The Dallas Cowboys went into New York with one goal: to get back to a .500 record. They did just that, beating the New York Giants 20-15. Even though Dallas walked away with a win, it didn’t come without a few losses.
The defense lost DeMarcus Lawrence and Micah Parsons during the game, and both players will be out for an extended period of time, Lawrence longer than Parsons. It was good to see the connection between Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb get back on track, considering the team may have to lean on those two until their defense gets healthy again.
Here are five observations from the Cowboys win against the Giants and what some could mean moving forward.
First Point: Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb will have to carry the team
Even though it took longer than necessary, the front office decided to take care of their franchise stars and extend Prescott and Lamb for the foreseeable future. A total of $376 million is tied up with those two players, and they need to show a return on the investment as early as Sunday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Even with Parsons and Lawrence on the field, Dallas has struggled to rush the passer this season. The Cowboys defense ranks 19th in the NFL with eight sacks despite being third in the league with 39 pressures. That puts pressure on the offense to play with a lead instead of from behind, which they haven’t been able to do much this season.
Until Parsons and Lawrence come back, the offensive stars will be under a lot of pressure to ensure the defense stays out of harm’s way.
Second Point: Pressure continues to be put on the rookie class
Dallas was already relying on rookies Tyler Guyton, Cooper Beebe, and Caelen Carson to be massive contributors, but now second-round pick Marshawn Kneeland can be added to the list. With Dallas losing both of their starting defensive ends, the front office will turn to their in-house players before they look elsewhere.
Among rookie defensive ends, Kneeland ranks:
With his workload set to be increased into a starting role, hopefully, the flashes will be more consistent. Outside of Kneeland, Chauncey Golston and Carl Lawson will be more involved, along with whoever the team decides to bring off the streets.
Third Point: Rico Dowdle is showing he deserves to be the RB1
With Ezekiel Elliott returning to Dallas, to the casual fan, it was the assumption he would be the lead running back from day one. However, after four weeks and in the middle of a committee approach, Rico Dowdle has proven the team’s best option in the backfield.
Against the Giants, Dowdle carried the ball 11 times for 46 yards and had a screen pass that went for a touchdown in the red zone. He currently leads the team in rushing yards with 134 yards, with Elliott behind him at 81 yards.
It remains to be seen when Dalvin Cook will be added to the mix, but whether this week or after the bye, Dowdle continues to show that he has cemented his spot in the rotation.
Fourth Point: There may be problems with the Dallas secondary
It’s been happening for a few weeks now, but outside of Trevon Diggs, the Cowboys secondary seems to be having a rough go. Injuries have played a big factor, with DaRon Bland and Caelen Carson missing time, but the safety position doesn’t look as strong as it once was.
At one point in the game, Diggs left the game with cramping, and the cornerback depth chart looked like Jourdan Lewis, Andrew Booth, Israel Mukuamu, and Amani Oruwariye. Respectfully to those gentlemen, that’s not good.
Lewis and Diggs have been the team’s best players in coverage, but there’s been trouble anytime the opposing offense wants to test Dallas’ secondary deep. There could be some struggles in communication with the new scheme from Mike Zimmer, but it’s unlike Malik Hooker and Donovan Wilson to look this out of sorts.
The safeties seem to take more chances than we’re used to seeing. Maybe things start to click over the next few games before the bye week, but if they don’t, maybe there should be more snaps leaning toward Juanyeh Thomas and Markquese Bell when healthy.
Fifth Point: It’s Brandon Aubrey’s world, and we’re just living in it
The NFL has seen an uptick in field goals this season mainly because touchdowns have been hard to come by. However, kickers are nailing 50-yard field goals now more than ever. Some of them have made them feel like 30-yard attempts with their consistency.
For Brandon Aubrey and the Cowboys, every 50-yard attempt feels routine (despite missing one against the Giants), and there is no greater feeling. The kicking position in Dallas has been cursed since they cut franchise legend Dan Bailey, who defined consistency during his tenure until the end.
The Cowboys struggled to find a staple of the position and have now found what could be the next great kicker of the next decade, much like it has been for Justin Tucker. Kickers have spoken about kicking at MetLife Stadium and how difficult it can be because of the wind.
Toward the end of the third quarter, Aubrey successfully kicked a 60-yard field goal right down the middle despite the wet and less-than-ideal conditions. The three points were critical, considering they increased Dallas’ lead to five instead of two.
The offense has been struggling in the first month of the season, so it’s been encouraging to see Dallas discovering a reliable scoring asset in Aubrey. Additionally, his performance has attracted the attention of superstar Post Malone which gives Aubrey some extra street cred in Dallas.
