The Dallas Cowboys had to deal with a long week following their disappointing Week 3 performance in the desert. The loss to the Arizona Cardinals was an eye opener, tarnishing the great start to the 2023 season with two blowout victories. Detractors looked to throw dirt on Dallas’ chances to have a special season, but on Sunday afternoon the club did what they set out to do in restoring order to their universe.
While the red-zone woes were once again prevalent, Dallas excelled in every other phase of the game. QB Dak Prescott was precise, missing only six of his 34 pass attempts. The offense got the Cowboys the early lead and then the defense and special teams made it an easy victory. For the second time in four games, Dallas scored twice on returns, this time on a fumble recovery and an interception. The special teams threw in a fake extra point to pour salt in the wounds and the result was a 38-3 dominating victory.
Cowboys are the first team since 2019 (BAL, NE) to have 2 different games with 2 return TDs.
NFL record is 4 (CHI 1942, CHI 2012).
— KD Drummond (@KDDrummondNFL) October 1, 2023
The win moved Dallas to 3-1 on the young season, with a revenge date on the horizon. The Cowboys will travel to San Francisco for Sunday Night football next week to take on the team that has eliminated them from the playoffs for the last two seasons. The 49ers won big as well to improve to 4-0 on the season.
The victory saw DaRon Bland, starting on the outside with Trevon Diggs out for the year, secure his second and third interceptions of the young season and his second touchdown. Linebacker Leighton Vander Esch scooped the ball up after a strip sack by Dante Fowler and returned it for a score. But the most fun defensive score came on the extra point, when Bryan Anger took the snap and found Chauncey Golston on a pass for a two-point conversion.
Meanwhile Prescott spread the ball around on offense, finding CeeDee Lamb for his first touchdown of the season. Michael Gallup had another strong game with five catches for 60 yards. Second-year tight end Jake Ferguson caught all seven of his targets for 77 yards, while Jalen Tolbert had his strongest game as a pro with four catches for 53 yards.
Prescott finished the game 28 for 34 for 261 yards with a 108.5 passer rating. His day would’ve been better if rookie TE Luke Schoonmaker didn’t drop a touchdown pass in the first quarter, a common theme for the tight ends through four games.
Injury wise, Dallas saw Micah Parsons miss several plays with a leg injury, however he would return and finish the game. The same couldn’t be same for backup RB Rico Dowdle, who was lost to a hip injury of unknown severity.