EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — There is an agreement that Cowboys players and coaches can rest for three days. Thursday night’s 20-15 win over the Giants ended a two-game losing streak and ended debates about unprofessionalism, poor chemistry between star quarterbacks and receivers and, perhaps, whether people can go on with their lives against the Cowboys. I”We’ve got to stay professional,” quarterback Dak Prescott said. “It’s not over once you win.”Prescott was very good Thursday night. He completed 21 of 27 passes for 221 yards with two touchdowns. He posted a quarterback rating of 125.5 and receiver CeeDee Lamb made an impact with his ability to stop the run. Lamb caught seven passes on eight targets for 98 yards and a 55-yard touchdown. It’s okay to ignore Lamb’s 4-yard catch in the second half. Because it does what the running game lacks: being efficient.
In all, the running game gained 80 yards on 23 attempts, and while he averaged 3.5, the final score proved coach Mike McCarthy can trust him. The Cowboys extended their lead to five points on Brandon Aubrey’s 40-yard field goal, capping a 10-play, 48-yard drive. There were four rushing plays, two of which resulted in first down gains. The only negative play was a Lamb run for a 1-yard loss. McCarthy wants his team to have more ports. Because that means it’s game over, as it was Thursday night. And speaking of the running game, the Cowboys defense struggled against the run.
Finally, the Giants finished the game with 26 points.
His 1.08 yards per carry allowed was the sixth-lowest in Cowboy history. The last time the Cowboys allowed less than 1 yard per carry was in 2015. In that time, they limited the Eagles to just 20 rushing yards on nine carries (0.58 average). “We cleaned up a few things in the movie,” Eric Kendricks said. “We changed a few things and we had to look in the mirror, play more physical and obviously we have a long season ahead of us. It was only one game and we had to give our best in every game. It was a good win. We will enjoy the coming days.”Now that the contact has been resolved and a quality play is being made on the field, the Cowboys said they are not satisfied.
“Winning is important,” Micah Parsons said. “This was a tough tournament so to win 20-15 wasn’t great. I earned my living. I don’t want to eat anymore. “I wish you a righteous and everlasting victory.”The defense is struggling with DeMarcus Lawrence (ankle) and Parsons (ankle) both out with injuries. McCarthy had to bench cornerback Andrew Booth for a poor play in the second half, but Amani Oruwarie made amends and tied the game with five seconds left.
It was a comfortable win but McCarthy’s side, who had not lost three games in a row since 2020, needed a win. If Pittsburgh loses their next game in 10 days, you’re going to stink. Regardless of how the NFC East looks this weekend, the Cowboys realize they can’t repeat the problems they had during their losing streak. “It’s routine,” Lawrence said. “I can’t report for a week and I have to come every day. I think we’re going in a good direction and we should start again next week.”
