Cowboys begin Super Bowl or bust campaign with coach Jason Garrett on the hot seat
The first game is finally here for a Cowboys season that will either end with a trip to the NFC Championship and possible Super Bowl for the first time since 1995 or with the firing of head coach Jason Garrett.
That’s it.
That’s the charge for the 2019 Cowboys heading into Sunday’s game against the New York Giants at AT&T Stadium.
Owner Jerry Jones has bolstered the roster with proven veteran newcomers like receiver Randall Cobb and defensive end Robert Quinn.
He has committed more than $300 million in contract extensions to defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, running back Ezekiel Elliott, linebacker Jaylon Smith and tackle La’el Collins in the last five months alone.
The Cowboys fired veteran offensive coordinator Scott Linehan, replacing him with neophyte Kellen Moore in hopes of fostering fresh ideas, creativity and less predictability.
But coach Jason Garrett is still on the hot seat in the final year of his contract, coaching for his job with the goal of reaching the Super Bowl for the first time in 24 years.
The process starts against the Giants.
Five things to Watch for Sunday’s game against the Giants:
How much will running back Ezekiel Elliott play?
Elliott will head into the game with just three practices with the team since June thanks to a 41-day holdout from training camp and the preseason before getting a new contract. He looks to be in great shape and his weight is down. But conditioning will be an issue early. He will start but the Cowboys plan to be smart with him. Look for rookie Tony Pollard, who was sensational in the preseason, to split carries with Elliott against the Giants.
What will Kellen Moore’s new offense look like?
The Cowboy will run the same plays and use the same terminology under Kellen Moore that they used with fired offensive coordinator Scott Linehan last year. But Moore will feature more bunch sets, more pre-snap motion, the use of the fullback in the pass game, college style zone read schemes to take advantage of quarterback Dak Prescott mobility, receiver Randall Cobb as the wildcat quarterback and running backs Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard on the field together. They will also take more deep shots to receiver Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup and Cobb.
The health of the offensive line
Tackle Tyron Smith and guard Zack Martin missed most of the preseason with back injuries. They returned to practice this week, though Martin was still limited on Wednesday and Thursday. How much can they handle and will they be able to hold up for a full game? The same question remains about center Travis Frederick, who will play a full game for the first time since missing all of last season with Guillain-Barre syndrome. He passed all the tests in camp and the preseason. But he has yet to play a full game.
Can the defense stop Giants RB Saquon Barkley?
The biggest challenge for the Cowboys on Sunday is containing Giants running back Saquon Barkley. He is the focal point of their attack and can break the game open as a runner and a receiver. Cowboys defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli compared defending Barkley to Hall of Famer Barry Sanders: “It’s really like Barry Sanders. Very similar. You may have a lot of plays where you keep him to minimal, 5 yards, and then the ability to break the long one. You got to be on top of the details. We have to be disciplined.”
DeMarcus Lawrence taking it to the next level
Now that defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence proved his worth and secured the bag with a $105 million contract extension in the offseason, the two-time Pro Bowler plans to take it to the next level in 2019. Lawrence had 25 sacks the past two years with a torn labrum. He got it repaired in the offseason. So what can a fully healthy Lawrence accomplish? “Every year you’re supposed to get harder anyway,” Lawrence said. “The game is going to get harder, but D-Law is going to be harder.”
This story was originally published September 6, 2019 at 3:42 PM.