Week three the Dallas Cowboys visited New York to play the Giants. The game was back and forth until the fourth quarter where the Cowboys were able to put together some scoring drives. All touchdowns came in the second half of the game when both defenses started getting a little tired. The Cowboys played well enough to look like the better team in all three phases of football. Here is the Cowboys Vs Giants recap.
Offensive Keys
The most notable difference between the two teams was the pass protection. Cooper Rush was not sacked once and looked really confident and comfortable with the play calling. The offense was moving the ball the entire game even though they only managed two touchdowns. The running duo of Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard performed at near peak proficiency. Elliott had 15 carries and averaged 4.9 yards per carry and one touchdown. Pollard had 13 carries averaging 8.1 yards per carry. The two had success running north and south and around the edge nearly all night. Other than Ceedee Lamb’s notable drop that could have been a touchdown the offense did not miss a beat with their less than perfect receiving core. Lamb made a fantastic catch for a touchdown, effectively redeeming himself for his previous drop.
Defensive Keys
The defense was great nearly the entire game. They did allow 22 first downs so they spent a lot of time on the field. One part that stood out to me was the ability of Danial Jones using his legs to pick up first downs. He is not an overly athletic quarterback and most of these plays were due to missed sack opportunities. That being said the Cowboys did manage five sacks on the night. The defense put pressure on Jones nearly every time he dropped back to pass. The front seven did a great job holding Saquon Barkley in check most of the night. Barkley had one run in the third quarter that he broke free for a touchdown. The defensive backs played an above average game holding the Giants to less than 200 yards in the air. They mostly played safe defense with the exception of Diggs.
Special Teams Keys
The best special teams play of the night came in the first quarter when the Cowboys blocked a field goal attempt. That one play by Dorance Armstrong kept the Cowboys ahead and even though they won by 8 points it would have been a different feeling game. Since the offense wasn’t scoring touchdowns we settled for field goals. Thankfully Brett Maher made three out of four attempts. His efficiency gave us enough to stay in the game until the offense was able to get those touchdowns, We have yet to see KaVontae Turpin take off on a return in the regular season but I still have hope.
We’re Not Done Yet
The Cowboys Vs Giants game puts us tied for second place with the edge over the Giants. This coming week we have a home game against the Commanders. Provided we come away with the win the season has hope again. I was skeptical after the week one loss to the Patriots coupled with the loss of Dak Prescott. But Cooper Rush has pulled through in a few big wins to give the Cowboys life again.