Leading into Sunday's excruciating season opener for the Cowboys at Carolina, things were supposed to be different.
The franchise had tried to expose and expunge the offensive ineptitude that surfaced last season. A new approach, going without a true No. 1 receiver, would prove to be friendlier to quarterback Dak Prescott, as would an expanded playbook, the team's front office and coaches professed.
A willingness to evolve became the theme of the offseason.
Then came Sunday's 16-8 flop in the rain, when Dallas still couldn't get out of its own way offensively.
With the New York Giants visiting AT&T Stadium in Week 2, here's an assessment of where the Cowboys were supposed to be improved, and how they actually fared.