Dallas City News

After nearly seven grueling months, the Dallas Cowboys play meaningful football on Sunday. They open up the first week of the 2024 NFL season on the road, taking on the Cleveland Browns. The matchup will be televised at 4:25 ET on FOX. If a Cowboys game wasn’t enough to bring in big ratings, it will be Tom Brady’s first regular-season game as the program’s color commentator. While many sports fans will be tuned in to see how Brady does, Cowboys fans will be tuned in to see if the team starts off the season with a win or a loss. These two matchups will play a large part in determining the result of the game.

Tyler Guyton vs Myles Garrett

Cowboys 2024 first-round pick Tyler Guyton has had an impressive preseason with the team at left tackle. When Chuma Edoga went down with an injury, it solidified that Guyton would be the team’s week one starter. Who does the rookie get to play against his first game? The 2023 Defensive Player of the Year, Myles Garrett. At defensive end, Garrett has been one of the league’s most fearsome edge rushers, accumulating 88.5 sacks in seven seasons with the Browns.

Garrett is a game-wrecker, and if the Cowboys can’t keep him off of QB Dak Prescott, it could be a difficult game for the offense. Guyton has looked like a good draft selection so far, but it would be wise for the Cowboys to still try and double-team Garrett as much as possible, as it will be a tall task to prevent Garrett from sacking Prescott. Whether it is help from LG Tyler Smith, a blocking tight end, or even RB Ezekiel Elliott in pass protection, locating Garrett at all times should be the team’s priority on offense.

Amari Cooper vs Trevon Diggs

If there was a player who had the most motivation heading into Sunday’s matchup, it would be WR Amari Cooper. The wideout spent four seasons with the Cowboys, where he amassed 1,000 receiving yards in two of them. Jerry Jones and the front office traded Cooper to Cleveland for just a fifth-round pick. Since then, Cooper has had two great seasons with the Browns, surpassing 1,100 yards in each. Sunday will provide Cooper the opportunity to get revenge against his former team, doing it while being guarded some of the time by a former teammate.

CB Trevon Diggs is another player who has some motivation for the team’s opener. Diggs only played two games last season before suffering a season-ending torn ACL. During training camp in July, Diggs expressed his excitement to be back on the field playing after a long time away.

“I’m super excited. I haven’t played football in a long time. Just being able to be out here, practicing with them, seeing everything, it’s been a blessing. I can’t be more thankful.”

He also talked about missing his teammates, and how that was the hardest part about not being on the field.

“You have that family feeling when you come to practice, come to work every day. Me not being able to be there with the guys, I felt that was the hardest part. Really, those guys are like my brothers. Being away from them and the team, not being able to go to war with my brothers was the hardest part.”

With CB DaRon Bland being inactive after suffering a stress fracture in his foot this offseason, the team will need a good start to the season from Diggs to make up for his absence. While Cooper and Diggs won’t face off the whole game, when they do it will be two elite players with high motivation in the game.