeaways while allowing just 63 net passing yards. Micah Parsons is a force of nature and Stephon Gilmore has made an immediate impact on his new team.
Look, Dallas is no stranger to hyperbole. “America’s Team” is routinely overrated. But after Sunday night’s road show, the Cowboys earned their flowers – and they will continue to do so. Unlike many Dallas outfits of the past, this is no paper tiger.
3) Jordan rules in Chicago
Full disclosure: I HATED Green Bay’s decision to trade for Jordan Love in the 2020 NFL Draft. My gripe is well-documented: Aaron Rodgers could have led the Packers back to a Super Bowl if the team had used that pick on some receiver support in the form of Tee Higgins or Michael Pittman Jr. But that’s in the background, and Love deserves credit in the here and now.
This was supposed to be the game where Chicago reasserted itself in the NFL’s most historic rivalry, with the Bears finally having a quarterback advantage after three decades of torment from Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers. Instead, it looks like Love just inherited Bears ownership from his predecessors. In his first game as Green Bay’s full-time starter, the 24-year-old threw for 245 yards and three touchdowns, with no turnovers and a sparkling 123.2 passer rating. Love was a model of toughness and efficiency on third/fourth downs, leading the Packers to an easy 38-20 victory at hostile Soldier Field. Meanwhile, Justin Fields scored on two turnovers, including a game-winning pick-six. The third-year pro couldn’t get anything done downfield and didn’t take advantage of his new weapon, DJ Moore (two catches for 25 yards).
Green Bay came to Chicago as underdogs and left with a ninth straight win over the Bears. In the last 27 games of this series, the Packers have a record of 24-3. At what point do we stop calling this a rivalry?