5 biggest stars from Cowboys' blowout win over Browns

Jesse Reed

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5 biggest stars from Cowboys' blowout win over Browns image

It's never easy to win on the road in the NFL. The Dallas Cowboys not only beat the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, they utterly ran them out of their own building in a 33-17 blowout victory to open the 2024 season. 

The 'Boys got off to an early start on offense. Dak Prescott was razor sharp in the first quarter and made a couple of brilliant throws en route to a touchdown to go up 7-3. 

That started a 27-0 run that set Dallas up for a blowout road win to open up the season 1-0. 

These are the players who starred on Sunday, spurring the Cowboys to victory. 

Micah Parsons, Cowboys defensive end

Micah Parsons was everywhere on Sunday -- in the backfield, dropping into coverage, he was a veritable nightmare for the Browns. 

Parsons had five quarterback hits, a tipped pass that ended up as an interception for linebacker Eric Kendricks, a tackle for loss, a sack, and three solo tackles. 

An honorable mention here is teammate Demarcus Lawrence, who had two sacks and four quarterback hits. 

DeMarvion Overshown, Cowboys linebacker

There has been a lot of buzz about DeMarvion Overshown this summer. A player whose rookie campaign was cut short due to injury, Overshown has been identified as a potential X-factor for the Cowboys in 2024. 

If Sunday's performance against the Browns is any indication, he most certainly will. 

Overshown flashed all over the field. One of the many Cowboys who made Watson's life a living hell, he was credited with multiple pressures, one sack, two quarterback hits, one tackle for a loss, five solo tackles and 11 total tackles. 

Defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer utilized Overshown in a variety of ways. It's going to be fun to watch the tape and dig deeper into this exciting development for the Dallas defense. 

KaVontae Turpin, Cowboys wide receiver/return man

The Cowboys got the second half started in one of the most electric ways possible. After stuffing Cleveland's offense on the opening drive of the third quarter, receiver and return man extraordinaire, KaVontae Turpin, produced one of the game's biggest highlights. 

The 60-yard punt return put Dallas up 27-3 early in the second half, which turned out to be a little bit closer than it should have in the end.

Eric Kendricks, Cowboys linebacker

Before Eric Kendricks signed with the Cowboys in free agency this spring, he nearly signed with the San Francisco 49ers. Dallas must be thanking its lucky stars that Kendricks is on the squad after watching him dominate the field Sunday in Cleveland. 

Kendricks had a team-high six solo tackles, two sacks, a tackle for loss, and of course intercepted Watson on a deflected pass. The defense was cooking, and Kendricks was in the middle of it all. 

Dak Prescott, Cowboys quarterback

Hours after agreeing to a record-breaking contract extension with Dallas, Dak Prescott showed the Cowboys why he's worth the investment. 

Prescott was extremely sharp to open the game. He dropped the biscuit in the basket on a long throw down the right sideline to CeeDee Lamb. A few plays later, he expertly changed the play at the line of scrimmage and delivered a strike to Brandin Cooks for the game's first touchdown, with a defender right in his face. 

It wasn't a perfect performance. There were some throws over the middle Prescott would like to have back. But to come away from a road game against arguably the NFL's best defense without a clean stat sheet is a major victory. 

Jesse Reed

Jesse Reed Photo

Jesse Reed is a passionate and avid NFL fan, first and foremost. He has been a professional writer for more than a decade with experience as a Managing Editor at Sportsnaut, where he was featured on Yardbarker and MSN.com. Previously, Jesse was a breaking news writer/NFL analyst for Bleacher Report. Follow him on X/Twitter at @JesseReed78.