Tag: 2024 Week 4

NFL Week 4 Rooting Guide, Predictions, Results: Make Cowboys fans happy again

A look at the Week 4 slate, who could help Dallas and who will most likely win. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Dallas Cowboys are already back at home, resting up on a Week 4 minibye before getting back to work on Tuesday. In the meantime, there are 15 games on the NFL schedule for this weekend, including another Monday Night Football double-header to keep fans entertained. The slow start to the season, a 2-2 record courtesy of wins over two teams widely considered in the bottom third of the league, now dives into an extremely difficult stretch of games. Facing Pittsburgh, Detroit, San Francisco and Philadelphia with just a bye week and Kirk Cousin’s Falcons sprinkled in, is daunting.

It means that Dallas is likely going to need some help to get into prime playoff positioning. From here until the end of the season, we’ll go through the contests and weigh in on which victor would benefit Dallas the most, and who we actually think is going to win. Later on in the year, the rooting guide will be centered around more specific impacts to playoff chances but for now several allegiances will be based on super-scientific vibes.

Game: New Orleans (2-1) @ Atlanta Falcons (1-2)
Kickoff: Sun 1pm
Rooting Interest: Falcons – lost to Saints, need better record for tiebreaker
Prediction: Saints
Winner: Falcoms

Game: Cincinnati Bengals (0-3) @ Carolina Panthers (1-2)
Kickoff: Sun 1pm
Rooting Interest: Panthers – Bengals have intriguing Fire Sale parts
Prediction: Panthers
Winner: Bengals

Game: Los Angeles Rams (1-2) @ Chicago Bears (1-2)
Kickoff: Sun 1pm
Rooting Interest: Bears – may be more likely to fade down the stretch
Prediction: Rams
Winner: Bears

Game: Minnesota Vikings (3-0) @ Green Bay Packers (2-1)
Kickoff: Sun 1pm
Rooting Interest: Packers.
Prediction: Vikings
Winner: Vikings

Game: Jacksonville Jaguars (0-3) @ Houston Texans (2-1)
Kickoff: Sun 1pm
Eooting Interest: None
Prediction: Texans
Winner: Texans

Game: Pittsburgh Steelers (3-0) @ Indianapolis Colts (1-2)
Kickoff: Sun 1pm
Rooting Interest: Steelers. Rather them hot than mad they were upset in W5.
Prediction: Steelers
Winner: Colts

Game: Denver Broncos (1-2) @ New York Jets (2-1)
Kickoff: Sun 1pm
Rooting Interest: None
Prediction: Jets
Winner: Broncos

Game: Philadelphia Eagles (2-1) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1)
Kickoff: Sun 1pm
Rooting Interest: Bucs
Prediction: Bucs
Winner: Bucs

Game: Washington Commanders (2-1) @ Arizona Cardinals (1-2)
Kickoff: Sun 405p
Rooting Interest: Cardinals
Prediction: Cardinals
Winner: Commanders

Game: New England Patriots (1-2) @ San Francisco 49ers (1-2)
Kickoff: Sun 405pm
Rooting Interest: Patriots
Prediction: 49ers
Winner: 49ers

Game: Kansas City Chiefs (3-0) @ Los Angeles Chargers (2-1)
Kickoff: Sun 425p
Rooting Interest: None
Prediction: Chargers
Winner: Chiefs

Game: Cleveland Browns (1-2) @ Las Vegas Raiders (1-2)
Kickoff: Sun 425p
Rooting Interest: None; both have spare parts Dallas can use.
Prediction: Raiders
Winner: Raiders

Game: Buffalo Bills (3-0) @ Baltimore Ravens (1-2)
Kickoff: Sun 820p
Rooting Interest: Ravens. Strength of Schedule tiebreaker bump.
Prediction: Ravens
Winner: Ravens

Game: Tennessee Titans (0-3) @ Miami Dolphins (1-2)
Kickoff: Mon 730p
Rooting Interest: None
Prediction: Titans
Winner: Titans

Game: Seattle Seahawks (3-0) @ Detroit Lions (1-2)
Kickoff: Mon 815p
Rooting Interest: Seahawks, want Lions to be filled with doubt.
Prediction: Lions
Winner: Lions

DeAndre Hopkins headlines 5 AFC South trade targets Cowboys must ask about before NFL deadline

If the Cowboys are going to contend, they’ll need to reinforce several problem areas. Here’s who the AFC South has to potentially offer. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Dallas Cowboys need help. Sure, they were able to stem the tide with their 20-15 win over the New York Giants on Thursday, but things are far from righted. Dallas has two victories on the season, over two teams that, as currently constituted, don’t seem very capable of winning many games.

They played two teams which look like contenders and were blown out. Through four games, clear deficiencies have appeared. There’s little depth behind All-Pro wideout CeeDee Lamb. The running backs are moving behind a work-in-progress offensive line and aren’t breaking tackles. The defensive line doesn’t appear capable of stopping a top rushing attack. Add it all together and what does it spell? Trade for help.

Picks are a commodity for the Cowboys more so than most teams. That makes it unlikely they want to part with any unless the price is in their favor. But with four comp picks on deck for 2025, perhaps the Cowboys would be willing to part for any of these players who could help.

We first examined the AFC North for help, where entering the weekend, three of the four teams are below .500. The same can be said about the AFC South, with only the Houston Texans looking like legitimate playoff contenders. That means the Jacksonville Jaguars, Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans might be willing to part ways with soon-to-be free agents in exchange for draft compensation.

Here are five players the Cowboys should make calls about, to see if there may be a trade that can be worked out.

WR DeAndre Hopkins, Tennessee Titans

Tennessee Titans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (10)

Hopkins is dealing with yet another underdeveloped quarterback and the veteran simply doesn’t have that much time left in his career to waste. Now in his 12th season, he bounced back in 2023 to haul in 75 catches and surpass the 1,000-yard plateau for the seventh time in his career. Getting him to Dallas would solve the issues Dallas has had with Brandin Cooks, although the two aren’t similar in size or role. Pairing Hopkins with Lamb and TE Jake Ferguson would give the Cowboys an imposing arsenal at Dak Prescott’s disposal.

DT Taven Bryan, Indianapolis Colts

Christine Tannous USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

Bryan has been a part-time starter since coming into the league in 2018 and is set to hit free agency next summer. He’d be a nice rotational pickup who could log some time at either position despite not being the prototypical size for a Mike Zimmer DT (6-foot-4, 291 pounds).

DE Dayo Odeyingbo, Indianapolis Colts

Indianapolis Colts defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo (54)

Sitting behind Kwity Paye in the rotation, Odeyingbo has notched 13.5 sacks across the last two seasons. In Dallas, he may be helpful as a rotational 3-tech as opposed to an edge player, but he certainly offers more in both departments over draft classmate Chauncey Golston.

RB Travis Etienne, Jacksonville Jaguars

[Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
This one’s more likely a pipe dream, but closed mouths don’t get fed. The Jaguars owner said he expects to win now and the team is winless. They drafted an impressive Tank Bigsby last year and perhaps they’d be interested in recouping a second-round pick for a talented back that will require a second contract before the club gets good again. If things fall down further in Jacksonville, the Cowboys should be prepared to make an offer for the exciting dual-threat runner with two 1,000-yard rushing seasons and who’s under the fifth-year option for 2025.

RB D’Ernest Johnson, Jaguars

 Jeremy Reper-Imagn Images

More than likely the Jaguars are going to hold on to Etienne, so if rebuffed Dallas should focus on the backup’s backup in D’Ernest Johnson. He’s proved his worth as a depth piece over the years with a strong 3.07 yards-after-contact per attempt metric throughout his career, including 4.29 this season, albeit on only seven carries through Week 3.

Amari Cooper headlines 5 AFC North trade targets Cowboys must ask about before NFL deadline

If the Cowboys are going to contend, they’ll need to reinforce several problem areas. Here’s who the AFC North has to potentially offer. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Dallas Cowboys have, temporarily, stopped the bleeding. Playing on short rest, it wasn’t a pretty exercise defeating the New York Giants on Thursday Night Football in Week 3. They paid a steep price, too, losing both Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence to lower-extremity injuries and likely for multiple weeks.

Beyond those injury issues, the Cowboys have other needs as well. There has been very little contributions to the passing game beyond All-Pro CeeDee Lamb, and although they were able to shut down the Giants’ run game, it’s been less than a week since they allowed 464 combined rushing yards across two games. There is a need to improve the roster and they should consider trading to do so.

The Cowboys extended both QB Dak Prescott and Lamb before the season started, opening up a large amount of 2024 cap space to make in-season moves. If they are so inclined, Jerry and Stephen Jones have over $25 million of space to bring in help from the outside. Blessed with a minibye to sit back and watch other teams operate, it makes sense to identify teams which may be looking to cut bait on players in exchange for draft picks.

Picks are a commodity for the Cowboys moreso than most teams. That makes it unlikely they want to part with any unless the price is in their favor. But with four comp picks on deck for 2025, perhaps the Cowboys would be willing to part for any of these players who could help.

Our first look is at the AFC North, where entering the weekend, three of the four teams are below .500. The Pittsburgh Steelers are 3-0, but both Baltimore and Cleveland are 1-2 and the Bengals are winless. The Ravens aren’t going to stay bad, so the focus of these trade offers will be on Cincinnati and the Browns’ talent.

WR Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (5)

Higgins is currently playing on the franchise tag as he and the Bengals were unable to work out an agreement all summer. Playing on the fifth-year option, he’s earning $21.8 million a year, so he’d cost Dallas a large chunk of their remaining space at $1.2 million for each week left in the season when acquired.

But the Bengals are struggling, already at 0-3 for the year. If they don’t win a few games in a row, the season is lost and it would make perfect sense to give up Higgins for a fourth rounder in 2025. The kicker? The two-time 1,000-yard receiver be a free agent rental that will likely get his next team a 2026 third or fourth-round comp pick.

DT BJ Hill, Bengals

 (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Another potential Bengal to keep an eye on is interior defensive lineman BJ Hill. Hill is the player Dallas was hoping Jordan Phillips was, a 310-plus three-tech with pass-rush and run-stopping ability. The 2018 Giants’ third-round has three different seasons with at least 4.5 sacks.

DE Trey Hendrickson, Bengals

Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Likely a non-starter, but the Cowboys have a need at the position. This becomes more true if Lawrence is out for much of the season as the team has been a bit cryptic on exactly what is wrong with his foot.

Hendrickson is a similar build to Lawrence, though a more prolific sack artist and not as good at setting the edge. He’s not the best fit as he has only played on the right side, Parsons’ side, and rarely kicks inside. He’s also signed through 2025 and won’t be a free agent like the others on this list, but he’s too good of a talent to not ask about if the Bengals go Fire Sale.

WR Amari Cooper, Cleveland Browns

Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper celebrates after scoring on the team’s first drive during the first half against the New York Giants, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Cleveland.

Cooper made waves this summer, threatening a holdout and got the final year of his contract (originally written by the Cowboys) guaranteed. But if the Browns continue to flounder, perhaps the Cleveland front office would bite the bullet and send him back down south.

Cooper had a career high in yards in 2024, 1,250, and would make a great compliment to Lamb; they’ve proven what they could be as a duo already.

DT Quinton Jefferson, Browns

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Jefferson is a traveling veteran three-tech who just signed with the Browns for about $4 million in the offseason. A lost season means he should be able to be acquired for little draft compensation and would help in a rotation in Dallas.

 

‘No bells and whistles’: Mazi Smith, Cowboys smother Giants’ run game with impressive showing to build on

From @ToddBrock24f7: The Cowboys put up the best numbers of any NFL run defense this season, and the first-round draft pick thought to be a bust led the way.

The Cowboys run defense finally put on the performance that everyone had been waiting for.

But the star of the show was someone nobody expected.

Dallas held the Giants to just 26 total rushing yards on in Thursday night’s 20-15 win. The 1.1 yard-per-carry average they allowed represented the lowest ever in Cowboys franchise history in games where the opponent had at least 20 rushing attempts.

And garnering universal praise for the effort is none other than defensive tackle Mazi Smith, the former first-round draft pick who many in Cowboys Nation had already written off as an all-time bust.

Smith ended the night with three tackles- one of them for a loss- and was PFF’s highest-graded player (88.4) from the game. He knows his interior position doesn’t exactly lend itself to monster stats, but the 23-year-old seemed immediately aware that his Week 4 outing was an important step in what was been, thus far, a rough start to an NFL career.

“I feel like I grew. I feel better,” Smith said from the visitors’ locker room after the win. “I want to keep growing, don’t want it to be a flash in the pan.”

But Smith was even more pleased with how the rest of the Dallas defense executed their game plan on the night. Taking away any semblance of a Giants’ ground attack was instrumental in helping the Cowboys snapping a two-game losing streak in which the run defense got torched for 464 yards on the ground by the Saints and Ravens combined.

On Thursday? The unit took real estate back from the Giants over the third and fourth quarters; New York’s rushing total after the halftime break was negative-three yards.

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“Everybody was doing their job. Everybody was doing what they’re supposed to. That’s really how you stop it,” Smith explained. “It ain’t no bells and whistles to stop a run game: everybody do their job, do what they’re supposed to do. That’s how you stop it.”

After back-to-back weeks of Cowboys team leaders complaining about some of their teammates playing “hero ball” or “trying to be Superman,” Smith and the rest of the Dallas defense seemed to more faithfully stick to their assignments at MetLife Stadium. As a result, they allowed the fewest team rushing yards in an NFL game so far this season.

And that- much more than the questions and skepticism swirling around the unit the past two weeks- is something Smith believes the group can actually put to use going forward.

“People be talking and chirping. Nobody’s worried about that. And if they are worried about it, they’re worried about the wrong thing,” he said. “Ain’t nobody getting out there playing the run for us or with us; don’t care what they’ve got to say.”

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PFF Grades: Best, worst Cowboys performances in Week 4 win by position as Mazi Smith leads the way

A look at which players stood out, good or bad, from each position group in Dallas’ win over the Giants. | From @KDDrummondNFL

A win is a win is a win, but the Cowboys were certainly hoping to have more style points than they ended up with in their 20-15 victory over the New York Giants. The intra-division success evened Dallas’ record on the young season to 2-2, which was a must considering the gauntlet of tough opponents staring them in the face. The upstart (currently) 3-0 Pittsburgh Steelers are next up in Week 5, with games against the Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles up next, with a bye week and Kirk Cousins’ Atlanta Falcons dividing each of those three pivotal faceoffs.

After how they’ve performed in their previous two losses though, the Cowboys will take the up and down performance. Pro Football Focus has turned in their initial grades for each player, and they seem to represent the awkward flow of the ref-interfered slog of Thursday Night Football. Here are the best and worst initial grades, by position, for the contest. A player had to appear in at least 15% of their unit’s respective snaps to qualify. All grades are out of a possible 100.

Quarterbacks

Best Grade: Dak Prescott 83.0

Running Backs

Best Grade: Ezekiel Elliott 79.5
Worst Grade: Hunter Luepke 52.4

Wide Receivers

Best Grade: CeeDee Lamb 79.6
Worst Grade: Brandin Cooks 56.6

Offensive Line

Best Grade: Tyler Smith 77.4
Worst Grade: Cooper Beebe 42.6

Edge Rushers

Best Grade: Micah Parsons 72.8 Worst Grade: Carl Lawson 30.3

Defensive Tackles

Best Grade: Mazi Smith 88.5 Worst Grade: Linval Joseph 49.5

Linebackers

Best Grade: DeMarvion Overshown 77.2 Worst Grade: Marist Liufau 54.1

Safeties

Best Grade: Donovan Wilson 67.6 Worst Grade: Malik Hooker 60.9

Cornerbacks

Best Grade: Amani Oruwariye 69.7 Worst Grade: Andrew Booth 31.1

Cowboys Offense, defense, special teams snap counts as Luepke outsnaps all other RBs

Not Ezekiel Elliott. Not Rico Dowdle. Not Deuce Vaughn. Hunter Luepke. All Cowboys who played and how much. | From @KDDrummondNFL

They were never able to pull away, but the Dallas Cowboys held the advantage for much of the game on Thursday night in vanquishing their division rivals. The club arrived to rainy weather on Wednesday, but the skies cleared long enough at MetLife Stadium to allow the Cowboys to escape with a 20-15 victory where the defense held the opponents out of the end zone for the first time this season.

Meanwhile the offense was strong in the first half, scoring two touchdowns before bogging down in the second half. The final margin would’ve been more if it weren’t for the first 50-plus-yard field-goal attempt miss of Brandon Aubrey’s career, snapping an NFL record streak of 16 attempts.

So who all was a part of the festivities? Here’s a look at the snap counts from the contest on each of the three sides of the ball.

Total Snaps

Offense: 56
Defense: 69
Special Teams: 25

Offensive Players Snap Counts, Percentages

C Cooper Beebe: 56 (100%)
OT Tyler Guyton: 56 (100%)
OG Tyler Smith: 56 (100%)
OT Terence Steele: 56 (100%)
QB Dak Prescott: 56 (100%)
OG Zack Martin: 53 (95%)
WR CeeDee Lamb: 47 (84%)
WR Brandin Cooks: 46 (82%)
TE Jake Ferguson: 41 (73%)
WR Jalen Tolbert: 39 (70%)
FB Hunter Luepke: 29 (52%)
RB Rico Dowdle: 25 (45%)
TE Luke Schoonmaker: 19 (34%)
RB Ezekiel Elliott: 10 (18%)
WR Jalen Brooks: 8 (14%)
WR Kavontae Turpin: 7 (12%)
TE Brevyn Spann-Ford: 5 (9%)
RB Deuce Vaughn: 4 (7%)
OG TJ Bass: 3 (5%)

Defensive Players Snap Counts, Percentages

SS Donovan Wilson: 69 (100%)
LB Eric Kendricks: 68 (99%)
CB Trevon Diggs: 68 (99%)
FS Malik Hooker: 66 (96%)
LB DeMarvion Overshown: 59 (86%)
DE Micah Parsons: 57 (83%)
DT Osa Odighizuwa: 53 (77%)
CB Jourdan Lewis: 51 (74%)
DE Marshawn Kneeland: 36 (52%)
CB Amani Oruwariye: 33 (48%)
DE DeMarcus Lawrence: 30 (43%)
LB Marist Liufau: 27 (39%)
CB Andrew Booth: 27 (39%)
DT Mazi Smith: 26 (38%)
DE Chauncey Golston: 25 (36%)
DE Carl Lawson: 22 (32%)
NT Linval Joseph: 22 (32%)
DR Christian Watkins: 10 (14%)
LB Damone Clark: 5 (7%)
FS Juanyeh Thomas: 3 (4%)
DB Israel Mukuamu: 2 (3%)

Special Teams Snap Counts, Percentages

CJ Goodwin: 20 (80%)
Buddy Johnson: 20 (80%)
Brandon Aubrey: 10 (40%)
Brock Hoffman: 10 (40%)
Bryan Anger: 8 (32%)
C.Beebe C 5 (20%)
T.Guyton T 5 (20%)
T.Smith G 5 (20%)
J.Tolbert WR 3 (12%)
H.Luepke FB 15 (60%)
L.Schoonmaker TE 9 (36%)
J.Brooks WR 15 (60%)
K.Turpin WR 7 (28%)
B.Spann-Ford TE 9 (36%)
D.Vaughn RB 1 (4%)
T.Bass G 5 (20%)
D.Overshown LB 5 (20%)
O.Odighizuwa DT 5 (20%)
M.Kneeland DE 5 (20%)
A.Oruwariye CB 5 (20%)
M.Liufau LB 12 (48%)
A.Booth CB 8 (32%)
M.Smith DT 26 (38%)
C.Golston DE 11 (44%)
C.Lawson DE 5 (20%)
C.Watkins DE 2 (8%)
D.Clark LB 20 (80%)
J.Thomas FS 20 (80%)
I.Mukuamu FS 17 (68%)

Cowboys hope winning battle vs Giants, 20-15, didn’t cost them much more via injury

The Dallas Cowboys finally got back in the win column, but they hope they didn’t suffer a much larger defeat. In taking out the division rival New York Giants, 20-15, the Cowboys were better in a ton of issue areas they’ve had recently. Dak Prescott …

The Dallas Cowboys finally got back in the win column, but they hope they didn’t suffer a much larger defeat. In taking out the division rival New York Giants, 20-15, the Cowboys were better in a ton of issue areas they’ve had recently. Dak Prescott was precise in his passing, CeeDee Lamb got going with over 100 total yards and a score and the defense was as strong as they’ve been in a long time.

After allowing almost 500 yards rushing in the last two games, they held the Giants to just 26 on 24 attempts, a lowly 1.1 yard-per-carry average. The defense kept the Giants out of the end zone after New Orleans and Baltimore had conveyor belts in Weeks 2 and 3 and sealed the game with an interception. But the biggest concern now is the health of superstar Micah Parsons.

Parsons left the contest twice, the first for a stinger concern that he quickly returned from. But late in the game, Parsons was landed on when his teammate pushed a Giants offensive linemen on the back of his legs.

Parsons was taken into the locker room on a cart.

The team was working without DeMarcus Lawrence, who suffered a foot injury early in the third quarter and never returned. The club also lost Trevon Diggs and Zack Martin for a few plays each.

But thanks to two first-half passing touchdowns off the arm of Prescott, the Cowboys were able to overcome. The Giants scored a field goal on their opening drive but Dallas answered with a long, methodical response that ended with a Rico Dowdle receiving touchdown, his first score of the season.

After another Giants field goal, Prescott found Lamb on a beautiful route, who weaved into open space and scored on a 56 yarder. That helped them overcome a ridiculously bad tackling night by the defense, which again buckled down when necessary.

Eric Kendricks, Mazi Smith and DeMarvion Overshown had great games.

Cowboys’ Micah Parsons leaves Giants game for 2nd time due to injury

The Dallas Cowboys have had a slew of injuries during their backyard fight against the New York Giants on Thursday Night Football. The latest seems to be the most serious. Early in the game, the club say Micah Parsons have to leave for a series with …

The Dallas Cowboys have had a slew of injuries during their backyard fight against the New York Giants on Thursday Night Football. The latest seems to be the most serious.

Early in the game, the club say Micah Parsons have to leave for a series with a concern over a stinger. Later his edge mate left for a foot injury, though he returned to the sideline and appeared ready to retun even though he hasn’t. The club lost cornerback Trevon Diggs for a stretch due to cramping and right guard Zack Martin to an apparent eye situation. But late in the fourth quarter, Parsons’ second injury appears serious.

On a third down stop, DT Osa Odighizuwa pushed his offensive lineman backwards and onto the back of Parsons’ legs. After being helped off the field into the medical tent, Parsons climbed onto the cart with his left foot naked, and went on the cart to the locker room.

 

Cowboys DE DeMarcus Lawrence heads to locker room with apparent foot injury

The long-time DE had to exit the game after missing his second sack.

The Dallas Cowboys haven’t been doing a good job of securing the ball carrier in their Week 4 contest with the New York Giants. Fortunately they’ve made enough stops to keep New York out of the end zone, though in the third quarter their troops were depleted as they beared down on the opening drive.

With an opportunity to bring down quarterback Daniel Jones, DeMarcus Lawrence was unable to complete the sack. To make matters worse, Lawrence stayed on the ground and grabbed towards his right ankle after the play was over.

He’d have a slight limp as he made it to the sideline and after being checked out for several minutes, made his way back to the locker room. Lawrence already has the team’s lone sack of the game, his third in four games after two in the season opener against Deshaun Watson and the Cleveland Browns.

Rookie Marshawn Kneeland is next up if Lawrence cannot return to the field. We’ll update as we know more.

Halftime Highlights, Injury update on Micah Parsons as Cowboys lead Giants, 14-9

A quick recap of the first half with highlights of Dallas’ scores. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Dallas Cowboys entered their Week 4 game against the rival New York Giants game in dire straits, desperately needing a win that would restore confidence in what they could be in 2024. So far, so good as despite a three-and-out on their opening drive, the Cowboys have put together multiple scoring drives that actually landed them in the end zone.

And because the defense has held tough and limited the New York Giants to field goal attempts on their drives, the Cowboys hold a halftime lead, 14-9. Quarterback Dak Prescott started the game 14 for 15, and has tossed two touhdown passes to Rico Dowdle and CeeDee Lamb.

Rico Dowlde puts Dallas on the board with a 15-yard screen The Cowboys executed a slow, methodical drive, focusing on slant patterns mostly to CeeDee Lamb but a solid one to Brandin Cooks as well. After a red-zone hold pushed them back to the 15, Dak Prescott finds Dowdle on the screen pass for the score.

Micah Parsons exits the game temporarily

A brief scare for Cowboys and NFL fans as Parsons was forced to exit the game when the referee was concerned about an injury. Parsons was in on a tackle and as slow to get up.

In what was later declared a neck injury, concern for a stinger, Parsons returned to the game on the next drive.

CeeDee Lamb goes crazy

Pure poetry.