CFZ Comparing 1968 to 2023 first two games

[Manster68]

I've been following the Cowboys since 1970. I have seen plenty of seasons where Dallas started off 2-0 in its first two games. Many times since my childhood I have wanted the Cowboys to win by a score like 60-0. Probably the closest single game to achieving that would have been Thanksgiving 1980. A weak and worn out Seattle team went into Dallas and the Cowboys went up 51-0 - before the Seahawks scored a cosmetic TD near the 2 minute warning.

What the Cowboys have done the last two Sundays, to me, have been mind-blowing. I cannot believe a team came out of the gates so hot without most of its starters playing a single down in the preseason. The are ranked #1 in many important categories: Scoring offense and defense, Total defense (yardage), Turnover ratio, and tied for first in sacks. The lower offensive ranking is due to McCarthy making the offense vanilla so not to show upcoming opponents extra video (my belief).

The only season that comes remotely close to Dallas' start in its first two games would be 1968. Dallas opened up blasting the Lions 59-13, then throttling a Cleveland team that eliminated them the season before 28-7. That comes to a combined score of 87-20; the point differential is higher. So what did the 68 Cowboys do in Week 3? They went into Philly and smashed them 45-13.

I guess the 2023 Cowboys need a big day in the desert in order to keep up with the 1968 Cowboys.

 

[Flamma]

I've been following the Cowboys since 1970. I have seen plenty of seasons where Dallas started off 2-0 in its first two games. Many times since my childhood I have wanted the Cowboys to win by a score like 60-0. Probably the closest single game to achieving that would have been Thanksgiving 1980. A weak and worn out Seattle team went into Dallas and the Cowboys went up 51-0 - before the Seahawks scored a cosmetic TD near the 2 minute warning.

What the Cowboys have done the last two Sundays, to me, have been mind-blowing. I cannot believe a team came out of the gates so hot without most of its starters playing a single down in the preseason. The are ranked #1 in many important categories: Scoring offense and defense, Total defense (yardage), Turnover ratio, and tied for first in sacks. The lower offensive ranking is due to McCarthy making the offense vanilla so not to show upcoming opponents extra video (my belief).

The only season that comes remotely close to Dallas' start in its first two games would be 1968. Dallas opened up blasting the Lions 59-13, then throttling a Cleveland team that eliminated them the season before 28-7. That comes to a combined score of 87-20; the point differential is higher. So what did the 68 Cowboys do in Week 3? They went into Philly and smashed them 45-13.

I guess the 2023 Cowboys need a big day in the desert in order to keep up with the 1968 Cowboys.

My guess is that the coaching staff got them up to game speed through practicing against their own D. Overcompensating because they didn't play any preseason.

As opposed to the Giants starters that got a little preseason work and thought that was enough.

Dallas got off to a lot of fast starts when Landry was coach. He always had that team ready in week 1.

 

[KJJ]

I guess the 2023 Cowboys need a big day in the desert in order to keep up with the 1968 Cowboys.

I really don’t like the comparison to the 68 Cowboys. They went one and done to Cleveland in the playoffs. Don Meredith got so fed up with the fan abuse he took after that loss he retired.

 

[erod]

I'm certain the hairstyles aren't as conservative as '68, and the packs of cigarettes in the locker room are down, too.

 

[glimmerman]

I've been following the Cowboys since 1970. I have seen plenty of seasons where Dallas started off 2-0 in its first two games. Many times since my childhood I have wanted the Cowboys to win by a score like 60-0. Probably the closest single game to achieving that would have been Thanksgiving 1980. A weak and worn out Seattle team went into Dallas and the Cowboys went up 51-0 - before the Seahawks scored a cosmetic TD near the 2 minute warning.

What the Cowboys have done the last two Sundays, to me, have been mind-blowing. I cannot believe a team came out of the gates so hot without most of its starters playing a single down in the preseason. The are ranked #1 in many important categories: Scoring offense and defense, Total defense (yardage), Turnover ratio, and tied for first in sacks. The lower offensive ranking is due to McCarthy making the offense vanilla so not to show upcoming opponents extra video (my belief).

The only season that comes remotely close to Dallas' start in its first two games would be 1968. Dallas opened up blasting the Lions 59-13, then throttling a Cleveland team that eliminated them the season before 28-7. That comes to a combined score of 87-20; the point differential is higher. So what did the 68 Cowboys do in Week 3? They went into Philly and smashed them 45-13.

I guess the 2023 Cowboys need a big day in the desert in order to keep up with the 1968 Cowboys.

Yeah we are gonna find out very soon if MM is showing vanilla for now or if what you see is what ya get. We are used to the jg, linehan, moore playbook. All the same playbook. Was 1 year we saw moore come out and show a lot of presnap motion but for some reason it was short lived. Only a few games. Not sure why. Maybe was too much for them. Let’s hope MM had a page 2.

And by week 5 there will be enough film on this Defense for teams to try our weaknesses. But Quinn does do changes on the fly. We have speed. Greasy fast speed.