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The box score will show the Dallas Cowboys came close to taking down Tom Brady and the defending champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with just a classic Brady drive, a questionable non-call on a Chris Godwin catch and a field goal separating these two teams.
But even the loss for Dallas should be all kinds of positive for the franchise.
For one, they kept up and then some with a team that brought back ALL its starters from a Super Bowl-winning squad. The defense intercepted Brady twice and forced a couple of fumbles.
Yet the biggest takeaway was Dak Prescott coming back from a horrible ankle injury and looking like the Dak of old. And that’s big news for a team that committed a lot of money to him in the offseason, knowing full well that Prescott’s numbers and performance before the injury showed he was an elite starter.
Was he as mobile as you’d hope? No, but maybe he’ll get there as he rounds into form. Was his shoulder 100 percent? Probably not, but it didn’t seem to matter as he made throw after throw to one of the most talented groups of pass-catchers in the NFL.
Despite the questions about Mike McCarthy — really? A 60-yard field goal attempt with 20 seconds left in the half? — and Ezekiel Elliott (it’s one game, the Bucs D is so good, but just 11 carries a 3.0 ypc isn’t great), Dallas can walk away with its collective head held high.
Because they have one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL back again, and that will go a long way now and in the future.
Quick hits: An early look at possible college football playoff teams … NASCAR NFTs … A great Freddie Freeman moment … and more.
— Our Michelle Martinelli and Alex McDaniel broke down the extremely early college football playoff contenders.
— NASCAR is getting into the NFT game.
— Check out how Freddie Freeman responded to getting a pitch thrown at him by the Nats.
— Charles McDonald delivers some NFL thoughts before Week 1 in his first Four Verts column of the season.
— Check out the most hype trailers from Sony’s PlayStation Showcase.