The Dallas Cowboys have a juggernaut defense in 2021. Who would’ve believed that statement at the beginning of the year?
For the third game in a row, all on the road, the Cowboys forced four turnovers to completely stymie their opponents. After taking down the New Orleans Saints and Washington Football Team, the New York Giants served as the defense’s targets this weekend as they forced backup quarterback Mike Glennon into three interceptions while forcing Saquon Barkley’s first lost fumble of his career. The result? A 21-6 victory that improved Dallas’ record on the season to 10-4.
Dallas, by virtue of the Arizona Cardinals’ loss to the Detroit Lions, moved into the No. 3 seed in the NFC by virtue of conference record, where Dallas improved to an NFL best 8-1 on the season.
The Cowboys’ offense was efficient on third downs, going 8-for-14, but still has not resembled the well-oiled machine of the early season. Dallas went 2-for-5 in the red zone, settling for three Greg Zuerlein field goals which didn’t offset his two missed extra points as he continues to lead the league in those.
Quarterback Dak Prescott kept things conservative for the most part this game, staying away from deep attempts thanks to both the Giants deep zones and the heavy wind on the day. He was not helped out by a series of drops by wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. Prescott was in tune with tight end Dalton Schultz who caught all eight of his targets for 67 yards and a touchdown reception in the back of the end zone.
The Cowboys’ rushing game played well with the return of Tony Pollard from a foot injury. He and Ezekiel Elliott combined for 126 yards for a 4.5 yard-per-carry average with Pollard having 74 yards on 12 carries and Elliott scoring on a 13-yard run in the first quarter.
But Dan Quinn’s defense was once again the story of the game for Dallas as defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence created two turnovers on his own. In the fist quarter, a batted pass was easily intercepted by CB Jourdan Lewis, his third of the year. Later Lawrence stripped Barkley to create another offensive opportunity. Safety Malik Hooker caught an errant pass for his first pick of the season while cornerback Trevon Diggs picked off a pass in the end zone for his league-leading 10th interception of 2021.
Diggs pick was the club’s 23rd interception of the season. Dallas had just 17 interception in 2019 and 2020 combined.
The Cowboys have forced four turnovers in three straight contests for the first time since 1994 during their run as one of the best teams in NFL history.
Dallas will turn things right back around to face Washington for the second time in three weeks on Sunday Night Football where they return to AT&T Stadium for the first time since their Thanksgiving loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.
It’s conceivable the club could have the NFC East locked up by that kickoff, with the rest of the Week 15 results and the early Week 16 results coming into play.