One week down, 16 more to go in the NFL regular season. Despite just getting started, both the Dallas Cowboys (1-0) and New York Jets (1-0) have plenty to talk about already. Dallas showed the NFL one of the most dominating performances to open a season in league history. While the Jets saw their Super Bowl hopes seemingly take a significant hit after an injury to quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Outside of the obvious storylines, here are the 10 most notable 'big facts' to remember ahead of Sunday's 3:25 CT kickoff on CBS.
Outside of the obvious storylines, here are the 10 most notable 'big facts' to remember ahead of Sunday's 3:25 CT kickoff on CBS.
Historic Opener
In their 40-0 season-opening win over New York, the Cowboys tabbed the largest road point differential and largest shutout win in franchise history. In the previous three seasons that included a 35-plus point shutout, the Cowboys went on to reach the Super Bowl. 1977, 1978, and 1995.
Cleared for Takeoff?
The Jets are one of just two NFL teams Dak Prescott has never thrown a touchdown pass against in his career. Prescott fell in his only career matchup with the Jets, 24-22 in Week 6 of 2019. In that game, he finished 28/40 for 278 yards and a rushing touchdown.
Hand it to Hall
Breece Hall tallied 129 yards on his first four touches of the season. Returning from a torn ACL in Week 7 last year, the second-year tailback finished with 147 scrimmage yards. Hall's 6.6 career yards per carry is the highest among running backs in the Super Bowl Era (minimum 50 career carries).
Special Defense and Special Teams
Dallas leads the NFL since the start of the 2021 season in both special teams touchdowns (4) and defensive touchdowns (10). The defense and special teams scored more touchdowns (2) in Week 1 than the Jets offense (1) during their 22-16 win over Buffalo.
Rolling with Wilson
Zach Wilson takes over for the injured Aaron Rodgers as the starting quarterback for New York. Last season, Wilson was 5-4 as a starter, while the team finished 2-6 with other quarterbacks at the helm. Against Buffalo in Week 1, he finished 11-13 on passes under 10 air yards, But just 3-8 on throws beyond 10-yards downfield.
Nothing New for Dan Quinn
With 7 sacks and 3 takeaways in Week 1, the Dallas defense continued some impressive streaks. It's now four-straight games with at least three sacks and three takeaways (most in the NFL, six-straight games with over five sacks, and six-straight games with at least three takeaways (most in the NFL).
Turning on the Afterburners
The Cowboys have not defeated the Jets since November of 2007. As New York has won their last three matchups with their interconference foe, winning all three by one possession in 2011 (27-24), 2015 (19-16), and 2019 (24-22).
Air Defense and Ground Defense
Both the Dallas and New York Jets rank in the top five for scoring defense over the last two seasons. The Cowboys rank fifth while the Jets are fourth since the beginning of the 2022 season. Additionally, only the Jets (4) finished Week 1 with more takeaways as a unit than Dallas (3).
From Woodrow Wilson to Winning Scores
Dallas product Xavier Gipson, who attended Woodrow Wilson High School and was signed out of Stephen F. Austin, made history in Week 1. Gipson became just the third player in NFL history to return a punt for a touchdown in overtime. Sealing a Week 1 win for the Jets.
Fresh Dozen of 40-Burgers
Since the beginning of Mike McCarthy's coaching tenure in Dallas, the Cowboys have tallied 40 points scored in a league-best 12 games. Those dozen games since the start of the 2020 season pace the NFL by five. The next closest teams are Buffalo, Tampa Bay, and Kansas City with seven.
