What happened: Ed Werder framed Dallas' opener as an offense good enough to be outdone only by the unit attacking the Cowboys defense. The early numbers backed the split: Dallas converted 72.7% of its third downs in Week 1, second behind the Giants, while separate EPA-per-drive analysis tagged the Cowboys defense as the week's worst performer.
Why it matters: That imbalance matters because efficient offense stops carrying much weight if the other side is scoring just as easily. It also puts the focus squarely on the Cowboys after preseason Super Bowl buzz, with the defense now the obvious early pressure point.
By the numbers: Dallas posted a 72.7% third-down conversion rate in Week 1, trailing only the Giants' 81.8% in the context pack. The same pack flagged the Cowboys defense as Week 1's worst unit by EPA per drive.
What to watch: The next check is whether Dallas can keep moving the ball without needing perfect offense to survive. If the defensive efficiency stays this bad for another week, the opener stops looking like a one-game outlier.