Studs & Duds: Vander Esch, Tolbert among standouts in pasting of Patriots

From @ToddBrock24f7: Perhaps some Cowboys fans wrote off Leighton Vander Esch and Jalen Tolbert a little too soon; two rookies find themselves struggling.

Week 4’s matchup against the Patriots brought a lot of uncertainty for Cowboys fans. Would Dallas follow up last Sunday’s clunker with a repeat performance… or would the team more closely resemble the well-oiled machine that steamrolled opponents in their first two contest?

It didn’t take long for the Cowboys to make last week’s trip to the desert look like the anomaly, playing with fire and emotion and a propensity for big plays all day long, eventually handing Bill Belichick the worst loss of his coaching career with a 38-3 smackdown.

The biggest stars of the day, though, proved to be less-than-marquee names, with a young DB, a onetime injury liability, and a receiver most were ready to write off as a bust showing out in the decisive victory. Two rookies, meanwhile, are having a tougher time adjusting to the pro game and turned in less-than-stellar performances.

Here’s your Studs and Duds for Week 4.

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