Game Notes: Zeke’s Work, CeeDee’s Drops & More

Untouchable GOAT?

There's a reason they call Tom Brady the "G.O.A.T" and the Cowboys have found this out too many times.

Six to be exact.

Sure, Thursday's game was the closest the Cowboys have ever gotten to actually beating Brady. But once again, he prevailed in the end, improving his record against Dallas to 6-0. The first five meetings occurred with the Patriots, who beat the Cowboys in 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019 with Brady as the starter.

The Cowboys did intercept Brady twice and forced two more turnovers. But even against the seven-time Super Bowl winner, the four turnovers weren't enough.

"You would think (it would be enough)," Randy Gregory said. "But that's why they call him the GOAT. He makes stuff happen."

— Nick Eatman (9/10)

CeeDee: No Excuses

No player had a better training camp than CeeDee Lamb. That's not even up for debate.

So it was quite surprising to see Lamb struggle in Week 1 against the Bucs, which included a few drops.

Lamb still had seven catches for 104 yards and a touchdown, but on 15 targets, the talented receiver knows he could've done more.

"Personally, it was very disappointing, especially on my end considering I played a part in us continuing being down because of the drops I had," Lamb said. "You live and you learn, and I'm going to be better for this team. It was just me dropping the ball. There's not much of an excuse for it."

But Lamb also said despite the loss, it was an encouraging sign for the offense.

"It's a blueprint we put down. All guys clicking. Dak was just feeding us all," Lamb said. "Today, it was a great step. It didn't go the way we wanted. We're going to go back to the drawing board here tomorrow, and correct those mistakes."

— Nick Eatman (9/10)

Blessing and a Kearse

When the Cowboys signed safety Jayron Kearse in free agency, new defensive coordinator Dan Quinn spoke very highly of him, citing his height and length as advantages that he could use with specific matchups.

It was clear Quinn had a plan for Kearse and if one game is any indication, he can't be disappointed.

Kearse had nine tackles on defense and two more on special teams.

Wearing No. 27, a number he switched to just before the start of the season after wearing No. 42 for all of camp, Kearse was used in a variety of roles, playing the slot at times and also matching up with the tight ends and running backs.

— Nick Eatman (9/10)

Captain Randy

For all of the ups and downs Randy Gregory has seen in his career, even he couldn't overlook the meaning of being named a captain for the Week 1 game in Tampa. Gregory was one of three captains, along with Dak and Darian Thompson.

"It was special. It's a new feeling for me," said Gregory, who represented the defense. "I barely made it out there for the coin toss because I'm used to being there on the side of the field and watching that happen. It was nice going out there."

He might have been happy to be out there at the start, but Gregory wasn't too thrilled with how things wrapped up.

"It's real disappointing. We made a lot of plays," said Gregory, who recovered a fumble. "I felt like we gave up too many explosive plays. They turned over the ball, which is good, but we need to cut down on the explosive plays. We go out there with 2:00 left, and we need to go out there and get sack on them. We can't let him go out there and pick us apart like that."

— Nick Eatman (9/10)

Case For TE1?

The Cowboys are probably going to use two tight ends for most of the season but Thursday night might've showed us a glimpse on how things could go the rest of the season.

Listed as the starting tight end on the depth chart, Dalton Schultz had a big night for the Cowboys, picking up where he left off last year. We didn't exactly think that would be the case with Blake Jarwin returning from an ACL injury.

Both players technically started the game as the Cowboys opened in 12 personnel, but Schultz caught six passes on six targets for 45 yards. Jarwin had three catches for 20 yards but also drew a pass interference penalty that led to points.

When Jarwin went down in Week 1 last year, Schultz stepped in and caught a career-high 63 passes.

— Nick Eatman (9/10)

Zeke Does The Dirty Work

Calling Thursday's game pass-heavy is an understatement.

Dak Prescott and Bucs quarterback Tom Brady combined for 108 attempts while Ezekiel Elliott and Bucs running back Leonard Fournette had only 20 combined carries. But while Elliott's stat line was relatively quiet (11 carries for 33 yards), the Cowboys starter found other ways to contribute, particularly in pass protection against the Bucs' talented pass rush.

"Those guys gave us a bunch of different looks," Prescott said. "Being on the same page, helping me communicate with the offensive line, making sure we're on the same page of how we're going to protect it. And getting dirty – making a lot of blocks that he had to because they were bringing that many people that he had to step in and make a block, him and Tony (Pollard)."

Said Elliott: "The game goes however it goes. I'm out there to play and do my best every play."

— *Rob Phillips (9/10) *