In the chaos of the Sunday night thriller, one moment hit the necessary pause for Dak Prescott. After a regulation that saw nearly 430 passing yards by Russell Wilson and a 4th quarter where 41 points were scored, America’s QB had to ensure he had the last laugh. Tied at 37-37, in a scoreless OT until the final seconds, Prescott made a 14-yard run to place the ball for the ultimate kick. Brandon Aubrey had a job to do, the most important one of the season, if you may. And he saw it down to the T.

0.4 seconds on the clock, the placekicker drilled a 46-yarder to win the game 40-37 for the Cowboys. The next moment, Prescott hit a celebration that was all over social media. It signified the desperation to fill the W column. Because losing wasn’t an option for the Cowboys, who hadn’t opened a season on a 0-2 record for the past 14 years. Moreover, Prescott hadn’t lost a game to the Giants since his rookie campaign. Now ask him about the difference between 1–1 and 0–2, and he’ll keep it simple: “S–t, I don’t want to know.” Indeed!

Things could have gone rough in the locker room if Dallas had walked out with a 0-2 rather than a 1-1. The Cowboys were coming after a 24-20 loss to the Eagles. Shouldn’t be a surprise that the expectations before heading into Week 2 were palpable. But that is not where it ends.

Whether Sunday night’s ended in a win or a loss would define the rest of the season for Jerry Jones’ team. The Giants are touted to be one of the worst teams in the league this season. If you can’t beat them, forget playoff contention. And they came embarrassingly close to that.

The Cowboys’ defense allowed 506 total yards– their worst since 2016. Wilson himself would complete a pass of 25 yards or more on seven different occasions. One wouldn’t hesitate to think back on that Micah Parson’s trade now. The Penn State man had become only the second NFL player to record 12 or more sacks in his first four seasons. Without him or DaRon Bland — who’s out on injury — the D-line lacked cohesiveness. Cornerbacks, Trevon Diggs and Kaiir Elam looked lost, and they couldn’t one up the Giants until the final second.

If that’s the state of the team right now, their schedule, ranked 5th most difficult this season with 10 2024 playoff teams, tells you they need to get it right, and get there fast. Ending with a win after all the lapses was as much better as it could get for the Cowboys, and Prescot’s response suggests the locker room’s aware of it. This is not the position they want to be at after entering the season with all the big talks.

Fourth-year guard Tyler Smith had insisted that becoming ‘Super Bowl Champions was a realistic goal’ this season. Prescott himself has been bold enough to ask the spectators not to come to Oxnard if they don’t believe the Cowboys can make it to the Super Bowl. They have the means for it too: new leadership in Brian Schottenheimer, defensive cornerstone in DeMarvion Overshown, and Prescott’s Comeback Player of the Year odds at +325. What they need is ‘faith and belief’ in each other according to the QB.

Is there a Micah Parsons replacement in Dallas?

There’s a clear difference in how the Cowboys’ defense is being talked about before their first win and after it. And it’s not just about what happened on the field—though that plays a part, too. Just a couple of days ago, Dallas brought in veteran pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney for a visit. But he walked out of the facility without a deal. Word around the league was that the Cowboys were interested in signing him, but Clowney wanted to test the market a little longer before making a decision.

Fast forward to now, and Jerry Jones has finally signed the three-time Pro Bowler. The reasoning of the signing is simple: Dallas traded one of the best players on their defense, Micah Parsons, and they now needed a difference maker. Sure, Clowney can’t replace Parsons’ caliber in Dallas, but the former first-rounder has been an explosive player in his NFL career.

On top of that, looking at a troubling Cowboys’ defense, the decision to sign Clowney just makes sense. Take the Week 2 game, for instance. The box score says the Cowboys won 40-37 in overtime, sure. But there had been defensive wrinkles. The Cowboys allowed 422 yards through the air. Russell Wilson threw for 450 yards and three TDs. Malik Nabers had 167 receiving yards and a couple of scores.

New York averaged 6.6 yards per play on offense vs Dallas, and the reports say the Cowboys’ secondary was “abysmal all game long,” giving up big completions. So, when Jerry Jones finally brought the veteran to defense, it’s safe to say he watched the Cowboys’ defense with binoculars.