NY JETS (1-0) at DALLAS (1-0)
Sunday, 4:25 p.m. EDT, CBS
OPENING LINE: Cowboys by 3 1/2, moved to Cowboys by 9 1/2, according to FanDuel SportsBook.
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Jets 1-0; Cowboys 1-0.
SERIES RECORD: Cowboys lead 7-5.
LAST MEETING: Jets beat Cowboys 24-22 on Oct. 13, 2019, in New York.
LAST WEEK: Jets beat Bills 22-16 in OT; Cowboys beat Giants 40-0.
JETS OFFENSE: OVERALL (15), RUSH (4), PASS (27), SCORING (12)
JETS DEFENSE: OVERALL (20), RUSH (18T), PASS (20), SCORING (8T)
COWBOYS OFFENSE: OVERALL (20T), RUSH (7T), PASS (25), SCORING (1)
COWBOYS DEFENSE: OVERALL (2), RUSH (22), PASS (1), SCORING (1)
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Jets plus-3; Cowboys plus-3.
JETS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Zach Wilson. With Aaron Rodgers out for the season with a torn left Achilles tendon, all eyes are on Wilson. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 draft struggled through his first two seasons and was planning to sit behind Rodgers and watch the four-time NFL MVP for at least this season and perhaps next. But Wilson is now being tasked with being the signal caller of a team that had Super Bowl hopes with Rodgers. Wilson was shaky at times after Rodgers was injured four New York snaps into the opener, finishing 14 of 21 for 140 yards and a touchdown with an interception.
COWBOYS PLAYER TO WATCH: RB Tony Pollard. Just like QB Dak Prescott and the rest of his offensive teammates, Pollard didn't have to do much in his first game as the lead back after Dallas dumped Ezekiel Elliott in a cost-cutting move. The Cowboys had touchdowns on special teams and defense before the offense got in the end zone for the first time to go up 26-0 on the Giants before halftime. Pollard was solid with 70 yards on 15 carries (5.0-yard average) and two touchdowns. He was the first Dallas back with multiple rushing TDs in an opener since Marion Barber in 2008.
KEY MATCHUP: The Jets offensive line held up OK after allowing the sack on which Rodgers was injured. The Bills got to Wilson twice. Now it's time for the test of Micah Parsons and a Dallas front that sacked Daniel Jones seven times, tops in the NFL on opening weekend. Interior defensive lineman Osa Odighizuwa had his first career two-sack game, and end Dorance Armstrong had a pair. Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence and Chauncey Golston had one apiece.
KEY INJURIES: The Jets signed K Austin Seibert to the practice squad and elevated him to the active roster after Greg Zuerlein injured his right groin in practice Thursday and was ruled out Saturday. LT Duane Brown (shoulder), RT Mekhi Becton (knee) and RB Breece Hall (knee) were all limited early in the week, but were full participants Friday. For the Cowboys, LG Tyler Smith (hamstring), S Donovan Wilson (calf) and CB Jourdan Lewis (broken foot from last season) should be close after missing the opener. WR Brandin Cooks was added to the injury report this week with a knee issue. Coach Mike McCarthy says he “has a chance” to play.
SERIES NOTES: The Jets are on a three-game winning streak after getting just two victories in the first nine meetings from 1971-2007. All three New York wins on the current streak were by a field goal or less.
STATS AND STUFF: The Jets are looking for their first 2-0 start since 2015 in Todd Bowles’ first year as coach. ... Wilson completed all three of his passes in the fourth quarter on Monday night for 41 yards, including a 3-yard score to Garrett Wilson. Since the start of last season, Zach Wilson has the third-best passer rating (106.3) in the fourth quarter among players with at least 50 total drop-backs in the quarter. He trails only Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow (112.5) and Dallas’ Dak Prescott (107.0). ... RB Dalvin Cook, signed late in training camp, rushed for 33 yards on 13 carries and caught three passes for 26 yards in his Jets debut. ... S Jordan Whitehead was the AFC Player of the Week after getting three INTs against Buffalo, the first multiple INT game of his career. He was the first NFL player with three INTs in a game since Tampa Bay’s Andrew Adams in 2018. ... The Jets had five sacks, nine QB hits and 25 QB pressures against the Bills. ... Undrafted rookie WR Xavier Gipson plays his hometown team in Week 2 after a 65-yard punt return for a TD in OT beat Buffalo. It was the third punt return for a TD in OT in NFL history, joining Arizona’s Patrick Peterson (2011) and Kansas City’s Tamarick Vanover (1995). ... The Cowboys won their final eight home games last season after losing the opener to Tampa Bay. ... Prescott has joined Rodgers as the only QBs with at least 25,000 yards passing and 1,500 yards rushing in their first 100 games. Prescott is at 25,086 through the air and 1,648 on the ground through 98 games. ... WR CeeDee Lamb had four catches in the opener after finishing last season with 10 consecutive games of at least five grabs. But his 49-yarder set up a touchdown, and he and Miami's Tyreek Hill were the only players with catches of 40-plus yards on opening weekend. ... Parsons has 15 sacks in 17 home games. ... CB Stephon Gilmore had his 30th career interception against the Giants. He is fifth among active players. ... K Brandon Aubrey, a 28-year-old rookie and former Major League Soccer player, became the first Dallas kicker since Shaun Suisham in 2005 with at least 10 points in his NFL debut. After missing an extra point on his first kick, Aubrey had two field goals and four PATs.
FANTASY TIP: Hall had 127 yards on 10 carries against the Bills, including an 83-yard scamper on his second attempt of the game. The second-longest run in franchise history came in Hall’s first game since a torn ACL cut short his promising rookie season in Week 7 last year. Hall’s 7.53 yards per touch are the most in a player’s first eight games in NFL history.
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