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Morning After Week 4: Boys Stop The Freefall
In a night without many style points or much dominance, Dallas finds the win column.
Bob Sturm
Sep 27, 2024
I want to open this football story with something I hear quite a bit when I play golf:
"They don’t put pictures on the scorecard."
This, of course, is a clever way of saying that if you are able to grind, scrape, and claw your way to a good score on a hole or a round, it doesn’t fully matter how pretty it was or how aesthetically pleasing your shots actually were. Whether it is a perfect 9-iron that disappears in the clouds before landing softly next to the pin or if you hit an accidental line drive that somehow bounces off a tree trunk and onto the green, a birdie is a birdie.
Accordingly, a win is a win and a road win is a road win. And in this case, winning a divisional road game on a very short work week when you are coming off two of the worst games of the season and have guys dropping like flies, well, let’s just say that the Dallas Cowboys badly needed the result they got last night – even if there are, to quote the head coach, “plenty of things we need to clean up.”
The Cowboys beat the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium, 20-15, on a rare Thursday night game that Dallas seemed to absolutely "need to have." They were out-gained and nothing seemed as easy as they would want it to be, but Dallas now gets an extra-long weekend to prepare for a three-game gauntlet in October that will tell us what sort of team we are dealing with here in 2024. I know many of us already have a sinking feeling that this team appears to be stepping backwards and not forwards, but last night does demonstrate some very good signs on a lot of fronts – even though that will surely be lost in the sea of negativity that encompasses this franchise at the moment. They have earned the general cynicism, by the way, but in this space, we always attempt to give equal time to the excellent developments before wallowing only in the things that are not very close to right at the present.
So, in an effort to give you a thorough rundown on both sides of the ledger, let’s take a look at what we learned in this very important victory (that will not be apologized for).
First and foremost, I thought Dak Prescott was excellent. He put together a performance that was very patient, intelligent, and calming. He walked into a stadium that was ready to pounce on an offense lacking confidence, and he offered one of his most steady games where he put the ball on-time and on-target over and over again and in doing so was able to protect his young offensive line. It was the kind of effort they need and should expect from him in his 9th year, because if your QB isn't your best player most weeks – especially on the road – then you're in big trouble. Tom Brady’s career was built on taking what is available and doing it with decisiveness and precision and not always filled with highlights. He would make it look frustratingly simple, but we know it is not. For this offense to find its footing, Prescott has to make 100+ passer rating nights routine, but it was his first of 2024. Perhaps that rally against Baltimore helped him get into a groove, because they will need more of that in October. Much more of that.
Additionally, the game plan was clearly built on feeding the ball to CeeDee Lamb as often as possible. It is not ideal that he is clearly the best WR on their roster, but he is also one of the very best wide receivers in the sport. He was targeted eight times and handed the ball three more. Eleven touches is probably the minimum you want for him as everything else looks so ordinary from the offense. Lamb continues to prove that he has game-breaking plays available if you can find him in space, as for the 2nd time this season, he scores from his own side of the field on a single moment of explosion that most of the Cowboys offense lacks.
It was a 1st-and-10 play early in the 2nd quarter with Dallas up, 7-6. We know that passing on early downs will give you a chance to find Lamb without a convoy of defenders, and the Giants tried Cover-1 with Deonte Banks and the single-high safety Tyler Nubin over the top and a blitz headed to try to get to Prescott. If Lamb could stack Banks in time, he would give Dak a window to fit a throw about 17 yards downfield before the safety arrives. Dak hit the target beautifully, and Lamb cut back inside, losing both Banks and Nubin without much sweat. By the time he headed to the end zone, there was no threat of being caught, and that is how easy it is for him to break a play. Just like in the New Orleans game, they are always one play from a touchdown if they can connect against the right coverages, and it is 14-6, Dallas.
It was a thing of great beauty.
The offensive game plan did seem built with the knowledge that the Giants' front would possess some real mismatch issues for the offensive line, and that would speed up how quickly Dak needed to get the ball out. The Cowboys properly decided to double-team Dexter Lawrence, and for the most part, his impact on the proceedings was minimized. But the trade-off was felt, as putting help inside meant Tyler Guyton would be on his own at left tackle. Kayvon Thibodeaux was giving him fits and getting to Prescott with either hurries or his sack. Guyton was struggling with inside moves but was able to get better in the 2nd half – although it was probably his roughest performance of his run so far. It is all part of a rookie left tackle in this league – especially on nights where they cannot give him much help because the other rookie, center Cooper Beebe, has his hands full, to say the least.
Given all of this, we saw much more positive work from Rico Dowdle and the running game. It is far from healthy, but he runs hard and downhill. His eleven runs were collectively impressive, with seven of them defined as successful. Then, when you add in the screen pass touchdown in the 1st quarter, we continue to believe he is easily the best piece in that backfield and should be used accordingly moving forward.
In general, the offense still needs to be much closer to 350 or 400 yards than what they ended up with on this occasion (293), and they lacked the finishing drive in the 2nd half that would have put this game on ice. Poor 3rd-down conversions still plague things a bit, but in general, the offense is starting to sort things out. They are playing a cautious game plan that suggests a lack of confidence in the offensive line and demands the ball be out quickly. This reduces the vertical potential and explosiveness, but we saw this last year early, too. Mike McCarthy is trying to balance risk and reward, but is probably being extra careful given how bad his defense has been.
And that is where we go next. The defense, as you know, is what everyone has been watching as the major disappointment of the franchise to start this season. They have not come close to being good enough against the Saints or Ravens, and it was starting to appear there was no hope for Mike Zimmer’s side of the ball. Not only were they poor, but they were attacked in those weak spots until they fixed them. But, how? If the talent is too low, then is there a solution to even be found in 2024?
On this night, knowing that the Giants had four drives of double-digit plays and five different scoring drives, Daniel Jones, Malik Nabers, and the Giants were pushing the Cowboys' defense around a fair amount. Between Nabers and the excellent 3rd-year slot Wan’Dale Robinson, it is clear the Giants are starting to build a group of receivers who can cause issues. And cause them they did, as this was easily the best Jones has looked as a passer against Dallas during the course of his career. Most every pass was of the short variety, but Dallas could not get them off the field. And because the passes were short and quick, the pass rush of the Cowboys was again not finding much impact.
Finally, however, Dallas was dictating terms as a defense. And as we have now clearly demonstrated week after week to start this season, two things cause terms to be dictated for the Cowboys' pass rush. One is the score. If you are behind, you face an opponent that is never forced to deal with your preferred disposition on defense. The other is your ability to stand up to a run game.
The Giants were determined to try to run the ball right at Dallas. But New York is not Baltimore, and we figured they would not be the same caliber of test. Luckily, that came true as, over and over again, Dallas stood up to the best runs the Giants could muster, even defeating some read options that the Giants had planned to unleash (like everyone else). This was a game for some Cowboys defenders to stand up, and almost all of the young players got it done.
In particular, the best games from the defense were from Mazi Smith (draft class of ‘23), DeMarvion Overshown (‘23), Marshawn Kneeland (‘24), and, of course, Micah Parsons (‘21).
Smith played the best game of his NFL career, and that was by a considerable margin. He not only held his ground in the middle, but also penetrated and was in on splash plays. It is difficult to quantify just how badly they need him this year, but it might be the difference between the playoffs or not. He has the talent, but he had not shown it until last night. Similarly, Overshown was fantastic. He has been up and down quite a bit so far, but again, this is what happens when you count so much on unproven players. They are all trying to figure out their individual battles, let alone controlling the team’s fate. For Overshown, he has been excellent out wide, but in the middle – where Dallas has struggled most – he has been a net negative. Surely, to be an impact NFL LB, you have to be able to do both. Last night was a great sign that he can. He just has to continue to improve the technique and temperament for that tall task.
As for Parsons, he was knocked out of the game late in the 4th quarter on a scary snap where his leg was rolled up on by Giants RG Greg Van Roten. It certainly appeared to be the kind of injury that could keep him down for a bit – perhaps the dreaded high ankle sprain – but with a longer week, he hopes he is good for Pittsburgh. DeMarcus Lawrence also was beat up. Heck, half the team and half the opponent were limping by the end of a game that was both physical and penalty-filled with all manner of stops and starts.
But, in the end, Dallas was able to seal the victory because of a last-chance interception by cornerback Amani Oruwariye. Oruwariye, 28, was signed to the practice squad on August 29th after Jacksonville released him as a depth corner. Who could guess DaRon Bland would be injured, then Caelen Carson would be injured, and Andrew Booth would be played off the field by about halftime as the Giants were attacking him repeatedly.
So, on comes Oruwariye. I will confess that this tweet was the first time I was even aware he was on the practice squad and the tweet occurred at 2:53 yesterday:
So, you can argue he is probably the 4th or 5th option to play corner opposite Trevon Diggs and Jourdan Lewis and is called up on game day, not even sure if he will be active. If so, he’s not even sure he will step on the field. Instead, he plays 33 snaps for Dallas in this game, starting after halftime, and the Giants tried to go right at him. But, in the end, he made a big tackle on Nabers that certainly hobbled the Giants' playmaker, and then reeled in the interception to end the game.
There is nothing I love more than the anonymous hero who steps into a key spot and shows he is ready for the moment. So, a huge congrats to Amani Oruwariye for seizing his day. It will probably get him more opportunities.
Was this a game that was only won because it was the Giants? Maybe, but you know my thoughts on how hard wins are to find in this league – especially when things are going in the wrong direction. We won’t know if this game swings things back in a positive direction for a few weeks, but we do know that it buys everyone a chance to take a breath and get back to work. A 2-2 record after four games is not a death sentence by any stretch.
But the heavy lifting is headed this way and in a hurry. October will tell us many of the answers to the questions that September has raised.
In a night without many style points or much dominance, Dallas finds the win column.
Bob Sturm
Sep 27, 2024
I want to open this football story with something I hear quite a bit when I play golf:
"They don’t put pictures on the scorecard."
This, of course, is a clever way of saying that if you are able to grind, scrape, and claw your way to a good score on a hole or a round, it doesn’t fully matter how pretty it was or how aesthetically pleasing your shots actually were. Whether it is a perfect 9-iron that disappears in the clouds before landing softly next to the pin or if you hit an accidental line drive that somehow bounces off a tree trunk and onto the green, a birdie is a birdie.
Accordingly, a win is a win and a road win is a road win. And in this case, winning a divisional road game on a very short work week when you are coming off two of the worst games of the season and have guys dropping like flies, well, let’s just say that the Dallas Cowboys badly needed the result they got last night – even if there are, to quote the head coach, “plenty of things we need to clean up.”
The Cowboys beat the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium, 20-15, on a rare Thursday night game that Dallas seemed to absolutely "need to have." They were out-gained and nothing seemed as easy as they would want it to be, but Dallas now gets an extra-long weekend to prepare for a three-game gauntlet in October that will tell us what sort of team we are dealing with here in 2024. I know many of us already have a sinking feeling that this team appears to be stepping backwards and not forwards, but last night does demonstrate some very good signs on a lot of fronts – even though that will surely be lost in the sea of negativity that encompasses this franchise at the moment. They have earned the general cynicism, by the way, but in this space, we always attempt to give equal time to the excellent developments before wallowing only in the things that are not very close to right at the present.
So, in an effort to give you a thorough rundown on both sides of the ledger, let’s take a look at what we learned in this very important victory (that will not be apologized for).
First and foremost, I thought Dak Prescott was excellent. He put together a performance that was very patient, intelligent, and calming. He walked into a stadium that was ready to pounce on an offense lacking confidence, and he offered one of his most steady games where he put the ball on-time and on-target over and over again and in doing so was able to protect his young offensive line. It was the kind of effort they need and should expect from him in his 9th year, because if your QB isn't your best player most weeks – especially on the road – then you're in big trouble. Tom Brady’s career was built on taking what is available and doing it with decisiveness and precision and not always filled with highlights. He would make it look frustratingly simple, but we know it is not. For this offense to find its footing, Prescott has to make 100+ passer rating nights routine, but it was his first of 2024. Perhaps that rally against Baltimore helped him get into a groove, because they will need more of that in October. Much more of that.
Additionally, the game plan was clearly built on feeding the ball to CeeDee Lamb as often as possible. It is not ideal that he is clearly the best WR on their roster, but he is also one of the very best wide receivers in the sport. He was targeted eight times and handed the ball three more. Eleven touches is probably the minimum you want for him as everything else looks so ordinary from the offense. Lamb continues to prove that he has game-breaking plays available if you can find him in space, as for the 2nd time this season, he scores from his own side of the field on a single moment of explosion that most of the Cowboys offense lacks.
It was a 1st-and-10 play early in the 2nd quarter with Dallas up, 7-6. We know that passing on early downs will give you a chance to find Lamb without a convoy of defenders, and the Giants tried Cover-1 with Deonte Banks and the single-high safety Tyler Nubin over the top and a blitz headed to try to get to Prescott. If Lamb could stack Banks in time, he would give Dak a window to fit a throw about 17 yards downfield before the safety arrives. Dak hit the target beautifully, and Lamb cut back inside, losing both Banks and Nubin without much sweat. By the time he headed to the end zone, there was no threat of being caught, and that is how easy it is for him to break a play. Just like in the New Orleans game, they are always one play from a touchdown if they can connect against the right coverages, and it is 14-6, Dallas.
It was a thing of great beauty.
The offensive game plan did seem built with the knowledge that the Giants' front would possess some real mismatch issues for the offensive line, and that would speed up how quickly Dak needed to get the ball out. The Cowboys properly decided to double-team Dexter Lawrence, and for the most part, his impact on the proceedings was minimized. But the trade-off was felt, as putting help inside meant Tyler Guyton would be on his own at left tackle. Kayvon Thibodeaux was giving him fits and getting to Prescott with either hurries or his sack. Guyton was struggling with inside moves but was able to get better in the 2nd half – although it was probably his roughest performance of his run so far. It is all part of a rookie left tackle in this league – especially on nights where they cannot give him much help because the other rookie, center Cooper Beebe, has his hands full, to say the least.
Given all of this, we saw much more positive work from Rico Dowdle and the running game. It is far from healthy, but he runs hard and downhill. His eleven runs were collectively impressive, with seven of them defined as successful. Then, when you add in the screen pass touchdown in the 1st quarter, we continue to believe he is easily the best piece in that backfield and should be used accordingly moving forward.
In general, the offense still needs to be much closer to 350 or 400 yards than what they ended up with on this occasion (293), and they lacked the finishing drive in the 2nd half that would have put this game on ice. Poor 3rd-down conversions still plague things a bit, but in general, the offense is starting to sort things out. They are playing a cautious game plan that suggests a lack of confidence in the offensive line and demands the ball be out quickly. This reduces the vertical potential and explosiveness, but we saw this last year early, too. Mike McCarthy is trying to balance risk and reward, but is probably being extra careful given how bad his defense has been.
And that is where we go next. The defense, as you know, is what everyone has been watching as the major disappointment of the franchise to start this season. They have not come close to being good enough against the Saints or Ravens, and it was starting to appear there was no hope for Mike Zimmer’s side of the ball. Not only were they poor, but they were attacked in those weak spots until they fixed them. But, how? If the talent is too low, then is there a solution to even be found in 2024?
On this night, knowing that the Giants had four drives of double-digit plays and five different scoring drives, Daniel Jones, Malik Nabers, and the Giants were pushing the Cowboys' defense around a fair amount. Between Nabers and the excellent 3rd-year slot Wan’Dale Robinson, it is clear the Giants are starting to build a group of receivers who can cause issues. And cause them they did, as this was easily the best Jones has looked as a passer against Dallas during the course of his career. Most every pass was of the short variety, but Dallas could not get them off the field. And because the passes were short and quick, the pass rush of the Cowboys was again not finding much impact.
Finally, however, Dallas was dictating terms as a defense. And as we have now clearly demonstrated week after week to start this season, two things cause terms to be dictated for the Cowboys' pass rush. One is the score. If you are behind, you face an opponent that is never forced to deal with your preferred disposition on defense. The other is your ability to stand up to a run game.
The Giants were determined to try to run the ball right at Dallas. But New York is not Baltimore, and we figured they would not be the same caliber of test. Luckily, that came true as, over and over again, Dallas stood up to the best runs the Giants could muster, even defeating some read options that the Giants had planned to unleash (like everyone else). This was a game for some Cowboys defenders to stand up, and almost all of the young players got it done.
In particular, the best games from the defense were from Mazi Smith (draft class of ‘23), DeMarvion Overshown (‘23), Marshawn Kneeland (‘24), and, of course, Micah Parsons (‘21).
Smith played the best game of his NFL career, and that was by a considerable margin. He not only held his ground in the middle, but also penetrated and was in on splash plays. It is difficult to quantify just how badly they need him this year, but it might be the difference between the playoffs or not. He has the talent, but he had not shown it until last night. Similarly, Overshown was fantastic. He has been up and down quite a bit so far, but again, this is what happens when you count so much on unproven players. They are all trying to figure out their individual battles, let alone controlling the team’s fate. For Overshown, he has been excellent out wide, but in the middle – where Dallas has struggled most – he has been a net negative. Surely, to be an impact NFL LB, you have to be able to do both. Last night was a great sign that he can. He just has to continue to improve the technique and temperament for that tall task.
As for Parsons, he was knocked out of the game late in the 4th quarter on a scary snap where his leg was rolled up on by Giants RG Greg Van Roten. It certainly appeared to be the kind of injury that could keep him down for a bit – perhaps the dreaded high ankle sprain – but with a longer week, he hopes he is good for Pittsburgh. DeMarcus Lawrence also was beat up. Heck, half the team and half the opponent were limping by the end of a game that was both physical and penalty-filled with all manner of stops and starts.
But, in the end, Dallas was able to seal the victory because of a last-chance interception by cornerback Amani Oruwariye. Oruwariye, 28, was signed to the practice squad on August 29th after Jacksonville released him as a depth corner. Who could guess DaRon Bland would be injured, then Caelen Carson would be injured, and Andrew Booth would be played off the field by about halftime as the Giants were attacking him repeatedly.
So, on comes Oruwariye. I will confess that this tweet was the first time I was even aware he was on the practice squad and the tweet occurred at 2:53 yesterday:
So, you can argue he is probably the 4th or 5th option to play corner opposite Trevon Diggs and Jourdan Lewis and is called up on game day, not even sure if he will be active. If so, he’s not even sure he will step on the field. Instead, he plays 33 snaps for Dallas in this game, starting after halftime, and the Giants tried to go right at him. But, in the end, he made a big tackle on Nabers that certainly hobbled the Giants' playmaker, and then reeled in the interception to end the game.
There is nothing I love more than the anonymous hero who steps into a key spot and shows he is ready for the moment. So, a huge congrats to Amani Oruwariye for seizing his day. It will probably get him more opportunities.
Was this a game that was only won because it was the Giants? Maybe, but you know my thoughts on how hard wins are to find in this league – especially when things are going in the wrong direction. We won’t know if this game swings things back in a positive direction for a few weeks, but we do know that it buys everyone a chance to take a breath and get back to work. A 2-2 record after four games is not a death sentence by any stretch.
But the heavy lifting is headed this way and in a hurry. October will tell us many of the answers to the questions that September has raised.
