CLEVELAND – If an NFL game is a bingo card, then it will be hard for the Cowboys and their fans not to fill in all the empty spots after this one.

I don’t want to say there was a complete ‘blackout’ for everyone, but make no mistake: a lot of boxes were checked off after Sunday’s performance in Cleveland.

Of all the things we were looking forward to when the season started, we pretty much saw them all. And the best part? It was the headliners that did it.

The newly named Huntington Bank Field is located just a few blocks from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in downtown Cleveland, a venue that has been used to hosting all manner of superstars.

So it was only natural that the Cowboys’ stars felt right at home here.

Dak Prescott, who had just taken the biggest sack in NFL history, showed up and had a solid to good game, especially in the first half. He threw sharp, made some passes on the run, and led the offense down the field for points. It wasn’t exactly clean, but points are points, especially when you have that defense.

And yes, let’s defend Mike Zimmer. We waited to see how aggressive they were going to be, and it didn’t take long to find out. I guess we could have asked Deshaun Watson, who literally ran for his life all day. He got sacked six times, but it felt like it should have been nine or ten. After the game, Micah Parsons was kicking himself in the locker room, thinking he should have had at least two more sacks than the one he got. But the pressure is what you ask for, and it was constant from start to finish.

And it’s not all rushing and sacks, because stopping the run was a big part of hiring Zimmer in the first place. We know Cleveland is a team that likes to run the ball, but in the first half, there was nowhere to go. The Browns had one first down on their opening drive, but never moved the chains again in the first half.

I’ve been saying all week – and I feel good about this prediction now – that the Browns would have a much harder time blocking Parsons and company than the Cowboys had against Myles Garrett and the Browns.

And let’s talk about that offensive line play. It wasn’t perfect at all. Garrett got a sack and forced a fumble, but he wasn’t a huge factor in the game. The Cowboys did a good job of getting some help to both tackles, and they also rolled Dak out of the pocket a few times, away from Garrett.

Overall, the addition of Tyler Guyton and Cooper Beebe was a good start for this offense. I think the running game could have been better, especially in the second half. There is always room for improvement, and this running game could be at the top of the list.

But again, it wasn’t terrible. When they needed to get first downs and touchdowns, they were able to do it in the running game. How cool was it to see Ezekiel Elliott back in the end zone? That penalty on Garrett moving the ball from the 7-yard line to the 3 was a huge play in the game. It changed the down and distance and allowed the Cowboys to drive the ball – with Zeke – into the end zone for a touchdown.

Okay, let’s move on to the things we wanted to see.

What about Trevon Diggs returning from injury? What about Brandon Aubrey making an encore after that magical first year? And what about Caelen Carson starting his first game?

Diggs was great before his interception in the fourth quarter. We didn’t hear from him at all, which is great for a cornerback. And it’s not like the other side was getting bullied too much. Carson held his own in his first game. Again, it helps when you don’t have to cover that long.

Aubrey is an absolute weapon. It’s too bad the NFL didn’t restart the play clock like they normally do, which would have allowed him to kick and make that 66-yarder before halftime. Even without that, he’d still be money.

And staying on the special teams, KaVontae Turpin finally breaks free and scores on a return. He hits a 60-yard punt return to the house, deciding the game.

We could go on and on about other standouts like Eric Kendricks and DeMarvion Overshown at linebacker. Wideout Brandin Cooks is going to be the difference maker for this offense this year, and without rewatching the game, it felt like Osa Odighizuwa was alive in the backfield.

In a game like this, all the boxes were ticked.

Go ahead and pick apart the running game if you need to. It needs to be better. But for me, this game was a lot like the 40-0 blowout of the Giants in Week 1 last year. The defense and special teams were so dominant that it didn’t force the offense to go out and make a lot of plays.

The goal at the end of the day is to come out and dominate. It felt like the Cowboys could do that in all three phases — and they did it in a place where the Browns rarely lost last year.

All in all, this was an impressive start to the season as the Cowboys not only won the game, and with ease, but they did so with some standout performances that we have been waiting for for a while.

Dak and CeeDee Lamb got their contracts done and both played well, getting the offense going early. The defense was great under Zimmer, with Parsons killing the game as we’ve seen before. The special teams was… special, and the new players like Kendricks, Overshown, Carson, Guyton, and Beebe all look like they’ll be great additions.

Were these the things we wanted to see? Bingo!