The Dallas Cowboys had a rollercoaster of a game in Week 2 against the New York Giants, but in the end, Dallas came out on top, winning 40-37. The dramatic overtime victory had everything. The Cowboys stared defeat in the face several times, but in the end, they made just enough plays to win the game.
Now 1-1, Dallas has a lot to correct on the defensive side, but they have plenty to build on as well. One sign of optimism is their surprisingly productive run game. They rushed for 135 yards and two touchdowns while averaging 4.8 yards per carry against a vaunted Giants defensive line
The bulk of the production came from Javonte Williams, who stayed hot with 18 carries for 97 yards and a touchdown. Through two games with Dallas, Williams is looking like the RB1 the team hoped he was when they signed him this offseason. It was a huge roll of the dice by the front office - one that fans and the mainstream media questioned all summer - but it looks brilliant so far.
Javonte Williams has been a revelation for the Cowboys through two games
In addition to his 18 runs on Sunday, Williams also caught six passes for 33 more yards. This comes after a Week 1 performance against the Philadelphia Eagles where he had 17 touches for 64 yards and two touchdowns. If he can maintain this level of production all season, he’d be viewed as an excellent offseason acquisition.
That is certainly not how Williams was viewed when he initially signed his one-year deal. A second-round pick in 2021, Williams had a very productive rookie year with the Broncos, but his numbers declined each year following a gruesome knee injury suffered in his second season.
The drop in efficiency culminated last season when he rushed for just 513 yards and four touchdowns. Because of that, there wasn’t a lot of confidence in him outside of the Cowboys’ building that he would solve the team’s running back problems. And yet, the front office and coaching staff continued to say they expected big things of the former Tar Heel.
While it has only been two games, Williams is proving critics wrong. He's made touted rookie Jaydon Blue all but irrelevant. If he continues to play at this level, he can help the Cowboys win several more games this year.
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