Cowboys Player of Game: Amari Cooper earns Week 1 honors with near perfect performance

The passing game was not in sync everywhere against the Bucs, but it was when Cooper was the target. | From @TimLettiero

The Dallas Cowboys kicked off the 2021 season with an absolute thriller against the defending champs. In a 31-29 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, both teams displayed outstanding offensive performances, however one performance stood out from the rest.

The return of quarterback Dak Prescott, coming off a major leg injury as well as complications with his shoulder this offseason, is certainly the storyline of the game. He was able to throw 58 passes, completing 48 of them for over 400 yards and three touchdowns.  However his outstanding comeback to football would not have happened without the stellar play of Amari Cooper.

With CeeDee Lamb having a shaky start and Michael Gallup going down shortly after the half to an ankle injury, Prescott’s reliable weapons came down to Dalton Schultz and Amari Cooper. Coop ended the game with a stat line of 13 catches on 16 targets for 139 yards with 2 touchdowns to boot.

Cooper caught his first score with just over four minutes remaining in the first half. After a low snap, Prescott recovered and was able to find the star receiver at the front of the end zone.

Near the end of the third quarter, Cooper would once again come through. This time, a 21-yard pass towards the right sideline put Dallas back on the scoreboard. At this point, Cooper had caught all 10 of his targets.

During the game, Cooper was seen on the sideline speaking to what seemed to be a trainer looking to be in discomfort. In the second half Cooper was slow to get up on just about every catch.

Cooper has a reputation for continuously being hobbled but rarely missing plays or games, and Thursday night was just the latest example of that determination. He spoke in the offseason of believing he was the best receiver in the game but hadn’t put up the stats to prove it. In Week 1 he proved his mission would not be futile.

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