EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Sunday's kickoff against the New York Jets was only a few moments away when Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones spoke to a handful of reporters in the press box about the post-Micah Parsons-trade roster.
"We're going to see," he said, unprompted. "This is a great test time. Are more 'better' players or fewer 'highly great' players the way to ultimately win in the NFL? Because what happens is you end up so often out there without those high-paid players."
A little more than three hours later, after the Cowboys beat the New York Jets 37-22, Jones was beaming.
"This was a valiant effort" Jones said. "A great coaching job today."
The Cowboys were without Pro Bowl left guard Tyler Smith, whom they recently made the highest-paid interior offensive lineman in NFL history ($24 million a year), because of right knee, ankle and hip issues that allowed him to dress but not play in the game.
He was replaced by Hakeem Adeniji and Trevor Keegan.
Pro Bowl wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, the third-highest-paid wide receiver at $34 million a year, missed his second straight game with a high ankle sprain. Pro Bowl returner KaVontae Turpin was back in Dallas because of a sprained foot.
They were replaced, in part, by Ryan Flournoy, a sixth-round pick last year who caught 10 passes for 102 yards as a rookie. He finished with six catches for 114 yards, with 104 coming in the first half.
The Cowboys were also without their last two first-round picks, left tackle Tyler Guyton (concussion) and right guard Tyler Booker (ankle). Nate Thomas, a seventh-round pick in 2025, replaced Guyton, starting for the first time in his career. Booker was replaced by T.J. Bass, who was making the seventh start of his career. With center Cooper Beebe missing his third straight game because of a foot injury, only right tackle Terence Steele remained from the opening day lineup.
The Cowboys finished with 416 yards of offense and had a 100-yard rusher (Javonte Williams, 135) to pair with Flournoy's 100 receiving yards.
"I don't remember ever having to go on with four brand new offensive linemen," coach Brian Schottenheimer said. "But again, I think it goes down to their belief in one another."
On Saturday, the Cowboys put starting safety Malik Hooker on injured reserve with a toe injury. Juanyeh Thomas replaced Hooker, starting for just the second time in his career. Defensive end Marshawn Kneeland, who started last week against the Green Bay Packers, was unable to go Sunday after an early pregame workout because of an ankle injury suffered in practice.
In the second quarter, starting linebacker Jack Sanborn was forced out of the game with a concussion. He was replaced by fifth-round pick Shemar James, who finished with a game-high 15 tackles.
Nine starters -- or starting-type players -- were missing and the Cowboys still won.
"Proud about how we fight and how hard we played," defensive tackle Kenny Clark said.
The maligned Cowboys defense entered the game with five sacks this season, then sacked Justin Fields five times. Prescott outgained Fields on the ground, 28 yards to 26.
Linebacker Marist Liufau had perhaps the most impactful play, punching the ball free from New York running back Breece Hall at the Dallas 9 with the Cowboys leading 10-3. By the end of the second quarter, they led 23-3.
The Cowboys allowed 378 yards to the Jets after giving up, on average, 460 yards in the three previous games. They gave up 13 touchdowns in the three previous games, and the Jets did not score a touchdown until the fourth quarter.
It wasn't perfect. Prescott lamented three three-and-outs in the second half. The Jets ran for 144 yards and averaged 6.5 yards per carry.
"It was special to be in that locker room and celebrate with those guys," Schottenheimer said. "And really, there's a lot of things to celebrate. There'll be a lot of things to clean up. But, man, the effort and play style on both sides of the ball and special teams, I thought was terrific."
Schottenheimer talked about building the best culture in professional sports. With a 2-2-1 record, there remain miles to go, but Sunday was a start.
"For those guys to start who don't normally get in, to play like starters, and to own their roles, and play at the standard that we did," Prescott said. "But to stay consistent and the belief in each and every one of those guys, I mean [Schottenheimer is] doing a hell of a job building this culture and he deserves a lot of respect and credit for it."