LANDOVER, Md. – Remember back in grade school when you would try to have a snack or some candy or maybe a soft drink, and the teacher wouldn't let you have it unless you had enough for the entire class?
I'm getting the feeling Dak Prescott was the kid who brought enough for everyone. He definitely did that in these first two games. And to me, it's the main reason the Cowboys are rolling like they are.
The only people not loving this are the ones who might like to fill up their fantasy team with Cowboys players. Unless you've got Dak, or maybe Ezekiel Elliott, you're probably going to be a little disappointed on some weeks because it's just impossible to get everyone the ball every week.
That's not just a good thing, but a great thing.
That depth showed up again in Week 2 as the Cowboys just found new ways – and people – to beat a defense. Here's everything this offense has going for it:
· An offensive line that has allowed one sack and gives the QB plenty of time to find receivers.
· A quarterback who was nearly perfect after a slow start who can also hurt teams with his legs.
· A running back who is not only a beast to tackle, but has speed and vision that makes him one of the NFL's best.
· A multitude of receivers who can get deep and run crisp routes underneath.
· A group of tight ends, led by a future Hall of Famer, who can beat defenses all over the field.
But the best part of this offense isn't just one of those things, but all of them.
The fact that the Cowboys can beat you in a multitude of ways is why this team could be really, really good this year.
It's only two games, so we don't need to get ahead of ourselves, but I found it shocking that this is only the eighth time since Jerry Jones bought the team 30 years ago that the Cowboys have opened a season 2-0. The team won the Super Bowl two of those years and made the playoffs five times. Then again, they went 2-0 in 2015 and then 2-12 the rest of the way. So winning two games doesn't always mean a whole lot.
But this team just feels different and the reason is the offense.
Prescott is basically doing whatever he wants, especially after the first few drives. It was the same thing last week against the Giants. He had a poor start on the opening drive, and then proceeded to lead the offense to five straight touchdown drives.
This week, he threw an interception over the middle, although the pass should've been caught by Randall Cobb. But Prescott wasn't fazed by another slow start, or the fact his fourth possession started at his own 3-yard line.
That's when the depth of the offense went to work.
Zeke for eight, Dak scrambles for 15, Gallup for 9 and then 10, followed by Cobb for 3. All of that set up Devin Smith, who didn't seem to get the Redskins' respect when they let him go untouched through their zone. But Dak knows Smith can fly and so he put it out there in the deep middle and let him run under it for not only the game-tying touchdown, but a momentum-changing play.
But that kind of depth occurred all game. Before halftime, it was Witten in the end zone for a touchdown. To start the third, Dak seemed to focus on Amari Cooper on a drive that ended with his touchdown.
Later in the game, leading by only seven, Dak opened the drive with a perfect pass to Blake Jarwin down the field for 22 yards. And get this, the entire drive, with the game on the line, featured Zeke on the sidelines while Tony Pollard got every snap. That's with the Cowboys up by seven in the fourth quarter and trying to put the game away.
Let's be honest. Every team has this many players on offense. But not all of them are considered true weapons that the coaching staff and the quarterback can trust.
Last week, Prescott threw four touchdowns to four different players. This week, it was three TDs to three different players.
Right now, Dak Prescott looks like a kid who has too many toys in the toy box.
The difference is, he's trying to play with all of them. And so far, that philosophy is why this team is having so much success.
