REGULAR SEASON GAME #1 SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2018 DALLAS COWBOYS AT CAROLINA PANTHERS BANK OF AMERICA STADIUM 3:25 P.M. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT DALLASCOWBOYS.COM 2018 COWBOYS MEDIA GUIDE Visit the Dallas Cowboys media portal for updated schedules, game notes, game books, flip cards, etc: http://media.dallascowboys.com. To download the Dallas Cowboys 2018 Media Guide in PDF form, go to the following link: http://media.dallascowboys.com/media-guide/current-year-2018/ DALLAS COWBOYS (0-0) AT CAROLINA PANTHERS (0-0) Series Record: Dallas leads the series 9-4 Last Meeting: Carolina 33, @ Dallas 14, Nov. 26, 2015 Last Meeting in Carolina: Dallas 19, Carolina 14, Oct. 21, 2012 Last Cowboys Win: Dallas 19, @ Carolina 14, Oct. 21, 2012 Series Streak: Dallas has won five of the last six games. RADIO & TELEVISION RADIO KRLD-FM - 105.3 The Fan Play-by-Play: Brad Sham Analyst: Babe Laufenberg Sideline Reporter: Kristi Scales Tune into 105.3 The Fan for pregame and postgame coverage before and after every Dallas Cowboys game. KMVK-FM 107.5 Mega (Spanish) Play-by-Play: Victor Villalba Analyst: Luis Perez Compass Media Network (National) Play-by-Play: Kevin Ray Analyst: Danny White TELEVISION FOX Sports - KDFW FOX 4 in Dallas/Fort Worth Play-by-Play: Joe Buck Analyst: Troy Aikman Sideline Reporter: Erin Andrews Cowboys Special Edition KTVT CBS11 in Dallas/Ft. Worth 11:00 p.m. Saturday night The Jason Garrett Show KTVT CBS11 in Dallas/Ft. Worth Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. Dallas Cowboys Postgame Show KTVT CBS11 in Dallas/Ft. Worth 11:00 p.m. following every Cowboys game Cowboys OT TXA 21 in Dallas/Ft. Worth 7:00 p.m. Game days Somos Cowboys Telemundo 39 in Dallas/Ft. Worth Saturday 10:30 p.m. COWBOYS & PANTHERS Series Notables: * The fi rst series meeting was an NFC Divisional Playoff Game in Carolina on Jan. 5, 1997. * Dallas scored 14 points in the fi nal 3:55 to defeat the Panthers 14-13 in 2002. * Nine of the 13 games have been decided by 10 points-or-less. * Dallas and Carolina met in a 1996 Divisional Playoff Game and a 2003 Wild Card Game, with the Panthers claiming victories in both. * This game marks the fi rst time these two teams have met on opening day, and the fi rst time since 2012 that Dallas will start a season on the road. A Cowboys Win Would: * Improve the Cowboys season-opening record to 39-19-1 and road season-opening record to 21-10. * Win back-to-back season openers for the fi rst time since the 2012-13 seasons. * Up the Cowboys current regular season win streak against the Panthers in Carolina to six games. THIS WEEK S SCHEDULE Tuesday, Sept. 4 4:15 p.m. Locker room open Wednesday, Sept. 5 10:35 a.m. Coach Garrett press conference 10:45 a.m. Coach Rivera conference call 11:15 a.m. Practice - fi rst portion open to local media 1:45 p.m. Locker room open Thursday, Sept. 6 10:35 a.m. Coach Garrett press conference 11:15 a.m. Practice - fi rst portion open to local media 1:15 p.m. Coordinators available 1:30 p.m. Locker room open Friday, Sept. 7 10:35 a.m. Coach Garrett press conference 11:15 a.m. Practice - fi rst portion open to local media 12:45 p.m. Locker room open Saturday, Sept. 8 1:30 p.m. Team travel to Carolina Sunday, Sept. 9 3:25 p.m. Kickoff at Carolina
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2017 REGULAR SEASON MILESTONES, RECORDS & RANKINGS - TEAM The 2017 regular season saw many records fall and new ones set for the Dallas Cowboys. Below is a look at the team records broken and milestones reached in 2017: 2017 DALLAS COWBOYS RECORDS & RANKINGS - TEAM * The Dallas Cowboys finished with a 9-7 record to mark the first back-to-back winning seasons since 2008-09, and the 36th overall winning season in franchise history (BACK-TO-BACK WINNING SEASONS- page 6). * Dallas reached its 500th regular season win after a victory at the N.Y. Giants (12/10). The Cowboys arrived at that number in 879 games, second-fastest all-time in NFL history only to Chicago s league-best 863 games (GETTING TO FIVE HUNDRED - page 7). * The Cowboys earned their 200th victory (regular season and postseason) against their NFC East foes at Philadelphia (12/31) after finishing the season 5-1 in their division, and 200-72 overall (ALL IN THE FAMILY - page 7). * Dallas swept two NFC East opponents - the New York Giants and Washington - marking the first time since 2013 that it swept two NFC East opponents in the same season (ALL IN THE FAMILY - page 7). * The Cowboys also reached 100 wins against the NFC West following a victory at Arizona (9/25). Overall, Dallas is 101-73 against that division following a 2-2 record against it in 2017. * The Cowboys saw their home win streak stop at eight games following a loss against the L.A. Rams (10/1), the longest in AT&T Stadium history dating back to last season (9/25/16-10/1/17), and tied for the fifth-longest in franchise history (AT&T STADIUM RECORD WHEN... - page 9). * Dallas had a streak of four straight games scoring at least 30 points (10/1-10/29). It was only the third time in franchise history a club boasted a streak of four games with 30-or-more points, joining the 1986 and 2014 teams. Additionally, the unit totaled at least 28 points in six straight games this season (9/25-11/5) - the second time a Cowboys unit boasted a streak of six games to tie the 2007 team. * The offense scored at least one touchdown in the first half to mark 24 consecutive games with at least one touchdown in a first half to establish a team record. The streak was snapped against Philadelphia (11/19). The previous record of 23 games was set during the 1962-64 seasons. * The offense topped 2,000 team rushing yards (2,170) in 2017 to mark the second consecutive season the unit has reached that milestone, and the first such streak since the 1998-99 seasons. The Cowboys are one of two teams (Buffalo) in the NFL to reach 2,000 rushing yards in each of the last two seasons (DALLAS RUN 2K - page 15). * Dallas averaged 135.6 rushing yards-per-game to rank second in the NFL for the third time in the last four seasons (2014, 2016, 2017) (RUSHING TO THE TOP - page 15). * The Cowboys tied for second in the league with 18 rushing touchdowns (RUSHING TO THE TOP - page 15). * The Dallas offense led the NFL in rushing first downs (127) for the first time since 1999 (RUSHING TO THE TOP - page 15). Overall, the unit finished 13th with 314 total first downs (127 rushing; 162 passing). * The Cowboys had 59 big-play runs of 10-or-more yards to tie for fourth in the NFL. Dallas also had 12 rushes of 20+ yards to tie for eighth (RUSHING TO THE TOP - page 15). * The Cowboys offense had 30 drives of five-or-more minutes - tied for the most in the NFL in 2017. The unit also posted the most touchdowns (14) and points (116) during drives of five-or-more minutes (DRIVE FOR FIVE - page 15). * The Cowboys recorded 32 drives of 10-or-more plays to tie for fourth in the NFL. Additionally, the unit s 14 touchdowns on those drives ranked second, while their 119 total points were sixth (TEN PLAYS-OR-MORE - page 15). * Dallas offense boasted the fifth-highest touchdown efficiency rate (23.4%) and tied for the sixth-most touchdown drives (40) (FINISH- ING DRIVES WITH SCORES - page 15). * The Cowboys registered the sixth-highest red zone touchdown effeciency rate in the NFL (59.6), while their 31 touchdowns in the red zone were eighth and 250 total points ninth (RED ALERT - page 15). * Dallas offense was fifth in the league with a 42.9% third down conversion rate (87-of-203) (THIRD-AND-NO PROBLEM - page 15). * The Cowboys defense finished eighth in the NFL in total defense (318.1 yards-per-game) to notch the unit s first top-10 finish since 2009. It was also the highest ranking since 2008 (eighth). * The Dallas defense also boasted a ranking of eighth against the run, holding opposing offenses to 104.0 rushing yards-per-game. The defense also only allowed seven rushing touchdowns all season to tie for the third-fewest. * The Cowboys defense recorded 25.0 sacks through the first seven games of the season. It was the fifth time since 1982, when sacks became an official stat, that a Cowboys defense recorded at least 25.0 sacks through the first seven games of the season, joining the 1982 (27.0), 1985 (29.0), 1986 (28.0) and 1987 (34.0) teams. The unit finished tied for 15th in the NFL with 38.0 sacks (SACK ATTACK - page 21). * In the return game, the Cowboys placed third in the NFL in kick return average (24.8). It was the unit s highest ranking since a second place finish in 1996 (25.3). * In kick coverage, Dallas limited its opponents on punt returns to a league-low 4.2 average, the first time the unit has led the NFL since the 1984 season (4.2). In total, the Cowboys allowed only 75 punt return yards on the season. It was the fewest allowed in the league since the Atlanta Falcons gave up 49 in 2008. It is also the second-fewest in franchise history, behind the 1972 squad s 41 yards allowed. * On kickoffs, the unit was fourth in the NFL with an average opponent team drive start of 23.6. 3
2017 REGULAR SEASON MILESTONES, RECORDS & RANKINGS - INDIVIDUAL The 2017 regular season saw many records fall and new ones set for the Dallas Cowboys. Below is a look at the individual records broken and milestones reached in 2017: 2017 DALLAS COWBOYS RECORDS & RANKINGS - INDIVIDUAL Jerry Jones - Owner, President & General Manager * The Cowboys win at the N.Y. Giants (12/10) served as his 250th regular season win as the Dallas Cowboys Owner, President and General Manager since purchasing the team in 1989. The Cowboys are now 252-212 in the regular season under Jones ownership (JERRY JONES JOINS HALL OF FAME - page 6). Jason Garrett - Head Coach * For the first time as head coach, and first time a Cowboys team has done it since the 2008-09 seasons, led his team to back-to-back winning seasons (13-3, 2016; 9-7, 2017) (WINNING HEAD COACH - page 6). Dan Bailey - K * Played in his 100th career game against the L.A. Rams (10/1), and his 177 field goals made at that point tied for third by an NFL kicker at 100 games played. * Topped 800 career points at San Francisco (10/22) to become the third Cowboy, second kicker, to reach that milestone. He currently ranks third all-time in team history (834) (MAKING THE POINT - page 22). Dez Bryant - WR * Established a franchise record when he topped Bob Hayes (71) with his 72nd career receiving touchdown against Washington (11/30) (BY DEZIGN - page 19). * Moved into third all-time in receptions (531) in franchise history (BY DEZIGN - page 19). * Reached 7,000 career receiving yards and moved into fifth all-time on the team s all-time receiving yards list (7,459) (BY DEZIGN - page 19). * Became the fourth Cowboy to post 10-or-more career receiving touchdowns over 50 yards (10), joining Bob Hayes (19), Frank Clarke (13) and Michael Irvin (10) (BRYANT GOES THE DISTANCE - page 20). * Became the fastest player in team history to 500 career receptions (105 games) against Kansas City (11/5) (FASTEST TO 500 - page 20). Ezekiel Elliott - RB * Finished 10th in the NFL in 2017 in rushing with 983 yards and seven touchdowns on 242 carries. * His 2,614 career rushing yards are the most by a Cowboy during a player s first two seasons, and the second-highest by a league rusher in his first 25 games played (ZEKE IN 1ST 2 SEASONS - page 13). * Recorded five 100-yard rushing games this season to tie for third in the league. His 12 games with at least 100 rushing yards are tied for the most by any rusher in the last two seasons (2016-17) and are the eighth-most by an NFL rusher in his first two seasons in league history (KEEP IT 100 - page 13). * Reached 2,000 rushing yards against Green Bay (10/8) in his 20th career game and tied Earl Campbell as the second-fastest rusher to 2,000 career yards. * Hit 20 career rushing scores at Washington (10/29) in his 22nd career game to tie as the third-fastest to do so since the NFL merger. Jeff Heath - S * Stepped in as the emergency place kicker at San Francisco (10/22) after an injury to Bailey (groin) and hit two-of-three PATs and had two touchbacks on five kickoffs. Became the first Dallas Cowboy non-kicker to score kicking points in a game since Dick Bielski in 1961, and the first NFL positional player to do it since Wes Welker in 2010. Chris Jones - P * Landed 34 punts inside the opponents 20-yard line to establish a career-best and serve as the second-best tally in Cowboys single-season history. Also moved up to third all-time with 147 for his career (THE PUNT-ISHER - page 23). DeMarcus Lawrence - DE * Tied for second in the NFL with a career-best 14.5 sacks - fourth-highest tally in franchise history, since 1982 (TANK ON A ROLL - page 21). * Became the third NFL defender (Mark Gastineau and Kevin Greene) to post three straight multi-sack games to open a season. * Became the seventh NFL player, second Cowboy, with a sack in each of the first seven games of a season (TANK ON A ROLL - page 21). Dak Prescott - QB * Pushed his career wins as a starter to 22 to tie for second by a quarterback in his first two seasons in the Super Bowl era. * Completed 308-of-490 passes (62.9%) for 3,324 yards with 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions to become the first quarterback in team history to pass for at least 3,000 yards and 20 touchdowns in each of his first two pro seasons. * Joined Tony Romo (three times) and Don Meredith (two times) as the third Cowboys quarterback to post a streak of three consecutive games with at least three touchdowns (vs. LAR, vs. GB, @ SF) to tie the longest streak in team history (QB S MULTIPLE TDs - page 10). * Became the first quarterback in NFL history to have five-or-less interceptions in his first 500 attempts (QB RECORD SETTER - page 11). * Reached 25 career passing touchdowns with the fewest interceptions (four) in NFL history (QB RECORD SETTER - page 11). * Added a career-high 357 rushing yards - most by a Cowboys quarterback in single-season history - and six rushing scores - tied for the the most by an NFL quarterback in 2017 and tied for the most in team history - on 57 carries, tied for second by a Cowboy signal caller (RAYNE MAN - page 11). * Became the sixth quarterback in NFL history to record at least five games with a 70.0-or-better completion percentage and two touchdown throws in his first two years in the league. * His eight career games with at least three touchdown passes and one-or-fewer interceptions are the second-most by an NFL quarterback in his first two seasons behind Dan Marino s nine. * Became the second NFL passer (Cam Newton) with at least 40 passing touchdowns and 10 rushing touchdowns in a player s first two seasons (RAYNE MAN - page 11). * Joined Marino, Daunte Culpepper and Kurt Warner as the only four quarterbacks in NFL history with 50 combined (passing and rushing) touchdowns in the first 25 games of a career. Rod Smith - RB * Became the only player in NFL history with an 80-plus receiving touchdown (81) and a rushing score in the fourth quarter of a single game when he accomplished that feat at the N.Y. Giants (12/10). Jason Witten - TE * Became the franchise s all-time receiving yards leader, passing Michael Irvin (11,904) against the N.Y. Giants (9/10) and now has 12,448 yards (WITTEN IN HISTORY - page 16). * Surpassed Tim Brown (1,094), Cris Carter (1,101) and Marvin Harrison (1,102) for fourth on the league s all-time receptions list (1,152), and moved up to 21st all-time with 12,448 receiving yards (LEADING MAN - page 16). * Tied Ed Jones, Bill Bates and Mark Tuinei for the most seasons played as a Cowboy in team history (15) (I AM IRON MAN - page 18). * Topped Ed Jones (224) with his club record 225th career game played at Denver (9/17) (I AM IRON MAN - page 18). * Earned his 11th trip to the Pro Bowl to tie Bob Lilly for the most appearances in franchise history (PRO BOWL COWBOYS - page 7). * Became the second NFL tight end - 26th player - to reach 12,000 career receiving yards (WITTEN AT 1,100 AND 12,000 - page 19). * Reached third all-time in receiving touchdowns in team history, topping Irvin (65), and now has 68 for his career (TE s TD s - page 16). 4
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H DALLAS COWBOYS DIGITAL H DallasCowboys.com The Dallas Cowboys official website is your one-stop shop for all breaking news, analysis and opinion, along with unique X s and O s breakdown featured in written content, videos and radio podcasts. DallasCowboys.com offers the best collection of timely articles, press conferences and videos, combined with the best spot to purchase tickets and order merchandise from the Cowboys Pro Shop. From the latest news to the latest apparel, there is no better place to visit than DallasCowboys.com Daily Podcasts Talkin Cowboys True to its name, the Talkin Cowboys podcast delivers knowledgeable, entertaining coverage of America s Team. Taylor Stern, Bryan Broaddus, Mickey Spagnola and Rob Phillips supply spirited debate, team updates and exclusive interviews weekdays during football season. Cowboys Break This daily show is serious about the Cowboys, without taking themselves too serious in the process. Also known as The Lunch Break, this one-hour podcast enters Season 13 with Derek Eagleton and Nick Eatman, who are now joined by beat writer David Helman along with other featured guests. The crew discusses the current state of the team, including fan opinion from calls and social media, giving analysis on the day-to-day events with a mix of historical perspective. Hangin with the Boys What do a former Dallas Cowboys Pro Bowler, a current Dallas Cowboys editor and a Dallas Cowboys programming guy have in common? Absolutely nothing. If you re looking for a show that s hard core football all the time, you might want to try another dallascowboys.com podcast. If you re looking for some guys that enjoy talking about Cowboys football but also enjoy giving each other a hard time and having fun, then this is the show for you. Join six-time Pro Bowler Nate Newton, along with Kurt Daniels and Shannon Gross. Dallas Cowboys on Social Media @dallascowboys /dallascowboys @dallascowboys @dallascowboys /dallascowboys 6
JASON GARRETT Head Coach 2011-2018 AWARDS & HONORS 2016 NFL Coach of the Year Pro Football Weekly s 2007 NFL Assistant Coach of the Year 2 NFC East Division Titles Different players selected to the Pro Bowl since 2010 for a total 20 of 44 appearances. JASON GARRETT (67-53, 8th Year) Jason Garrett was named the eighth head coach in Dallas Cowboys history on January 5, 2011. Garrett became the first former Dallas Cowboys player to become the team s head coach. As a backup quarterback during his playing career in Dallas, he started nine-of-23 games played and was a member of teams that won six division titles and three Super Bowl championships. Garrett was elevated to the Cowboys top job after taking over as the team s interim head coach midway through 2010. He guided the club to a 5-3 mark to finish the season after the team started 1-7. He led Dallas to an 8-8 record, narrowly missing the playoffs and an NFC East Division title in each his first three full seasons as head coach (2011-13). Garrett guided the 2014 squad to an NFL-best tying 12-4 record, the club s 22nd Division title - 18th NFC East title - 31st postseason appearance and 34th playoff win. His team fought through adversity in 2015, especially on the injury front where they endured injuries to Tony Romo, Dez Bryant and Orlando Scandrick amongst others, while slipping to 4-12 on the season. The team bounced back under Garrett in 2016, completing the club s largest one-season turnaround in franchise history with a nine-game difference, finishing with a 13-3 record in 2016. The record included beginning the season 0-1 and going on to win 11 straight games - the longest single-season win streak in team history. Garrett s Cowboys won their second division championship with him at the helm, while earning the NFC s top overall seed and hosting an NFC Divisional Playoff Game for the first time since 2007. He was named AP Coach of the Year for his team s 2016 accomplishments. The 2017 Cowboys finished 9-7, just missing the playoffs, but their record gave them back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2008-09. From 2007-13, when Garrett was brought on board as the Cowboys offensive coordinator, the unit finished among the NFL s top-10 in total offense in five of his seven years at the helm: 2013 (10th), 2012 (6th), 2010 (10th), 2009 (2nd) and 2007 (2nd). The team has set single-season records in a handful of categories, including topping 6,000 net yards for the first four times in franchise history (2009-6,390; 2011-6,008; 2014-6,138 and 2016-6,027). Since his arrival in 2007, not only has the team set single-season records in numerous offensive categories, but the club s cumulative numbers for gross passing yards (39,993) and total points (3,919) represent the best totals over a 10-year span in the history of the organization while the club s 58,567 total net yards are second. H HEAD COACHES H 7 1 Jason TOP FINISHES Since 2014, Jason Garrett has led the offense to the top of the rankings in several key categories: Rush Yards-Per-Game (137.7) 1 st 1 st 3 rd t-4 th 8 th Yards-Per-Rush (4.65) Rushing Touchdowns (66) Passing TD% (5.1%) Passing Yards-Per-Attempt (7.48) Garrett is the first former Dallas Cowboys player to become the team s head coach. RON RIVERA (67-51-1, 8th Year) Ron Rivera became the fourth head coach in Carolina Panthers history on January 11, 2011. In seven seasons, Rivera has guided the team to a Super Bowl appearance, an NFC Championship and three NFC South titles. He is a two-time (2013 and 2015) Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year award winner. Rivera inherited a 2-14 Carolina team as a rookie head coach in 2011 and guided it back to relevance with four playoff appearances in a five-year span between 2013 and 2017, tying Green Bay and Seattle for the most NFC playoff appearances since 2013. In that five-year span, the Panthers recorded 51 wins, the most in any five-year period in franchise history, and tied for fifth-most in the NFL. In 2015, Rivera led the Panthers to the second Super Bowl appearance in team history following a franchise-best 15-1 record and their third consecutive NFC South championship. In the process, Carolina became the fourth team in the Super Bowl era to start a season 14-0, joining the 1972 Miami Dolphins, 2007 New England Patriots and 2009 Indianapolis Colts. Carolina s 18-game regular season winning streak was the longest in NFC history. In 2014, the Panthers became the first team since 1970 to overcome a six-game losing streak and win their division. In 2013, Rivera directed Carolina to 12 wins, the NFC South title and its first playoff appearance since 2008. Before joining the Panthers, Rivera coached the San Diego Chargers (2007-2010), Chicago Bears (2004-06, 1997-98) and Philadelphia Eagles (1999-2003). In 2006, the Bears defense led the NFL with 44 takeaways, helping propel Chicago to an appearance in Super Bowl XLI. He is just the third Latino head coach in NFL history, joining Tom Flores with the Oakland Raiders (1979-1987) and Seattle Seahawks (1992-94) and Tom Fears with the New Orleans Saints (1967-1970). A second-round draft choice in 1984 by Chicago, Rivera played nine seasons with the Bears. Primarily an outside linebacker, he was a member of the 1985 Super Bowl XX winning team.
www.dallascowboys.com For breaking news, press releases, historical information, statistics and rosters, visit the official website of the Dallas Cowboys, www. dallascowboys.com. Updated daily, www.dallascowboys.com has the most extensive information on upcoming games, including video of weekly press conferences and audio of weekly conference calls. The Cowboys website is also a great place to find information on the players and coaches, order tickets for upcoming games and order merchandise from the Cowboys Pro Shop. SEASON OPENERS Dallas enters 2018 tied with Denver for the league s best alltime opening-day win percentage (.667). Dallas 38 opening-day wins are tied with Denver for ninth all-time in league history. Dallas won 17 consecutive Top-Five Opening Day Winning Percentages Team Record % Dallas... 38-19-1.667 Denver... 38-19-1.661 Green Bay...55-39-3.585 Chicago...54-39-5.581 Minnesota... 32-24-1.571 N.Y. Giants...50-38-5.568 season-opening games from 1965-1981. That streak is the longest opening day win streak in the history of the NFL. The next longest streaks are Miami (11, 1992-02), Detroit (10, 1930-39), New England (10, 2004-13), Chicago (9, 1984-92), Baltimore Colts (8, 1955-62) and Pittsburgh (8, 2003-10). Dallas lost its first-ever season opener 28-35 against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 24, 1960. Dallas came back the next season to beat Pittsburgh 27-24 on Sept. 17, 1961 to claim its first-ever season-opening win. Last season, Dallas defeated the New York Giants 19-3 at home to open the 2017 season. This season is the first in which Dallas will play the Carolina Panthers on opening day. OPENING ON THE ROAD As one of the NFL s best teams on opening day, the Cowboys have enjoyed success opening their season on the road. In 30 all-time season openers on the road, Dallas owns a 20-10 record. This is the first season Dallas will open on the road since 2012. The franchise won its first 11 road season openers (1967-84) before losing three straight from 1987-89. Following that short losing streak, Dallas won five of its next seven Cowboys Top Opening Day Road Opponents Team Games Record Washington...6 4-2 Cleveland...3 3-0 Pittsburgh...3 2-1 N.Y. Giants...3 3-0 Chicago...2 1-1 St. Louis Cardinals...2 1-1 season openers on the road. Dallas has opened at Washington (six times) more often than any other place, followed by Cleveland, the New York Giants and Pittsburgh (three each) and Chicago and the St. Louis Cardinals (two each). The Cowboys won their last season-opening road game at the N.Y. Giants in 2012. DALLAS COACHES ON OPENING DAY This week s opener at the Carolina Panthers is the Cowboys 59th season opener. Dallas holds a 38-19-1 opening-day record. This is Jason Garrett s eighth full season as the club s head coach. Below is a coach-by-coach look at how the leader of the Cowboys fared on opening day: Lng Lng Win 1st Win Loss Coach Years W L T Pct Game Strk Strk Tom Landry...1960-88 22 6 1.776 L 17 2 Jimmy Johnson...1989-93 3 2 0.600 L 3 1 Barry Switzer...1994-97 3 1 0.750 W 2 1 Chan Gailey...1998-99 2 0 0 1.000 W 2 0 Dave Campo...2000-02 0 3 0.000 L 0 3 Bill Parcells...2003-06 1 3 0.250 L 1 2 Wade Phillips...2007-10 3 1 0.750 W 3 1 Jason Garrett...2011-17 4 3 0.571 L 2 1 Totals...1960-17 38 19 1.667 17 3 TOP OPENING DAY PERFORMANCES As the Dallas Cowboys prepare to open their 59th season, it would seem fitting to take a look back at Dallas top team and individual performances on opening day: TEAM Total Yards Date Opponent Score W/L Total Yards 9/4/78 vs. Baltimore 38-0 W 583 9/15/68 vs. Detroit 59-13 W 542 9/12/99 at Washington 41-35 (OT) W 541 9/18/66 vs. N.Y. Giants 52-7 W 518 9/7/08 at Cleveland 28-10 W 487 Total Rushing Yards Date Opponent Score W/L Rush Yards 9/4/78 vs. Baltimore 38-0 W 278 9/4/95 at N.Y. Giants 35-0 W 232 9/6/81 at Washington 26-10 W 206 9/15/74 at Atlanta 24-0 W 205 9/20/70 at Philadelphia 17-7 W 198 Total Passing Yards Date Opponent Score W/L Pass Yards 9/15/68 vs. Detroit 59-13 W 381 9/18/66 vs. N.Y. Giants 52-7 W 374 9/12/99 at Washington 41-35 (OT) W 355 9/12/04 at Minnesota 17-35 L 352 9/13/09 at Tampa Bay 34-21 W 344 Points Scored Date Opponent PF PA W/L 9/15/68 vs. Detroit 59 13 W 9/18/66 vs. N.Y. Giants 52 7 W 9/19/71 at Buffalo 49 37 W 9/9/07 vs. N.Y. Giants 45 35 L 9/9/85 vs. Washington 44 14 W INDIVIDUAL Total Rushing Yards Date Opponent Score W/L Player Rush Yards 9/4/94 at Pittsburgh 26-9 W E. Smith 171 9/4/95 at N.Y. Giants 35-0 W E. Smith 163 9/5/83 at Washington 31-30 W T. Dorsett 151 9/4/78 vs. Baltimore 38-0 W T. Dorsett 147 9/7/92 vs. Washington 23-10 W E. Smith 140 Total Passing Yards Date Opponent Score W/L Player Pass Yards 9/12/99 at Washington 41-35 (OT) W T. Aikman 362 9/18/66 vs. N.Y. Giants 52-7 W D. Meredith 358 9/12/04 at Minnesota 17-35 L V. Testaverde 355 9/13/09 at Tampa Bay 34-21 W T. Romo 353 9/13/82 vs. Pittsburgh 28-36 L D. White 347 Total Receiving Yards Date Opponent Score W/L Player Rec. Yards 9/16/62 vs. Washington 35-35 T F. Clarke 241 9/18/66 vs. N.Y. Giants 52-7 W B. Hayes 195 9/24/60 vs. Pittsburgh 28-35 L J. Doran 154 9/12/99 at Washington 41-35 (OT) W R. Ismail 149 9/12/10 at Washington 7-13 L M. Austin 146 8
ALL-TIME WINNING TRADITION The Dallas Cowboys currently own the league s highest alltime regular season winning percentage by current NFL teams: Highest Win Percentage - NFL Regular Season Team W L T Pct. Dallas... 502 374 6.573 Green Bay... 737 562 37.567 Chicago... 749 579 42.564 Miami... 445 351 4.559 New England... 489 386 9.559 Dallas combined winning percentage of.572 in both the regular and postseasons is also tops in the league: Highest Win Percentage - NFL Regular Season & Postseason Team W L T Pct. Dallas... 536 401 6.572 Green Bay... 771 584 37.569 New England... 521 405 9.563 Chicago... 766 597 42.562 Miami... 465 372 4.555 * Since 1972, ties have been calculated as half-win and half loss. Prior to 1972 tie games were ignored in calculating a team s winning percentage. Ties since 1972: Dallas (0), Miami (1) Chicago (1), Minnesota (3), Green Bay (7). GETTING TO FIVE HUNDRED The Dallas Cowboys notched the franchise s 500th regular season win after a victory at the N.Y. Giants (12/10/17). Dallas reached that mark in 879 games, second-fastest all-time in NFL history only to Chicago s league-best 863 games. The win also served as Jerry Jones 250th regular season win as the Dallas Cowboys Owner, President and General Manager: Fastest to 500 Wins (Regular Season) - NFL History All-Time Team Founded 500th Win Gms Win Total Chicago... 1920 11/17/85 863 749-579-42 Dallas... 1960 9/28/14 879 502-374-6 San Francisco...1950 10/20/13 929 528-460-14 N.Y. Giants... 1925 12/11/94 935 687-585-33 Indianapolis...1953 12/5/16 946 506-453-7 Green Bay... 1921 11/13/94 962 737-562-37 LA Rams...1937 11/18/07 969 555-559-21 Washington... 1932 9/12/04 979 593-581-28 Pittsburgh...1933 9/16/07 998 614-538-20 Philadelphia...1933 11/15/10 1,059 563-590-25 Detroit...1930 10/2/11 1,125 553-648-32 Arizona...1920 9/30/12 1,228 550-730-40 A WINNING TREND The Dallas Cowboys enter the 2018 season as one-of-12 teams in the league with at least 500 regular season wins. At the N.Y. Giants (12/10), Dallas became just the 12th team with 500 regular season wins with a victory over the Giants. The Cowboys are currently 12th on the NFL s all-time regular season wins list: Chicago 749 LA Rams 555 Green Bay 737 Detroit 553 N.Y. Giants 687 Arizona 550 Pittsburgh 614 San Francisco 528 Washington 593 Indianapolis 506 Philadelphia 563 Dallas 502 WINNING HEAD COACH Following the team s 9-7 finish in 2017, Dallas Cowboys Head Coach Jason Garrett s current regular season record as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys stands at 67-53, with the second-most wins all-time in team history: Most Regular Season Wins by a Cowboys Head Coach Coach Years Won Loss Tied Pct Tom Landry... 1960-88 250 162 6.605 Jason Garrett*... 2010-17 67 53 0.558 Jimmy Johnson... 1989-93 44 36 0.550 Barry Switzer... 1994-97 40 24 0.625 Bill Parcells... 2003-06 34 30 0.531 Wade Phillips... 2007-10 34 22 0.607 Chan Gailey... 1998-99 18 14 0.563 Dave Campo... 2000-02 15 33 0.313 *Record under Coach Garrett includes games as interim head coach in 2010 (5-3). Among current NFL head coaches, Garrett ranks 10th in regular season wins: Most Regular Season Wins - Current NFL Head Coaches Coach Yrs Won Loss Tied Pct Bill Belichick...23 250 118 0.679 Andy Reid...19 183 120 1.604 Mike McCarthy...12 121 70 1.633 Marvin Lewis...15 125 112 3.527 Mike Tomlin... 11 116 60 0.659 Pete Carroll...12 112 79 1.586 Sean Payton... 11 105 71 0.597 John Harbaugh...10 94 66 0.588 Jon Gruden...11 95 81 0.540 Jason Garrett*...8 67 53 0.558 500 COMBINED WINS With the win against New Orleans (9/28/14), the Dallas Cowboys earned their 500th team win (including postseason), becoming the 11th team in NFL history (now at 13 teams) to reach that mark. They did it in 880 games, the second-fastest team to reach that total: Fastest to 500 Wins (Reg. & Postseason) - NFL History All-Time Team Founded 500th Win Gms Win Total Chicago... 1920 11/17/85 870 766-597-42 Dallas... 1960 9/28/14 880 536-401-6 New England...1960 12/4/16 911 521-405-9 San Francisco...1950 10/9/11 937 557-480-14 N.Y. Giants... 1925 10/17/93 941 711-610-33 Indianapolis...1953 9/28/14 951 528-476-7 Green Bay... 1921 10/10/93 960 771-584-37 Washington... 1932 11/20/00 962 616-600-28 LA Rams...1937 12/5/04 964 574-584-21 Pittsburgh...1933 12/18/04 1,002 650-562-20 Philadelphia...1933 12/28/04 1,068 582-611-25 Detroit...1930 12/12/10 1,135 559-661-32 Arizona...1920 12/11/11 1,234 557-739-40 9 2017 STATISTICAL COMPARISON (league ranking) 2017 2016 Record... 9-7 13-3 Scoring Avg. (NFL rank)... 22.1 (14) 26.3 (5) Opp. Scoring Avg. (NFL rank)... 20.8 (13t) 19.1 (5) Total Off. (NFL rank)... 331.9 (14) 376.7 (5) Rushing Off. (NFL rank)... 135.6 (2) 149.8 (2) Passing Off. (NFL rank)... 196.3 (26) 226.9 (23) Total Def. (NFL rank)... 318.1 (8) 343.9 (14) Rushing Def. (NFL rank)... 104.0 (8) 83.5 (1) Passing Def. (NFL rank)... 214.1 (11) 260.4 (26) Kickoff Return Avg... 24.8 (3) 20.5 (23) Punt Return Avg... 8.9 (13) 7.1 (23) Turnover Margin... -1 (16t) +5 (9t) Penalties... 97 105 Penalty Yards... 939 879 Opp. Penalties... 107 90 Opp. Penalty Yards... 880 784
PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS VS. PANTHERS Tavon Austin - WR Caught six passes for 56 yards (9.3 avg.) in two games while with the Rams. Also returned three kickoffs for 73 yards (24.3) and seven punts for 66 yards (9.4). Cole Beasley - WR Made six receptions for 44 yards and one touchdown in one game against Carolina (11/26/15). Tyrone Crawford - DT Totaled six tackles, a sack and a quarterback pressure in two games. Jeff Heath - S Tallied seven tackles in one game against Carolina (11/26/15). Allen Hurns - WR In one game against Carolina (9/13/15) while with Jacksonville, caught five balls for 60 yards (12.0). Byron Jones - CB Posted four stops and two pass breakups in one game against Carolina (11/25/15). DeMarcus Lawrence - DE In one game against Carolina (11/26/15) had two tackles and two quarterback pressures. Sean Lee - LB Has logged 23 tackles, a tackle for loss and two pass breakups in two games. Terrance Williams - WR Produced four receptions for 39 yards (9.8) in one game against Carolina (11/26/15). 2018 STATISTICAL COMPARISON (league ranking) Cowboys Panthers Record... 9-7 11-5 Scoring Avg. (NFL rank)... 22.1 (14) 22.6 (12) Opp. Scoring Avg. (NFL rank)... 20.8 (13t) 20.4 (11) Total Off. (NFL rank)... 331.9 (14) 323.7 (19) Rushing Off. (NFL rank)... 135.6 (2) 131.4 (4) Passing Off. (NFL rank)... 196.3 (26) 192.3 (28) Total Def. (NFL rank)... 318.1 (8) 317.1 (7) Rushing Def. (NFL rank)... 104.0 (8) 88.1 (3) Passing Def. (NFL rank)... 214.1 (11) 229.1 (18) Kickoff Return Avg... 24.8 (3) 22.4 (10) Punt Return Avg... 8.9 (13) 8.0 (19) Turnover Margin... -1 (16t) -1 (16t) Penalties... 97 83 Penalty Yards... 939 682 Opp. Penalties... 107 101 Opp. Penalty Yards... 880 867 SERIES HISTORY Dallas and Carolina have squared off 13 times, with Dallas holding a 9-4 series advantage. Dallas lost the first two games of the series before winning the next four games. More recently, the Cowboys had a five-game win streak against the Panthers before losing in the previous matchup. There have been two playoff games between the two teams - a Divisional Playoff Game (1996) and a Wild Card Playoff Game (2003) - both Dallas losses. Below is a brief look at the 13 games of the series: Dal Dal Date 1/5/97* Loc. W/L Car L Score 17-26 Date 12/24/05 Loc. W/L Score Car W 24-20 12/8/97 Dal L 23-23 10/29/06 Car W 35-14 10/11/98 Dal W 27-20 12/22/07 Car W 20-13 10/1/00 Car W(OT) 16-13 9/28/09 Dal W 21-7 10/13/02 Dal W 14-13 10/21/12 Car W 19-14 11/23/03 Dal W 24-20 11/26/15 Dal L 14-33 1/3/04** Car L 10-29 *NFC Divisional Playoffs **NFC Wild Card Playoffs INSIDE THE SERIES HISTORY The Dallas Cowboys and Carolina Panthers have faced each other 13 times with Dallas holding a 9-4 series advantage. DOWN SOUTH The Dallas Cowboys will face all teams from the NFC Souththis season. This week s game at the Carolina Panthers is the first of four games against NFC South foes as they will also see Atlanta (11/18), New Orleans (11/29) and Tampa Bay (12/23). Overall, Dallas is 55-31 against the NFC South, and is 9-4 against the Panthers: Dallas vs. NFC South Current Team W L T Win% Streak Tampa Bay...14 4 0.777 W1 Carolina...9 4 0.692 L1 Atlanta...16 11 0.593 L3 New Orleans...16 12 0.571 L1 Div. Totals...55 31 0.640 L1 In the 13 games of the series there has been: * Nine games decided by 10 points-or-less * Five games decided by less than a touchdown * Five games decided by double digits * A five-game winning streak by Dallas * A two-game losing streak by Dallas * A 21-point win by Dallas - biggest Cowboys win * Two 19-point losses by Dallas - biggest Cowboys losses * Two playoff games - one Divisional game and one Wild Card game - both Dallas losses * One overtime game - a 16-13 Dallas win * Two Monday night games, one Saturday night game and one Sunday night game * A Thanksgiving Day game * A Christmas Eve game * 254 points scored by Dallas, 245 allowed * A 4-2 Cowboys record when playing in Dallas * A 5-2 Cowboys record when playing in Carolina * A current four-game win streak in Carolina 10
ALL-TIME STAT COMPARISON This week s game is the 12th regular season game between Dallas and Carolina. Below is a look into some of the stats of the brief series: TEAM TOTALS Cowboys Panthers Wins... 9 2 Points... 227 190 Total Net Yards... 3,749 3,083 Net Rushing Yards... 1,450 1,026 Net Passing Yards... 2,299 2,057 SINGLE-GAME TEAM-HIGHS Cowboys Panthers Points...35 10/29/06 33 11/26/15 Total Net Yards...449 9/28/09 324 12/8/97 Net Rushing Yards...214 12/24/05 155 12/8/97 Net Passing Yards...277 10/11/98 267 10/11/98 SINGLE-GAME INDIVIDUAL HIGHS Cowboys Panthers Passing Yards 287 - J. Garrett 10/11/98 286 - S. Beuerlein 10/11/98 Rushing Yards 194 - J. Jones 12/24/05 138 - F. Lane 12/8/97 Receiving Yards 146 - M. Irvin 10/11/98 137 - S. Smith 12/22/07 FIRST TIME...LAST TIME The first time these two clubs met, the Cowboys headed to Carolina for a 1996 Divisional Playoff Game (1/5/97). Dallas was handed a 26-17 loss in front of 72,808 fans. The last time these two clubs met the 2015 Thanksgiving Day game in Dallas. The Panthers downed the Cowboys 33-14 on Nov. 26, 2015 in front of 90,909 fans. DATING GAME This week s season-opening game against the Carolina Panthers is being played on Sept. 9. In the 58 years of Cowboys football, there have been five Sept. 9 games. The Cowboys hold a 3-2 record when playing on Sept. 9. They have faced the N.Y. Giants, Washington, Tampa Bay, San Diego and Philadelphia. Dallas first-ever Sept. 9 game came in 1985, a 44-14 win versus Washington. Its last Sept. 9 game was in 2007, a 45-35 win against the New York Giants. This season is the fourth time Dallas will open a season on Sept. 9. The first was in 1985 against Washington. This will also be the first time Dallas has played a game on the road on Sept. 9. Opp/ Dal Opp/ Dal Date Loc. W/L Score Date Loc. W/L Score 9/9/85 WAS W 44-14 9/9/01 TB L 6-10 9/9/90 SD W 17-14 9/9/07 NYG W 45-35 9/9/91 PHI L 31-33 SOLD OUT STADIUMS The Cowboys have played in front of sold out stadiums in 455 of their last 457 games (including playoffs) and in 257 consecutive games. They played in front of sold out crowds in 153 consecutive games at Texas Stadium (including playoffs) - dating back to Dec. 16, 1990 against Phoenix, their last home non-sellout. Dallas opened what is now named AT&T Stadium with the largest crowd to witness a regular season NFL game with 105,121 tickets distributed and have 75 straight sellouts (including playoffs). The Cowboys have sold out each of their last 226 home games. On the road, Dallas has played in front of sold out crowds in 128 straight games (including playoffs), dating back to its last road non-sellout - at Arizona (10/20/02). 11 AT&T STADIUM RECORD WHEN... In 2018 the Dallas Cowboys will reach a milestone with their 10th season in what is now AT&T Stadium. In 2017 the Cowboys had a 3-5 record in theith home building. Dallas first game at the venue was on Sept. 20, 2009 - a 31-33 loss to the N.Y. Giants. The club s first win came a week later with a 21-7 decision over Carolina. Overall, Dallas owns a 39-36 record - 2-1 postseason - and a 39-36 overall mark at home in AT&T Stadium. Below is a breakdown of the club s record on their home turf: Regular season...37-35 Postseason...2-1 Overall...39-36 Regular Post September... 9-5 October... 7-11 November... 13-9 December... 6-9 January... 2-1 2-1 Playing at noon... 12-8 Playing at 3:30... 12-17 1-1 Playing in prime time... 13-10 1-0 Thursday... 5-5 Saturday... 0-2 1-0 Sunday... 29-25 1-1 Monday... 3-3 Fully closed stadium... 23-23 2-1 Fully open stadium... 7-7 Roof open, doors closed... 2-4 Roof closed, doors open... 5-1 Playing against the NFC East...13-14 1-0 Playing against the NFC (non-nfc East)...13-14 1-1 Playing against the AFC...11-7 Team-by-team Team W L Pct Team W L Pct Arizona...0 1.000 Atlanta...1 1.500 Baltimore...1 0 1.000 Buffalo...1 0 1.000 Carolina...1 1.500 Chicago...1 2.333 Cincinnati...1 0 1.000 Cleveland...1 0 1.000 Denver...0 1.000 Detroit...2 1.667 Green Bay...0 2.000 Houston...1 0 1.000 Indianapolis...1 0 1.000 Jacksonville...0 1.000 Kansas City...1 0 1.000 LA/SD Chargers..0 2.000 LA/StL Rams...2 1.667 Miami...1 0 1.000 Minnesota...1 0 1.000 New England...0 1.000 New Orleans...1 2.333 N.Y. Giants...4 5.444 N.Y. Jets...0 1.000 Oakland...2 0 1.000 Philadelphia...3 6.333 Pittsburgh...1 0 1.000 San Francisco...0 1.000 Seattle...2 2.500 Tampa Bay...2 0 1.000 Tennessee...0 1.000 Washington...6 3.667 Postseason Detroit...1 0 1.000 Green Bay...0 1.000 Philadelphia...1 0 1.000 The Cowboys posted a 7-1 home mark in 2016 - including a stadium-record seven-game win streak - to establish the best home record by a Cowboys team since the stadium opened in 2009: Most Single Season Wins at AT&T Stadium Dallas Cowboys Consec. Home Season Wins Wins Record 2016...7 7 7-1 2009...6 5 6-2 2011...5 4 5-3 2013...5 3 5-3 Dallas extended its home win streak to eight games from Sept. 25, 2016 through Sept. 10, 2017 to tie the fifth-longest home win streak in franchise history, longest at AT&T Stadium: Most Consecutive Home Wins - Dallas Cowboys Consec. Wins Dates 18...12/20/98-12/12/99 11...9/29/91-11/1/92 10...10/11/71-11/12/72 9...11/23/75-11/25/76 8...11/18/96-11/16/97 8...12/20/98-12/12/99 8...9/25/16-9/10/17
DAK TO THE FUTURE In his third pro season, Dak Prescott ranks seventh in wins (22), passing yards (6,991), completions (619) and attempts (949) and is tied for seventh in passing touchdowns (45): Dallas Cowboys All-Time QB Chart WINS AS STARTER Troy Aikman... 94 Roger Staubach... 85 Tony Romo... 78 Danny White... 62 Don Meredith... 47 Craig Morton... 32 Dak Prescott... 22 ATTEMPTS Troy Aikman...4,715 Tony Romo... 4,335 Roger Staubach... 2,958 Danny White... 2,950 Don Meredith... 2,308 Craig Morton... 1,308 Dak Prescott...949 COMPLETIONS Troy Aikman...2,898 Tony Romo... 2,829 Danny White... 1,761 Roger Staubach... 1,685 Don Meredith... 1,170 Craig Morton... 685 Dak Prescott... 619 PASSING YARDS Tony Romo... 34,183 Troy Aikman...32,942 Roger Staubach...22,700 Danny White...21,959 Don Meredith...17,199 Craig Morton...10,279 Dak Prescott...6,991 PASSING TOUCHDOWNS Tony Romo... 247 Troy Aikman... 165 Danny White... 155 Roger Staubach... 153 Don Meredith... 135 Craig Morton... 80 Eddie LeBaron... 45 Dak Prescott... 45 DAK S RECORD WHEN... Since taking over as Dallas starting quarterback in 2016, Dak Prescott has compiled a 22-10 regular season record in 32 career starts, and is 0-1 in the postseason. Below is a look at Prescott s record under several different circumstances: Regular Post Playing at home:... 10-6 0-1 Playing on the road:... 12-4 Playing indoors:... 11-6 0-1 Playing outdoors:... 11-4 Playing against the NFC East:... 8-4 Playing against the NFC (non-nfc East):... 8-4 0-1 Playing against the AFC:... 6-2 Playing on artificial turf:... 12-8 0-1 Playing on natural grass:... 10-2 Offense totals over 300 yards:... 19-3 0-1 Throws for over 300 yards:... 3-0 0-1 Throws for 200-299 yards:... 13-4 Throws only one touchdown:... 6-1 Throws more than one touchdown:... 12-3 0-1 Completes 60.0% or more of his passes:... 19-5 0-1 Throws no interceptions:... 19-3 Throws one interception:... 2-2 0-1 Throws more than one interception:... 1-5 Records at least 100.0 passer rating:... 15-1 0-1 Sacked one time-or-less:... 13-3 Sacked more than once:... 9-7 0-1 September:... 4-2 October:... 6-2 November:... 6-3 December:... 6-2 January:... 0-1 0-1 Team-by-team Team W L Pct Team W L Pct Arizona...1 0 1.000 Atlanta...0 1.000 Baltimore...1 0 1.000 Chicago...1 0 1.000 Cincinnati...1 0 1.000 Cleveland...1 0 1.000 Denver...0 1.000 Detroit...1 0 1.000 Green Bay...1 1.500 Kansas City...1 0 1.000 LA Chargers...0 1.000 LA Rams...0 1.000 Minnesota...1 0 1.000 N.Y. Giants...2 2.500 Oakland...1 0 1.000 Philadelphia...2 2.500 Pittsburgh...1 0 1.000 San Francisco..2 0 1.000 Seattle...0 1.000 Tampa Bay...1 0 1.000 Washington...4 0 1.000 Postseason Green Bay...0 1.000 DAKOTA THE DUDE In 2017 Dakota Dak Prescott tied for 12th in passing touchdowns (22), was 13th in completion percentage (62.9), 15th in completions (308), 16th passing yards (3,146) and attempts (490) and 17th in quarterback rating (86.6): 2017 NFL Passing Leaders - TDs Player Att Cmp Pct Yds TD Int Rate Russell Wilson, Sea...553 339 61.3 3,983 34 11 95.4 Carson Wentz, Phi...440 265 60.2 3,296 33 7 101.9 Tom Brady, NE...581 385 66.3 4,577 32 8 102.8 Matt Stafford, Det...565 371 65.7 4,446 29 10 99.3 Jared Goff, LAR...477 296 62.1 3,804 28 7 100.5 Philip Rivers, LAC...575 360 62.6 4,515 28 10 96.0 Ben Roethlisberger...561 360 64.2 4,251 28 14 93.4 Kirk Cousins, Was...540 347 64.3 4,093 27 13 93.9 Alex Smith, KC...505 341 67.5 4,042 26 5 104.7 Andy Dalton, Cin...496 297 59.9 3,320 25 12 86.6 Drew Brees, NO...536 386 72.0 4,334 23 8 103.9 Dak Prescott, Dal...490 308 62.9 3,324 22 13 86.6 Three players... 22 12
PRESCOTT TARGETS In the midst of his young career, Dak Prescott has completed 619-of-949 passes for 6,991 yards with 45 touchdowns in 32 regular season games played behind center. Below is a breakdown of Dak s targets by position and player: Position Breakdown Comp. Yds TD Comp. Yds TD WR...364 4,525 32 RB...101 996 4 TE...145 1,420 9 FB...9 50 0 Player Breakdown by Completions Player Com Yds TD Player Com Yds TD J. Witten...131 1,223 7 K. Smith...8 46 0 D. Bryant... 119 1,634 14 G. Swaim...7 86 0 C. Beasley... 109 1,102 9 R. Switzer...5 39 0 T. Williams...95 1,144 3 J. Hanna...4 88 1 E. Elliott...58 632 3 N. Brown...4 33 0 B. Butler...30 533 6 G. Escobar...3 23 1 R. Smith...20 206 1 L. Whitehead... 2 40 0 L. Dunbar...13 103 0 D. McFadden... 2 6 0 A. Morris...9 53 0 Prescott has thrown 45 touchdown passes - tied for seventh alltime in team history. Below is his individual touchdown totals: Player TDs Player TDs Dez Bryant...14 Cole Beasley...9 Jason Witten...7 Brice Butler...6 Ezekiel Elliott...3 QB 1 S TOUCHDOWN BREAKDOWN Dak Prescott has thrown 45 touchdown passes. Below is a look at Dak s touchdown totals by quarter, down and distance: Quarter Down Distance 1st Quarter... 7 1st Down... 16 0-9 Yards...16 2nd Quarter... 17 2nd Down... 17 10-19 Yards...12 3rd Quarter... 5 3rd Down... 12 20-29 Yards...10 4th Quarter... 15 4th Down... 0 30-39 Yards...2 OT... 1 40-49 Yards...0 50+ Yards...5 QB S MULTIPLE TDs In seven games in 2016, Dak Prescott tossed at least two touchdown scores to tie for fourth by a rookie in NFL history. After eight multi-touchdown games in 2017, he currently ranks seventh in franchise history for the most career games with at least two touchdown passes: Multiple-touchdown games - Cowboys Career Player Games Player Games Tony Romo...79 Craig Morton...21 Roger Staubach...48 Dak Prescott...15 Danny White...44 Eddie LeBaron...14 Troy Aikman...43 Drew Bledsoe...8 Don Meredith...41 Steve Pelluer...8 Prescott also notched four games with three-plus touchdown passes in 2016 that tied the most by a rookie quarterback in NFL history. It also tied the eighth-most in the NFL in 2016 by any league quarterback. After four more in 2017, his total currently places him sixth on the team s all-time three-touchdown games list: Three-touchdown games - Cowboys Career Player Games Player Games Tony Romo...40 Danny White...20 Roger Staubach...17 *italics indicate current Cowboy Terrance Williams...3 Gavin Escobar...1 James Hanna...1 Rod Smith...1 Don Meredith... 14 Troy Aikman... 10 Dak Prescott... 8 This season Prescott had a streak of three consecutive games with at least three touchdowns to tie the longest in team history: Consecutive Games With 3-plus TD Passes - Dallas Cowboys Player Consec. Games Dates Don Meredith...3 10/27/63-11/10/63 Don Meredith...3 12/11/65-9/18/66 Tony Romo...3 11/4/07-11/18/07 Tony Romo...3 9/28/08-10/12/08 Tony Romo...3 12/4/14-12/21/14 Dak Prescott...3 10/1/17-10/22/17 13 QB RATINGS AT 100.0 Dak Prescott established the most games with a 100.0 rating by any Cowboys quarterback in a single season in team history with 11 as a rookie in 2016: Most Games with 100.0 QB Rating - Dallas Cowboys Season Player Games Season Dak Prescott*...11 2016 Tony Romo...10 2007 Tony Romo...10 2014 *denotes rookie Prescott posted five games in 2017, and his 16 total games with at least a 100.0 rating are seventh all-time in team history: Games with 100.0 QB Rating - Cowboys Career Player Games Player Games Tony Romo...67 Craig Morton...24 Troy Aikman...44 Don Meredith...23 Roger Staubach...37 Dak Prescott...16 Danny White...33 QB RECORD SETTER Dak Prescott established numerous records in 2016, and he continued as a record-setter during his second season under center, setting the following records in 2017: Dak Prescott QB Records Set - 2017 Team Record Set Total Fewest INTs First 17 games...4* Five-or-Fewer INTs in 1st 500 Atts...4* QB To Reach 25 TDs w/fewest INTs...4* Consec. Games w/3-plus Pass TDs & Rush TD... 2^ 3,000 Pass Yds in First Two Career Seasons... 2^ 20 Passing TDs in First Two Career Seasons... 2^ Most Wins by a QB in his first two seasons... 22^ Most Rush Yds by a QB in a Single Season...357^ Most Rush TDs by a QB in a Single Season... 6^ *indicates NFL record ^indicates team record DAK-TO-DAK 3K Against Seattle (12/24), Dak Prescott reached 3,000 passing yards on the season. By doing so, he became the fifth Dallas quarterback to pass for 3,000 yards in at least two seasons. He also became the fifth quarterback - seventh time - to reach that mark in at least two consecutive seasons in team history: Most Seasons w/at least 3,000 Passing Yds - Dallas Cowboys Player Total Consec. Tony Romo...7 4 (2011-14), 3 (07-09) Troy Aikman...5 3 (1995-97), 2 (92-93) Danny White...4 2 (1980-81) Roger Staubach...3 2 (1978-79) Dak Prescott...2 2 (2016-17) Prescott also became the first quarterback in franchise history to pass for at least 3,000 yards in each of his first two pro seasons, and the 11th signal caller in NFL history to do so. IN HIS EARLY TWENTIES At the N.Y. Giants (12/10/17), Dak Prescott topped 20 passing touchdowns on the season. By doing so, he became the fifth quarterback in team history to post at least two 20-touchdown seasons, and also the fifth - sixth time - to reach that mark in consecutive seasons: Most Seasons with at least 20 Passing TDs - Dallas Cowboys Player Total Consec. Tony Romo...7 4 (2011-14), 3 (07-09) Danny White...4 2 (1980-81) Don Meredith...3 2 (1965-66) Roger Staubach...3 2 (1978-79) Dak Prescott...2 2 (2016-17) Troy Aikman...1 Drew Bledsoe...1 Craig Morton...1 Prescott also became the eighth player in NFL history - first Cowboy - to throw for at least 20 touchdowns in each of his first two seasons.
ZEKE IN 1ST 2 SEASONS Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott led the league in 2016 with a franchise rookie record 1,631 rushing yards. He followed that up with 983 yards in his second season. Combined, his 2,614 rushing yards are the most by any Cowboys rusher in franchise history in a player s first two seasons: Most Rush Yards by a RB - Dallas Cowboys, 1st Two Seasons Player 1st Season 2nd Season Total Ezekiel Elliott...1,631 (2016) 983 (2017) 2,614 Emmitt Smith...937 (1990) 1,563 (1991) 2,500 Tony Dorsett...1,007 (1977) 1,325 (1978) 2,332 It is also the second-most rushing yards by an NFL rusher in his first 25 games played: Most Rush Yards by a RB - NFL, First 25 Games Player Rush Yds Eric Dickerson, 1983-84...2,771 Ezekiel Elliott, 2016-17...2,614 EZE 2K17 Against Green Bay (10/8/17), Ezekiel Elliott s rushing total allowed him to reach 2,000 career rushing yards. By doing so in his 20th career game, he tied Earl Campbell as the second-fastest rusher in NFL history to arrive at that mark: Fastest to 2,000 Career Rushing Yards - NFL RB Player Games Eric Dickerson...18 Earl Campbell...20 Ezekiel Elliott...20 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL For only the second time in franchise history, the Dallas Cowboys used a top-five pick on a running back when they chose Ezekiel Elliott out of Ohio State with the fourth overall selection in the 2016 NFL Draft. Dallas selected Tony Dorsett with the second pick in the 1977 NFL Draft. After earning the NFL s rushing title as a rookie in 2016 with 1,631 yards, Elliott finished 10th in 2017 with 983 yards on 242 carries and seven touchdowns. In his first season, Elliott produced seven 100-yard rushing games - most by a Cowboys rookie, tied for seventh by a league rookie all-time and tied for the most in the NFL in 2016. He added five more 100-yard outings in 2017 to give him 12 for his career to rank fifth all-time in team history. Dallas is 10-2 when Elliott tops 100 yards on the ground: Ezekiel Elliott 100-yard Rush Games 159... TB W 12/18/16 157... @GB W 10/16/16 150... @Was W 10/29/17 147... @SF W 10/22/17 140... CHI W 9/25/16 138... @SF W 10/2/16 (12 total) 134...CIN W 10/9/16 116...GB L 10/8/17 114...@Pit W 11/13/16 107...@NYG L 12/11/16 104...NYG W 9/10/17 103...@Phi W 12/31/17 Yds Opp W/L Date Yds Opp W/L Date Most Career 100-Yard Rushing Games - Dallas Cowboys Player 100-Yard Games Emmitt Smith...76 Tony Dorsett...43 DeMarco Murray...19 Calvin Hill...16 Ezekiel Elliott... 12 Elliott set a franchise rookie record with 12 games of 20-plus carries, which was also the most by any NFL rusher in 2016. He added nine more games in 2017 and now owns 21 career games with 20-plus carries - with the Dallas 16-5 during those contests: Ezekiel Elliott 20-plus Carry Games (21 total) Opp Date Att Yds W/L Opp Date @Was..10/19/17 33 150 W @SF...10/2/16 Att Yds W/L 23 138 W CHI...9/25/16 30 140 W TB...12/18/16 23 159 W GB...10/8/17 29 116 L PHI...10/30/16 22 96 W @GB...10/16/16 28 157 W @Ari...9/25/17 22 80 W @SF...10/22/17 26 147 W @Was..9/18/16 21 83 W KC...11/5/17 27 93 W @Pit...11/13/16 21 114 W @Phi...12/31/17 27 103 W LAR...10/1/17 21 85 L BAL...11/20/16 25 97 W NYG...9/11/16 20 51 L @NYG...12/11/16 24 107 L WAS...11/20/16 20 97 W NYG...9/10/17 24 104 W SEA...12/24/17 24 97 L @Min... 12/1/16 20 86 W KEEP IT 100 Ezekiel Elliott topped the 100-yard rushing mark five times in 2017 to tie the third-most by an NFL rusher: Most 100-Yard Rushing Games - NFL 2017 Player Games Todd Gurley, LAR...6 Kareem Hunt, KC...6 Ezekiel Elliott, Dal...5 Leonard Fournette, Jac...5 Jordan Howard, Chi...5 Elliott had seven 100-yard rushing games in 2016, and collectively, his 12 over the past two seasons are tied for the most in the NFL: Most 100-Yard Rushing Games - NFL, 2016-17 Player Games Ezekiel Elliott, Dal...12 Jordan Howard, Chi...12 Historically, Elliott s 12 games with 100 rushing yards are tied for the eighth-most by an NFL rusher in his first two pro seasons. 14
KING EZEKIEL After leading the league in rushing as a rookie in 2016, Ezekiel Elliott finished 10th in the NFL in 2017 despite missing six games. He led the league by averaging 98.3 yards-per-game: 2017 NFL Rushing Yards Leaders Player Att Yards Avg Lng YPG TD Kareem Hunt, KC... 272 1,327 4.9 69 82.9 8 Todd Gurley, LAR... 279 1,305 4.7 57t 87.0 13 Le Veon Bell, Pit... 321 1,291 4.0 27 86.1 9 LeSean McCoy, Buf... 287 1,138 4.0 48t 71.1 6 Mark Ingram, NO... 230 1,124 4.9 72 70.3 12 Jordan Howard, Chi... 276 1,122 4.1 53 70.1 9 Melvin Gordon, LAC... 284 1,105 3.9 87t 69.1 8 Leonard Fournette, Jax... 268 1,040 3.9 90t 80.0 9 C.J. Anderson, Den... 245 1,007 4.1 40 62.9 3 Ezekiel Elliott, Dal... 242 983 4.1 30 98.3 7 In his third season, Elliott ranks 12th in rushing yards and touchdowns and is 13th in carries among all-time Dallas rushers: Dallas Cowboys All-Time Rushing Leaders - Yards Player Years Att Yards Avg TD Emmitt Smith,... 1990-02 4,052 17,162 4.2 153 Tony Dorsett,... 1977-87 2,755 12,036 4.3 72 Don Perkins,... 1961-68 1,500 6,217 4.1 42 Calvin Hill,... 1969-74 1,166 5,009 4.3 39 Robert Newhouse... 1972-83 1,160 4,784 4.1 31 DeMarco Murray,... 2011-14 934 4,526 4.8 28 Marion Barber III... 2005-10 1,042 4,358 4.1 47 Walt Garrison... 1966-74 899 3,886 4.3 30 Herschel Walker... 1986-97 818 3,491 4.2 27 Julius Jones... 2004-07 885 3,484 3.9 18 Felix Jones... 2008-12 569 2,728 4.7 11 Ezekiel Elliott... 2016-18 564 2,614 4.6 22 ZEKE & DESTROY Ezekiel Elliott is a focal point of the Dallas Cowboys offense. His 1,252 total scrimmage yards (983 rush; 269 rec.) and 61 total first downs were tops on the team in 2017. Elliott established a career-high with 219 total scrimmage yards (147 rush; 72 receiving) at San Francisco (10/22/17). It was the most yards from scrimmage since DeMarco Murray logged 228 at Chicago (12/4/14). It was Elliott s second game with at least 200 yards from scrimmage to tie the fourth-most by a player in team history: Most Games With 200-Plus Scrimmage Yards - Dallas Cowboys Player Games Emmitt Smith...4 DeMarco Murray...4 Herschel Walker...3 Tony Dorsett...2 Julius Jones...2 Ezekiel Elliott...2 On the league level, Elliott is tied for the second-most games with 200-plus scrimmage yards over the last two seasons: Most Games With 200-Plus Scrimmage Yards - NFL, 2016-17 Player Games Jay Ajayi, Mia/Phi...3 Ezekiel Elliott, Dal...2 Todd Gurley, LAR...2 Le Veon Bell, Pit...2 Kareem Hunt, KC...2 Julio Jones, Atl...2 Elliott compiled 11 games with 100-plus yards from scrimmage in 2016 - tied for third by a rookie in NFL history - and his 18 total games over the last two seasons are tied for the second-most in the NFL during that span: Most 100-Yard Games from Scrimmage - NFL, 2016-17 Player Games Le Veon Bell, Pit...20 Ezekiel Elliott, Dal...18 LeSean McCoy, Buf...18 Jordan Howard, Chi...15 David Johnson, Ari...15 15 EAT, ZEKE, EAT In 2016 Ezekiel Elliott posted five multi-touchdown games for the Cowboys, the most by a rookie in team history, and tied for second overall by an NFL rookie rusher. After posting three multi-touchdown games in 2017, his eight games are tied for the most multi-score games - most multi-rushing touchdown games (seven) - in the NFL the last two seasons: Most Multi-Touchdown Games - NFL, 2016-17 Player Games Ezekiel Elliott, Dal...8 David Johnson, Ari...8 Elliott logged two multi-rushing touchdown games in 2017 to give him seven total for his career for fifth all-time in team history: Most Career Multi-Rushing TD Games - Dallas Cowboys Player Games Emmitt Smith...35 Tony Dorsett...14 Marion Barber III...10 Don Perkins...8 Ezekiel Elliott...7 At San Francisco (10/22) he recorded his second career game with at least three touchdowns (two rushing; one receiving) to become the 12th player in team history to record at least two career games with at least three touchdowns: Most Games With 3-Plus TDs - Dallas Cowboys Player Games Emmitt Smith...10 Bob Hayes...3 Calvin Hill...3 Dez Bryant...2 Frank Clarke...2 Michael Irvin...2 Terrell Owens...2 Drew Pearson...2 Dan Reeves...2 Ron Springs...2 Duane Thomas...2 Ezekiel Elliott...2 His two games with at least three scores are tied for the most in the league over the last two seasons (2016-17): Most Games With 3-Plus TDs - NFL, 2016-17 Player Games Ezekiel Elliott, Dal...2 Le Veon Bell, Pit...2 Antonio Brown, Pit...2 Michael Crabtree, Oak...2 Todd Gurley, LAR...2 David Johnson, Ari...2
RUSHING TO THE TOP Over the last few seasons, the Dallas Cowboys have established an identity on offense with their rushing attack, finishing each of the previous three seasons (2014-2nd; 2015-9th; 2016-2nd) in the top-10 in the NFL in rushing. Dallas turned to its offensive strength again in 2017, as for the third time in the last four years the unit placed second in the league in rushing yards-per-game (135.6): 2017 NFL Team Rushing Leaders - Yards-Per-Game Team Att Yards Avg TD 1st Yds/Gm Jacksonville... 527 2,262 4.2 18 101 141.4 Dallas... 480 2,170 4.5 18 127 135.6 Philadelphia... 473 2,115 4.4 9 108 132.2 Carolina... 490 2,102 4.2 15 121 131.4 New Orleans... 444 2,070 4.6 23 111 129.4 Dallas led the league in rushing first downs (127) for the first time since the 1999 season: 2017 NFL Team Rushing Leaders - 1st Downs Team 1st Dallas...127 Carolina...121 Baltimore... 111 New Orleans... 111 Philadelphia...108 The Cowboys also tied for the second-most rushing touchdowns (18) in the NFL: 2017 NFL Team Rushing Leaders - Touchdowns Team TDs New Orleans...23 Dallas...18 Jacksonville...18 Tennessee...18 The Cowboys 59 runs of 10-plus yards tied for fourth in the NFL, and their 12 runs of 20-plus yards tied for eighth: 2017 Big Rush Plays, 10+ Yards - NFL Team 10+ Yd Runs Philadelphia...64 Buffalo...60 Seattle...60 Dallas...59 LA Rams...59 2017 Big Rush Plays, 20+ Yards - NFL Team 20+ Yd Runs Philadelphia...19 Buffalo...17 New Orleans...17 Kansas City...15 Minnesota...15 N.Y. Jets...14 Jacksonville...13 Dallas...12 L.A. Rams...12 Seattle...12 Tennessee...12 DRIVE FOR FIVE Dallas tied the most total drives of five-or-more minutes (30) in the NFL. The Cowboys also posted the most touchdowns (14) and points (116) during drives of five-or-more minutes: Off 5 Min 5 Min 5 Min 5 Min Team Poss. Drives Scores TDs Points Dallas...171 30 21 14 116 Carolina...178 30 23 10 108 TEN PLAYS-OR-MORE Along with the timing of their drives, the Dallas Cowboys offense also consistently put together drives of 10-or-more plays. Dallas 14 touchdowns on 10-play drives was second in the league, while their 119 total points were sixth and their 32 total drives tied for fourth in the NFL in 2017: Off 10-Play 10-Play 10-Play 10-Play Team Poss. Drives Scores TDs Points Tampa Bay...175 36 28 13 134 Denver...192 34 26 15 138 San Francisco...184 34 30 11 134 Dallas...171 32 22 14 119 Carolina...178 32 26 12 125 FINISHING DRIVES WITH SCORES The Dallas offense had the fifth-highest touchdown efficiency rate in the NFL, finishing drives with a touchdown 23.4% (40-of- 171) of the time, and also tied for sixth with 40 touchdown drives: Highest TD Efficiency Rate - NFL 2017 Team Poss. TD TD% New England...173 48 27.7 New Orleans...175 46 26.3 Philadelphia...191 48 25.1 LA Rams...188 45 23.9 Dallas...171 40 23.4 RED ALERT The Cowboys made the most of their opportunities in the redzone in 2017, scoring a touchdown on 31-of-52 trips (59.6%) to place sixth in the league. Additionally, Dallas 31 touchdowns in the red zone were eighth and 250 points ninth in the NFL: Red Zone TD Effeciency Rate - NFL Offense 2017 Team Poss. Pts TD TD% FG Scores Pct Philadelphia...55 286 36 65.5 12 48 87.3 Jacksonville...50 268 32 64.0 15 47 94.0 Green Bay...42 211 26 61.9 10 36 85.7 Chicago...33 158 20 60.6 7 27 81.8 New England...70 365 42 60.0 24 66 94.3 Dallas...52 250 31 59.6 12 43 82.7 DALLAS RUN 2K Dallas topped 2,000 team rushing yards (2,170) in 2017 to mark the second consecutive season the unit has reached that milestone, and the first such streak since the 1998-99 seasons. The Cowboys are one of only two teams (Buffalo) in the NFL to reach 2,000 rushing yards in each of the last two seasons. Overall, it is tied for the second-longest streak in team history (1992, 93; 1998-99), behind the franchise record of 14 straight seasons from 1968-81: Most Consec. Seasons w/2,000 Rush Yards - Dallas Cowboys Streak Seasons 14... 1968-81 2... 1992-93 2... 1998-99 2*... 2016-17 *indicates current streak 16 3RD-AND-NO PROBLEM The Cowboys offense was successful on 87-of-203 third downs (42.9%), good for fifth in the NFL in 2017: Third Down Conversions - NFL Offense 2017 3rd Down 3rd Down 3rd Down Team Att Conv. Pct. Atlanta...197 88 44.7 Pittsburgh...209 92 44.0 Minnesota...216 94 43.5 Tampa Bay...196 85 43.4 Dallas...203 87 42.9
FIRST DOWN COWBOYS Dallas is one-of-three NFL teams in 2018 to have multiple receivers excel at moving the chains in recent years. Terrance Williams and Allen Hurns are in a select group of wide receivers who have recorded a first down on at least 65% of their receptions since 2014, minimum 100 receptions. Only the Eagles (Alshon Jeffrey, Markus Wheaton, Mike Wallace) and the Jaguars (Marquise Lee, Donte Moncrief) have multiple receivers that have done the same. Dallas WR First Down Percentage since 2014, min 100 rec. Player Rec Yards Avg 1st 1st% Terrance Williams...186 2,623 14.1 131 70.4 Allen Hurns...189 2,669 14.1 125 66.1 YOUTH INFUSION Dallas enters its first season since 2002 without stalwart tight end Jason Witten to headline their corps. With an average age of 23.4, this Cowboys group will look to several intriguing young option to have a breakout 2018 season. Geoff Swaim is the only player at the position to record receving stats in the regular season: Dallas Cowboys Tight End Receiving Leaders Player Rec Yards Avg Long TD Geoff Swaim...9 94 10.4 28 0 Blake Jarwin...0 0 0.0 0 0 Rico Gathers...0 0 0.0 0 0 Dalton Schultz...0 0 0.0 0 0 YAC ATTACK Dallas is the only NFL team entering the 2018 season to boast three wide receivers who have averaged at least 5.0 yards after the catch since the start of 2014, with Tavon Austin (5.7), Cole Beasley (5.2) and Allen Hurns (5.0) all excelling in picking up yards after the catch: Dallas Cowboys YAC Receiving Leaders - 2014-17 Player Rec Yards Avg YAC YAC/Rec Tavon Austin... 154 1,271 8.3 881 5.7 Cole Beasley... 200 2,103 10.5 1,049 5.3 Allen Hurns... 189 2,669 14.1 945 5.0 SET THE EDGE Geoff Swaim was graded by Pro Football Focus as one of the best run blocking tight ends in the league in 2017, ranking 12th and just behind former teammate Jason Witten, who ranked 11th. In 2017 the Cowboys offense average 4.06 yards-per-rush with three tight ends on the field, fifth in the NFL, and had the second-most runs of 10-plus yards in that personnel grouping with nine. Cowboys Rush Attack with Three-Plus Tight Ends Team Att Yds Avg TD 10+ 10+% Tennessee... 66 394 5.97 12 8 12.1 Carolina... 93 506 5.44 6 10 10.8 Minnesota... 66 279 4.23 7 5 7.6 L.A. Rams... 13 53 4.08 0 2 15.4 Dallas... 85 345 4.06 5 9 10.6 Hurns is also one-of-five players to average 5.0 yards after the catch while simultaneoulsy averaging at least 9.0 yards (9.1) at the point of the reception, joining Martavis Bryant (9.5), Travis Benjamin (10.0), Julio Jones (10.1) and DeSean Jackson (11.8): Highest Yards At Reception - Min. 5.0 Yards After Catch - 17-18 Player Rec Yards Avg YAC/Rec Y@C/Rec Allen Hurns... 189 2,669 14.1 5.0 9.1 Martavis Bryant... 126 1,917 15.2 5.7 9.5 Travis Benjamin... 167 2,524 15.1 5.1 10.0 Julio Jones... 411 6,317 15.4 5.3 10.1 DeSean Jackson... 192 3,370 17.6 5.8 11.8 17
FOLLOW THE LEE-DER Dallas Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee was drafted in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. Since entering the league, he has posted 100-or-more tackles in five-of-eight seasons, and has led the defense in four of those seasons, including the last three. Lee led the squad with a 156 tackles along with his first career sacks (2.5), a team-high 11 tackles for loss, six pressures, an interception and five pass breakups in 2015. He was named to his first Pro Bowl as an injury replacement for Justin Houston (Kansas City). Lee led the 2016 team with a career-high 174 tackles and 12 tackles for loss along with four quarterback pressures, two pass breakups and a fumble recovery. In 2017 he finished with a team-best 118 tackles along with a team-high and career-best 13 tackles for loss, four quarterback pressures an interception and a pass breakup. For his career, he has posted five seasons - three consecutive - with 100-plus tackles: Sean Lee 100-plus Tackle Seasons - Dallas Cowboys Year ST AT TT 2011... 91-40 131 2013... 95-28 123 2015... 109-47 156 2016... 120-54 174 2017... 79-26 105 *Lee missed the 2014 season with a knee injury He owns five career games with at least 20 tackles, including 20 stops at the N.Y. Giants (12/10) this season: Sean Lee 20-plus Tackle Games - Cowboys (coaches film) Game ST AT TT @ Sea, 9/16/12... 15-6 21 @ SD, 9/29/13... 16-5 21 vs Was, 11/24/16... 12-8 20 @ NYG, 12/11/16... 17-5 22 @ NYG, 12/10/17... 15-5 20 TANK ON A ROLL Defensive end DeMarcus Tank Lawrence opened the 2017 season on an absolute tear and finish tied for second in the NFL with a career-best 14.5 sacks by season s end: 2017 NFL Sack Leaders Player Sacks Chandler Jones, Ari...17.0 DeMarcus Lawrence, Dal...14.5 Calais Campbell, Jac...14.5 Everson Griffen, Min...13.0 Cameron Jordan, NO...13.0 Ryan Kerrigan, Was...13.0 Lawrence s career-high 14.5 sacks are the fourth-most by a Dallas defender during a single season: Most Sacks in Single Season, Since 1982 - Dallas Cowboys Player Season Sacks DeMarcus Ware... 2008 20.0 DeMarcus Ware...2011 19.5 DeMarcus Ware... 2010 15.5 DeMarcus Lawrence... 2017 14.5 With at least one sack in the first seven games of the Cowboys 2017 season to establish a career-long streak, Lawrence became the seventh player, second Dallas Cowboy (DeMarcus Ware 2008), to post a sack in his team s first seven games of a season since sacks became official in 1982. It was also the seventh-longest streak in league history: Most Consecutive Games With A Sack - NFL, Since 1982 Player Seasons Games Simon Fletcher, Den...1992-93 10 DeMarcus Ware, Dal...2007-08 10 Bruce Smith, Buf...1986-87 9 Kevin Greene, SF/Car...1997-98 9 Dwight Freeney, Ind...2008-09 9 Everson Griffen, Min... 2017 8 DeMarcus Lawrence...2017 7 NO FLY ZONE As a rookie cornerback in 2017, Chidobe Awuzie battled injuries in the first half of the season before flashing shutdown corner potential once healthy down the stretch. Awuzie allowed only 7.0 yards-per-reception in 2017, the lowest receiving average allowed by any cornerback in the NFL: Fewest Receptions Allowed - 2017 NFL CB Player Rec Yds Avg Catch% Chidobe Awuzie...19 133 7.00 65.5 Aaron Colvin...45 317 7.04 72.6 D. Rodgers-Cromartie...33 264 8.0 76.7 E.J. Gaines...38 307 8.1 63.3 K Waun Williams...45 382 8.5 75.0 *minimum 25% of defensive snaps played Overall, the Cowboys defense limited opposing quarterbacks through the air by only allowing 10.1 yards per completion, the fewest in the league: Fewest Yards-Per-Completion - 2017 NFL Defense Team Opp Att Opp Com Yards Yds/Cmp Dallas...559 371 3,746 10.1 Minnesota...555 324 3,329 10.3 Atlanta...553 362 3,725 10.3 L.A. Chargers...524 329 3,417 10.4 Buffalo...573 370 3,844 10.4 NO YAC FOR YOU The Cowboys secondary rallied to opposing receivers in 2017, allowing the 10th-fewest yards after the catch in the league: Fewest YAC Allowed Per Reception in 2017 Rec YAC YAC/Rec Team Sea 325 1,443 4.4 Min 324 1,495 4.6 Jax 289 1,338 4.6 Bal 333 1,608 4.8 SF 344 1,664 4.8 Team Rec YAC YAC/Rec NYJ 329 1,605 4.9 Buf 370 1,807 4.9 Ari 343 1,676 4.9 TB 371 1,817 4.9 Dal 371 1,862 5.0 18
2018 DRAFT CLASS The Dallas Cowboys drafted nine players - six offensive, three defensive - in the 2018 NFL Draft. It was the first time in five seasons that the team leaned more towards offense, as defense dominated the last four drafts (2014-17). The club s first round choice with the 19th overall pick was linebacker Leighton Vander Esch from Boise State. Of the nine players chosen by Dallas, seven made the final roster entering Week One while one (Bo Scarbrough) was signed to the club s practice squad and one placed on the Reserve/Injured list (Cedrick Wilson). Below is a look at each of Dallas picks in the 2018 Draft: Round # Player Position College First 19 Leighton Vander Esch LB Boise State Second 50 Connor Williams G Texas Third 81 Michael Gallup WR Colorado State Fourth 116 Dorance Armstrong DE Kansas Fourth 137 Dalton Schultz TE Stanford Fifth 171 Mike White QB W. Kentucky Sixth 193 Chris Covington LB Indiana Sixth 208 Cedrick Wilson WR Boise State Seventh 236 Bo Scarbrough RB Alabama *Bold indicates made final roster WELCOME TO DALLAS Beginning with the start of free agency, Dallas added their share of new faces to compete for a chance to become a Cowboy in 2018. The following players mark the new additions to the Cowboys roster and subtractions via free agency during the 2018 season: THE PUNT-ISHER Dallas Cowboys punter Chris Jones serves as a weapon in the kicking game, and for his career he boasts a 45.0 gross average and a net average of 40.6, with 147 punts downed inside the 20-yard line - good for third all-time in team history. In 2017 Jones finished second in the league with a career-best 34 punts downed inside the opponent s 20-yard line: 2017 NFL Punting Leaders - In 20 Player Punt TB In20 Sam Koch, Bal... 84 3 40 Chris Jones, Dal... 66 5 34 Lachlan Edwards, NYJ... 94 4 33 Tress Way, Was... 83 6 33 Two players... 32 Jones is tops all-time amongst NFL punters in percentage of punts downed inside the 20-yard line (min. 100 punts) at 42.12%: Punts Downed Inside the Opp 20-Yard Line - NFL History Player Years Punts In20 In20% Chris Jones^, Dal... 2011-17 349 147 42.12 Jordan Berry^, Pit... 2015-17 191 79 41.36 Dustin Colquitt^, KC... 2005-17 1,031 420 40.74 Matt Bosher^, Atl... 2011-17 420 166 39.52 Johnny Hekker^, LAR... 2012-17 499 196 39.28 ^ indicates active player % Min. 100 punts Jones also has one of the best punt coverage units at his disposal, holding opposing returners to a paltry 4.2 yards-per-return in 2017, tied for the lowest average in the NFL and the first time Dallas led or tied for the lead since 1984: 2017 NFL Punting Leaders - In 20 Player Punt TB In20 Dallas... 66 18 4.2 San Francisco... 75 33 4.2 Indianpolis... 85 19 4.2 New England... 58 23 4.6 PLAYERS SIGNED Player Position Ex-Team 2017 GP/GS Ibraheim Campbell S Houston 9/2+* Cameron Fleming T New England 12/6 Parker Ehinger G Kansas City 1/1+& Marcus Martin G Cleveland 0/0@ Adam Redmond C Indianapolis 4/0+^ Deonte Thompson WR Buffalo 16/10 % PLAYERS LOST Player Position New Team 2017 GP/GS Bene Benwikere CB Arizona 12/0 Brice Butler WR Arizona 13/0 Jonathan Cooper G Arizona 13/13 Anthony Hitchens LB Kansas City 12/12 Keith Smith FB Oakland 16/3 Kyle Wilber LB Oakland 16/0 + Indicates players acquired after final cuts. @ Marcus Martin spent the entire 2017 season with Cleveland but did not appear in any games. He suffered a toe injury in the preseason and was placed on the Reserve/Injured list for 2018. % Deonte Thompson began 2017 with Chicago and played in five games with three starts before being released. He signed with Buffalo and played in 11 games with seven starts. * Ibraheim Campbell played in eight games with two starts for Cleveland in 2017 until his release. He was signed by Houston and played in one game. & Parker Ehinger was acquired in a 2018 trade with Kansas City for Charvarius Ward before final cuts. He played and started in one game with the Chiefs in 2017. ^ Adam Redmond was added via waivers in 2018 following final cuts. He played in four games with Indianapolis in 2017. 19