Dallas Cowboys: 3 Big takeaways from loss vs. Panthers in Week 1

2. Maybe kicking is an issue after all

I’ll be the first to admit that I thought losing Dan Bailey wasn’t going to be that big of a deal. I believe now, after Week 1, I was on the wrong side of the conversation of that and the Cowboys might have made the wrong decision.

Granted, Cowboys kicker Brett Maher only had one field goal attempt, but he missed that opportunity on a 47-yard attempt. He also never had a chance to kick an extra point with the Cowboys scoring just one touchdown, and then they went for a two-point conversion, which they converted.

Playing under a microscope is something that all NFL players have to do on a weekly basis, but replacing a kicker like Bailey will make Maher’s job feel like he’s kicking under 10-times more pressure than usual.

I’m not saying the Cowboys need to cut a kicker after one attempt, but if those potential three points went the way of the Cowboys, it could have changed how the rest of the game was played if Maher would have converted the field goal attempt.

Maher’s missed field goal was just one of many mistakes the Cowboys made on Sunday. The game wasn’t won or lost off his leg, but hopefully this doesn’t become an occurrence we’ll watch on more than a few occasions this season.