Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants Recap: Boys' O-Line Still Has Room to Grow

Two glaring concerns about the Dallas Cowboys’ offense were who would step up to be the team’s No. 3 receiver, and if the offensive line would give Dallas’ talented skill-position players a chance to be statistically productive.

Kevin Ogletree answered the first question against the New York Giants. The second is a work in progress.

Four of the five players on Dallas’ offensive line were new to the position in which they started on Wednesday night.

The only player to start in the same spot that he was in last year, Phil Costa, exited the game with an injury in the first quarter. To their credit, the offensive line play remained consistent (at worst) through the end of the contest.

Fortunately for the Cowboys, the team was still able to come out with a win despite the overall performance of the five guys up front. They found places to improve and didn’t have to sacrifice a win to get that learning experience.

Dallas’ offensive statistics would indicate that the line played well between the whistles.

Tony Romo completed 22-of-29 passes for 307 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. DeMarco Murray rushed 20 times for 131 yards (6.6 average).

But their success in the passing game was more a product of Romo’s elusiveness in (and out of) the pocket. The Giants’ defensive line put pressure on him. He just stepped up and delivered.

Of Dallas’ 13 penalties Wednesday night, four were false starts by offensive linemen. Three belonged to Tyron Smith, tasked with blocking star defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul in his first start at left tackle.

However, Pierre-Paul didn’t walk away with any sacks and the Cowboys were not forced to punt on any of the drives in which Smith gave five yards to the defense. Dallas actually scored two touchdowns and failed a fourth-down attempt for a third (after converting a first down following Smith’s penalty).

New York boasts one of the most talented and productive defensive lines in football. There is no shame in giving up two sacks to the Giants' D-Line in the first regular-season game, especially when your team comes out with a win. The pressure from New York's front four was expected.

Now, the question that the Cowboys have to answer is: how good will they be when the line puts it all together?