2018 (finished 10-6, 1st in NFC East)
Week 14: Cowboys 29, Eagles 23 (OT)
Amari Cooper had been acquired by Dallas in a trade several weeks prior, but this was the game in which he announced his Cowboys presence with authority. Ten receptions on 13 targets for 217 yards and three touchdowns, including the walkoff game-winner as the overtime period wound down.
The game arguably shouldn’t have needed extra time, though, as the Cowboys outgained Philadelphia 576-256, had twice as many first downs, and dominated time of possession. While Cooper’s tip-drill score and celebratory skip through the end zone is the must-see moment here,
Brett Maher’s 62-yard field goal to end the first half is plenty flexworthy, too.
Week 17: Cowboys 36, Giants 35
(AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)
A trio of unsung heroes helped Dallas close out the year with double-digit wins, even though they had locked up the division crown the week prior. Tight end Blake Jarwin single-handedly smoked the Giants for 119 yards and three touchdowns, while rookie receiver Michael Gallup pulled in a crucial two-point conversion throw.
But it was Prescott’s fourth-down bullet in the back of the end zone to Cole Beasley that made it clear this Week 17 contest was anything but ‘meaningless’ to the bitter divisional rivals.
2019 (finished 8-8, 2nd in NFC East)
Week 1: Cowboys 35, Giants 17
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Prescott wasn’t just good in the season opener. He was better than great. In the complicated math that computes passer rating, he was actually perfect. Under new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, Prescott finished 25-of-32 for 405 yards and four touchdowns to earn a passer rating of 158.3, the highest mark possible.
The Giants scored on their first possession, but Prescott and the offense answered quickly and then stood on the gas. It was just the first taste of what was to come for Prescott in his career-best 4,900-yard season.
Week 9: Cowboys 37, Giants 18
The two rivals staged their 2019 rematch on a Monday night in the Meadowlands, and the Cowboys got off to a rocky start. At one point in the second quarter, the Giants led 9-3, and Prescott had 84 passing yards, no touchdowns, and an interception that had come on the opening play. They needed their luck to change… and that’s when a black cat scampered onto the field and halted play.
After the feline was shooed into the tunnels under the stadium, Prescott threw for 173 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. Dallas outscored New York 34-9 the rest of the way in one of the weirder games in recent memory. The mystery cat was even named Player of the Game and earned a spot in the player introductions the following week.
Maybe America could use that same change-of-fortune black cat to race across our collective field right about now. In the meantime, stay safe and enjoy NFL Game Pass, now with no subscription required.
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