Football season is finally back! The first week of preseason games are all finally completed and despite the fact that the Dallas Cowboys lost to the Los Angeles Rams 28-24, there were a lot of positive things that can be taken away from that contest.
One of the things I like to do is identify the most valuable players on offense, defense and special teams for each game and see if if they can continue to earn that recognition throughout the season.
I thought I would share with you my nominees for MVP against the Los Angeles Rams, despite the fact that they are probably fairly obvious if you paid any kind of attention to the goings-on throughout the ballgame.
So, without further ado here they are.
Offensive MVP, #4 Dak Prescott
Dak Prescott couldn’t have asked for a better NFL debut. I’m not even sure if Tony Romo could have possibly been any more impressive than Prescott.
Prescott would have been perfect on his opening drive if not for a dropped pass by tight end Geoff Swaim. He was able to lead the team down the field and capped off the opening drive with a perfectly thrown back shoulder touchdown pass to Dez Bryant.
Prescott made two more impressive plays against the Los Angeles Rams. He showed off his arm with a perfectly thrown deep pass with just the right amount of touch for another touchdown to Terrance Williams. A little later facing a third and long, he wisely tucked the ball away and scrambled up the middle of the field to put the offense in field-goal range.
The Dallas Cowboys coaching staff really put Prescott in the position to succeed. They kept him in shotgun and had max protection for the majority of the passing plays. I’m not trying to take anything away from what he was able to accomplish, but the coaches did a really good job of putting him in the best position possible to help build his confidence.
Here’s a look at all of his throws against the Los Angeles Rams.
Every throw from Dak Prescott's impeccable @DallasCowboys debut! ???? #DALvsLA https://t.co/ux6hQG4SbL
— NFL (@NFL) August 14, 2016
Defensive MVP, #53 Mark Nzeocha
You may not have known who #53 was before Saturday night’s game against the Los Angeles Rams, but you probably noticed Mark Nzeocha making plays all of the field for the Dallas Cowboys defense.
The biggest play he made was probably the Cowboys first interception of the game. The defense was able to hit Jared Goff while throwing and Nzeocha came away with the INT. He made a good return after the INT, but needs to work on his ball security having almost given it back to the Rams because of a fumble.
Mark Nzeocha is in his second year with the Dallas Cowboys and has a really good shot at being a valuable member on defense. In fact, he could make a run at being the starting strong side linebacker or even beat out Anthony Hitchens at middle linebacker.
Regardless, we should all be encouraged by his development. He seemed to enjoy finally being back on the field and playing football.
Special Teams MVP, #13 Lucky Whitehead
Was there any doubt that Lucky Whitehead would be the special teams MVP?
When you’re able to return the opening kickoff for a touchdown that pretty much guarantees you special teams MVP, if not overall MVP. And let’s not forget that he also ran for 11 yards on a jet sweep to pick up a first down while playing offense.
Maybe we are finally starting to see a glimpse of what the Dallas Cowboys were hoping they were going to get from Lucky Whitehead last season. We all know that he is dynamic with the ball in his hands and he may have just proven that he is ready for a larger role in 2016.
Just as a reminder, here is Lucky Whitehead’s kickoff return for a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams.
On the first play in Los Angeles in over 20 years…
The @DallasCowboys return the kick 101 yards!! ???? #DALvsLA https://t.co/Gm895K5C8F
— NFL (@NFL) August 14, 2016
