Inside The Star
As we head into the first Sunday of the NFL season, the Dallas Cowboys are one of the few teams that have already played in 2025. The outcome wasn’t what anybody was hoping for, and the Cowboys’ All-Pros have caught the majority of the flak for it.
That isn’t a surprise, as the big names always get the media and fanbase focus, but it’s important to look past the loss to see how they actually fared.
Box score watching never tells the true story of a game, and especially not the one we saw on Thursday night. That game was filled to the brim with crazy storylines and moments; you can’t judge it if you didn’t watch.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of those star players and grade them based on their true Week 1 performance.
Performance Grade: A-
Anybody who says Dak Prescott cost the Cowboys this game, or played anything less than great, deserves the Jalen Carter treatment.
In all seriousness, any unbiased spectator should have been able to see how well Prescott played on Thursday. Pristine accuracy, strong mobility, and the kind of aggression that Dallas needed if they were to pull off the upset.
At the end of the day, you can only control what you can control, and that was the story of Week 1 for Prescott.
His supporting cast did not perform well enough around him, and it ultimately cost the Cowboys the game. If Prescott plays like that the rest of the way, they have no issue at quarterback in the years to come.
Performance Grade: D+
I tried to balance the statistical showing with the drops heard around the world here; a D+ was the best I could deliver for 88.
Ultimately, while CeeDee Lamb got open, made some great catches and plays, and ran up the yard count, he cost Dallas the game. Three fourth-quarter drops can’t happen, especially with the kind of talent he is.
I don’t expect those issues to continue, which gives some hope for the Cowboys as they play easier teams, but boy, that was rough.
Lamb should be on the JUGS machine from now until next Sunday.
Performance Grade: B+
All-Pro guard Tyler Smith picked up a rare holding call during the game, but that shouldn’t define his entire performance.
This young man seemingly gets stronger each season, and it is massive for the future of the Cowboys’ offense. Smith did exactly what he needed to across all four quarters.
Limit pressures and sacks, and clear lanes for a below-average running back room. Sure, the penalty was frustrating, but we likely won’t see much of that from him this season; it was a mighty fine performance from this mighty man on Thursday.
Performance Grade: A+
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