Cowboys Coach Drops Surprising Truth About Week 1 Running Game—What It Means for the Season

So, the Cowboys didn’t exactly walk away with a dub against the Eagles in Week 1—but hey, given the Micah Parsons trade saga that rattled the locker room, the team’s grit surprised a good chunk of us. Now, here’s the kicker: how do you evaluate a running game that flashes glimpses of brilliance but stumbles when it counts most? Javonte Williams, the fresh arm in Dallas’s backfield, punched in two touchdowns, and yet the truth came straight from the horse’s mouth—offensive coordinator Klayton Adams wasn’t shy about calling out the messy parts. Running against one of the league’s nastiest defenses, the Cowboys netted 119 yards, but could they turn those yards into a win? Williams is shaking off old injuries, Miles Sanders showed sparks despite a costly fumble, and with Sunday’s showdown looming against the Giants, this backfield’s story is just getting juiced up. Let’s dive into what that means for Dallas’s ground game moving forward—and whether they can convert those flashes into sustained success this season.

The Dallas Cowboys may not have beaten the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1, but they showed some poise that many didn’t expect of them following a devastating Micah Parsons trade that could have easily derailed any momentum the team had going into the season.

One of the bright spots came in the backfield when newcomer Javonte Williams ran for two touchdowns, which contributed to one Cowboys coach recently getting honest about the offense’s performance in the running game last week.

According to Jon Machota of The Athletic, offensive coordinator Klayton Adams expressed that the team’s performance running the ball against the Eagles was a mixed bag, though there is a lot to build on going forward.

“There were moments where we kinda looked like we knew what we were doing. There are some moments where we’d like to build on what was happening. And then ultimately when we needed to run the ball to win the game, we couldn’t do that. That was pretty disappointing at the end. From a teaching perspective, there’s a ton of great stuff on tape. … We just need to execute a little bit better,” Adams said, via Jon Machota.

Cowboys OC Klayton Adams on how they ran the ball Week 1: “There were moments where we kinda looked like we knew what we were doing. There are some moments where we’d like to build on what was happening. And then ultimately when we needed to run the ball to win the game, we… pic.twitter.com/n58Woy2478

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) September 11, 2025

The Cowboys racked up 119 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries against one of the league’s toughest defenses, though they did get a bit of a break when Jalen Carter was ejected for spitting on Dak Prescott six seconds into the game.

Williams ran for 54 yards on 15 carries while Miles Sanders had 53 yards on just four carries, so Adams is absolutely right in saying that there was a lot to like from this running game.

It was a great first impression for the new backfield tandem, though Sanders did have a brutal fumble.

Williams has plenty of upside now that he is another year removed from his knee issues that plagued him during his time with the Denver Broncos.

Dallas has another tough front seven to deal with on Sunday with the New York Giants, but the Cowboys’ Week 1 performance gave fans plenty of hope that this team can have a strong rushing attack in 2025.

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