EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The Dallas Cowboys did not have the start the team was hoping for coming off the bye week. In the meadowlands, Dak Prescott’s first pass attempt was intercepted and after a dominant following drive, Randall Cobb’s 17-yard touchdown was nullified by Tyron Smith’s holding penalty. The offense once again had to settle for a field goal early on in the ballgame.
Defensively in the first, DeMarcus Lawrence bulldozed Daniel Jones with a sack on the inside stunt and the Giants were forced to punt. However, the next two drives for Dallas’ offense went in a similar downward fashion. Brett Maher missed a 54-yard field goal and on the next possession, Cobb fumbled the ball after being hit by Jabrill Peppers. Antoine Bethea recovered it.
The Giants were playing with more passion throughout the first half and seemed to want it more. Things shifted in favor of the Cowboys late in the second quarter. Prescott left the pocket and extended the play hitting Blake Jarwin on a 42-yard touchdown pass/catch. The defense hit the field and Xavier Woods read the quarterback, tracked the football, and made the interception in zone coverage. The offense was not able to score a TD but cashed in with Maher’s 52-yard field goal to end the first half 13-12. The Cowboys scored 10 points in 52 seconds.
The defense played well in the third with Jaylon Smith’s sack on Jones and Darian Thompson’s fumble recovery. Thompson came in for Jeff Heath at strong safety when he exited the game and immediately made a play. In addition, Sean Lee played like his old self at will-backer. He had several immediate tackles on Saquon Barkley with his stellar instincts and quick reaction. He was all over the field sprinting to ball carriers.
The offense stalled again until the fourth. Michael Gallup displayed incredible balance/effort after the catch to stay upright and get into the end zone for the touchdown. The play shifted the momentum and extended Dallas’ lead to 23-15. The Cowboys scored on the following drive as well after Amari Cooper’s 45-yard TD. Prescott hit Cooper in stride crossing the field to once again up the team’s lead to 30-18. Dak did an amazing job in the ballgame reading the defense. On that specific play, he saw DeAndre Baker playing zone with everyone else playing man coverage in the backfield and targeted Cooper.
The icing on the cake- Jourdan Lewis’ explosive play to end the division matchup. With :06 on the clock, the ball was knocked out, Lewis scooped it up and ran back 63-yards for the touchdown to cap off the victory 37-18.
Not the cleanest game by any means on either side of the football with turnovers and penalties, but the Cowboys fought hard in the fourth quarter to get the job done.
Dallas finished with 429 total yards (257 passing, 172 rushing), but were 4-11 in third down efficiency, amassed 10 penalties for 104 yards, and two turnovers.
By the Numbers:
Prescott completed 22 of 35 passes for 257 passing yards, three touchdowns, and one interception for a 101.7 rating. Ezekiel Elliott had a stellar performance with 23 carries for 139 yards, and a 6.0 average per carry. Amari Cooper led the team in receiving with four receptions for 80 yards, a 20.0 average after the catch, and a touchdown.
Lee led the defense with 12 total tackles (9 solo) and one pass defend. Dorance Armstrong, Maliek Collins, Michael Bennett, and DeMarcus Lawrence all tallied a sack with Robert Quinn and Jaylon Smith recording a half sack (0.5).
