Home > 2005 Schedule and Tickets > Game 1 stats and recap

2005 begins with a huge win for the Cowboys on the road vs a playoff team from last year. This was the first opening day win for the Cowboys since Aikman retired and it did not come easy. There were many times during the course of the game when I thought the Cowboys would revert to their old ways of 2004 and collapse but not this time, not this team, and hopefully not this year.

The offense had moments of sputtering but for the most part they were able to move the ball effectively, especially in the red zone where they went 4 for 4 (4 touchdowns).

The defense was very active getting after the ball. They allowed only 10 points in the second each score coming from the benefit of a short field. Late in the game, the Chargers had the ball 1st and goal from inside the 10 yard line and were unable to score on 4 shots.

All in all it was a great way to start the season. Both sides of the ball played very well for most of the game.

Injuries; none

Player of the Game; I think the player of the game has to be Drew Bledsoe. He made a lot of plays, never made any stupid throws and tossed 3 touchdowns in his Cowboy debut. Bledsoe appears to be a huge upgrade from Testaverde. Bledsoe actually made a lot of plays that enabled the Cowboys to win. He didn't just prevent the loss, he signficantly aided in the victory.

Other players who deserve props; Keyshawn Johnson with 2 Touchdown grabs and a few huge catches. Patrick Crayton with a Touchdown catch of his own and the leading Cowboys receiver. Julius Jones had a very workman like 90 plus yards with a touchdown. On the defense side of the ball, newcomer Anthony Henry was all over the ball. He had 1 interception, quite a few passes defended and 12 tackles. Henry was simply everywhere. Dat Nguyen was also very active on the defensive side.

Grades:
Offense - B; There were a few series where the offense struggled but 4 touchdowns is a nice start to the season.
Defense - C+; The defense was active and had a few stops. The 10 points they gave up in the 2nd half were results of short fields (no) thanks to special teams. The 2 interceptions were huge and they stopped the run for the most part.
Special teams - D; The coverage team nearly cost the Cowboys the game. Two kickoffs in the second half were returned past midfield and set up two Charger scores.

Did you notice? The Cowboys limited LaDanian Tomlinsons runs. He had some spurts but no big runs all day long.

Next game; Monday Night on September 9th at Home against the Washington Redskins!

2005 Season stats