The spotlight was firmly on a pair of Cowboys rookies Sunday.
The Cowboys started Dak Prescott at quarterback and running back Ezekiel Elliott in their season opener against the visiting Giants. Unfortunately for them, the rookie-led offense had trouble finishing drives and the Giants held on for a 20-19 victory at AT&T Stadium.
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Dallas got points on each of its first three possessions, but settled for field goals each time — including two Dan Bailey kicks from inside the Giants' 10-yard line. Bailey had four field goals, but the Cowboys scored just one touchdown. That lone TD came via an 8-yard run by Elliott, who finished with 51 yards on 20 carries and a 1-yard catch.
The Cowboys did have one touchdown negated when replay overturned what was originally called a 24-yard pass to Dez Bryant, who was bobbling the ball as he fell out of the back of the end zone. Bryant caught just one pass for 8 yards in the loss.
Prescott was starting in place of the injured Tony Romo. The Cowboys have lost 14 of their past 15 games without Romo.
The Cowboys got the ball back with just over a minute remaining, but Prescott was unable to lead Dallas into field goal range. The fourth-round pick from Mississippi State finished 25 of 44 for 227 yards and zero touchdowns, though he did not turn the ball over. He had driven the Cowboys into Giants territory, but Terrance Williams did not get out of bounds after catching a 14-yard pass with four seconds remaining and time ran out before Dallas could get off another play.
While the Cowboys had trouble finishing drives in the end zone, the Giants capitalized on their opportunities.
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Eli Manning was 19 of 28 for 207 yards and three touchdowns with one interception. All three touchdowns were scored from inside the red zone, including a 3-yard pass to Victor Cruz with 6:13 remaining that proved to be the game winner.
The last time the Cowboys started both a rookie quarterback and running back to start the season was in 1969, when Roger Staubach and Calvin Hill led Dallas to a 24-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cowboys finished the season 11-2-1 as Hill earned Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. Staubach eventually led the Cowboys to a pair of Super Bowl championships in what was a Hall of Fame career.
It remains to be seen how good Prescott and Elliott will be, but they, and the rest of the Cowboys, will have to be more consistent if they hope to compete for an NFC East title.