After preseason week one was seemingly a disaster for the Dallas Cowboys, they responded in a big way in week two.
After losing 17-7 in week one and committing 17 penalties, many fans wondered what the Cowboys have been practicing all training camp.
Well, now fans can take a deep breath and realize the sky is not falling.
Dallas was much better against the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday night.
They won the game 32-18, but while wins are always fun the Cowboys improved their play, which is more important.
The Cowboys only committed eight penalties for 57 yards which is still not good enough but it was an improvement.
Some of the bright spots from the Cowboys are the following.
Player Bright Spots
First-round pick Tyler Smith looked strong in the run game.
He was moving out defenders and allowed the Cowboys to have plenty of success in the run game.
Arguably the highlight for Cowboys on that touchdown drive was blocking on interior line. LG Tyler Smith and C Matt Farniok cleared way for rookie RB Malik Davis here. pic.twitter.com/sBDsHdymOc
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) August 21, 2022
Dallas rushed for two touchdowns in the game and racked up chunks plays in the run game while Smith was in.
Another bright spot was the play of KaVontae Turpin.
The USFL MVP signed with the Cowboys in the offseason and he sealed his spot on the roster with his dominance tonight.
Turpin returned two kicks for touchdowns.
One being a 98-yard kickoff return and the other an 86-yard punt return.
The definition of CHARGED 🆙 @KaVontaeTurpin ⚡️
#DALvsLAC on CBS11/NFL+ pic.twitter.com/DfqeU9jPex— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) August 21, 2022
The Cowboys have not had a pure return man in years.
Adding Turpin to the roster will help allow CeeDee Lamb and Tony Pollard to just focus on offense.
Turpin even made a play on offense, taking a jet-sweep for a first-down.
Look for Turpin to have a big impact on special teams this season.
The Cowboys needed one of their backup QBs to show something in this game.
Making his preseason debut, Will Grier looked like the best passer amongst the backups.
He completed six of ten passes for 98 yards and led the team on two separate scoring drives.
The battle for QB2 looks like it is headed for a preseason week three showdown, between Grier and Cooper Rush.
Wide Receiver Conundrum
As a whole, the passing offense has not been very explosive.
None of the wide receivers are making plays downfield and it is hard to evaluate how much they can contribute this year.
Rookie WR Jalen Tolbert is expected to be the number two receiver in week one.
Yet, he has not shown anything great during these first two games.
It does not look like Dallas plans to sign a receiver so hopefully, Tolbert will look better with Dak Prescott at the helm.
Only three receivers caught passes in this game as the running backs and tight ends were involved.
The hope is that the final preseason game can provide some clarity on the position.
Overall, this was a successful game for the Cowboys.
The defense was once again solid and Dallas played a cleaner game in the penalty department.
Now with one game left to play it will be interesting to see what players make a final push to make the 53-man roster.
NEXT: 3 Things The Cowboys Must Do To Have A Successful 2nd Preseason Game