‘No room to give’: Cowboys DC Dan Quinn praises game-changing tackle by Trevon Diggs, even after tech meltdown

With the defense in need of one last stop, the NFL’s 2021 interception leader stepped up, despite a tech malfunction that caused a scramble. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Leading into Sunday’s Week 2 game, the Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase gave a scouting report on Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs that was less than flattering. While praising Diggs’s athleticism, speed, and ball skills, Chase specifically dinged the 2021 interception leader’s coverage techniques, calling him “a little hit or miss.”

In the end, though, it was Chase who was largely missing from the final box score. And it was a Diggs hit that made the Cowboys’ 20-17 last-second victory possible.

According to Pro Football Focus, Diggs was brilliant in coverage when he was against Chase, allowing last year’s Offensive Rookie of the Year just two catches for 14 yards. (Chase had five receptions for 54 yards total.)

But the talk in Cowboys Nation was Diggs’s solo tackle on a critical third-down play late in the game, forcing a Cincinnati punt and setting up Cooper Rush and the Dallas offense for the final game-winning drive.

“What impressed me so much on that one,” Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn said of Diggs Monday, “was just the aggressive nature to go finish. To me, that’s what a real competitor does: when it’s right there, at the moment, how are you going to go get it on? It was a 3rd-and-3, and in that space there is no room to give. You’ve got to go, defend them, and play it. That was one of my favorite plays in the game.”

But it was a play that almost went off the rails for the Dallas defense before it even started. Quinn revealed that an equipment snafu caused a bit of a scramble on the sideline and in the huddle in the moments leading up to the ball being snapped.

“What you don’t know is on that third-down play, the headsets went off. So we were not able to call in a play like you normally would,” Quinn explained. “I saw [Cincinnati] scrambling, too. I knew both teams didn’t have the player-to-helmet communication.”

“Coach-to-coach ones still worked,” he continued. “This was specifically my communication to the helmet.”

That meant that safety Malik Hooker, who was wearing the green dot in place of the injured Jayron Kearse, was receiving no instructions from Quinn in the seconds just before the massively important third-down play with less than two minutes in regulation.

And Hooker was getting radio silence from his coordinator.

“‘It’s not working, it’s not working,’ Quinn recalled realizing. “We signaled, called it coach-to-coach, then he signaled to the guys. It was definitely later than normal.”

But the sideline got Quinn’s booth call relayed to Hooker in time for him and the defense to execute.

“It was the right call,” Quinn confirmed.

“That’s a good feeling to know that Malik knew he didn’t have me so he [looks to the sideline for] a call,” he continued. “Sometimes in practice I’ll do that where I don’t give them a call, so they just have to make the one I would do in this check. Somebody’s on the ball, I don’t give them a call, they’re looking at me, I don’t have one, and I’m like, ‘This is that time.’ That’s an example of how we would try to plan for when those moments happen.”

The DC admits his unit probably wouldn’t have been able to react so seamlessly at this time last year. Just another bonus to keeping the defense together for a second year under his command.

In fact, Quinn said the team practiced just such a scenario in this summer’s training camp, with head coach Mike McCarthy announcing, “Headsets; headsets are out,” and the sideline goes into what Quinn describes as 911 mode.

“Putting yourself into that moment, expecting there’s going to be some adversity that comes along is good,” said Quinn. “It was chaotic, but I knew we would get the call in.”

What no one could really know, though, as Bengals receiver Tyler Boyd hauled in the short pass from Joe Burrow, was whether Diggs, the only man standing between Boyd and the first-down marker, would make the solo tackle before he got there.

Diggs played it in textbook fashion, wrapping up Boyd and riding him to the turf for a one-yard gain, pinning Cincinnati deep and forcing a punt that ultimately put Dallas kicker Brett Maher in position to win the game with a 50-yard field goal.

“We just needed a stop,” Diggs told reporters afterward. But Diggs actually made two stops; he also held running back Joe Mixon to just three yards on the previous pass play.

“I was like, ‘Let me go make these plays and get the offense back on the field and let’s go win this thing,” he said. “The drive before, I had given up a catch. I was kind of mad about that. I wanted to go out there and make a play for my team.”

His team noticed, even if they were a bit surprised that the game’s biggest tackle came from the guy whose real specialty is interceptions.

“We even said that’s the hardest we’ve ever seen Diggs tackle,” linebacker Micah Parsons joked in the locker room. “He shot out like a cannon. I was proud of him, myself. When I saw that was 7, I was shocked for a second. But that was huge momentum. Way to get off the field, three and out.”

“Tackling… is one that we work on hard to make sure that part of our game comes to life. When we’re going through it, whether it’s on the edge, in the perimeter, in-line, we do a number of different types of tackles. I think it’s one of those things you always work on,” said Quinn. “Those were things we highlighted during the week. This is how low you have to tackle. This is what we have to get done. I was pleased to see that.”

And with the Giants’ bulldozing rusher Saquon Barkley on the docket for Monday night, the Cowboys will look to see more solid tackling from their defense.

They’ll also hope the headsets remain operational… even though they’ve shown Quinn they know how to handle a tech malfunction.

“That added a little bit of extra to make it little more fun.”

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Cowboys TE Dalton Schultz has PCL injury; unclear if he’ll miss time

The fifth-year tight end’s status for Week 3 is up in the air; the team will monitor him this week to see how he responds to rest and rehab. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Dalton Schultz and Cowboys Nation got good news on Monday, or at least news that wasn’t as bad as it could have been. But it leaves the tight end’s status for Monday’s Week 3 game in New York in some degree of doubt.

The fifth-year veteran playing on the franchise tag has a PCL injury, according to reports. While he will avoid missing significant time, it’s not clear if he’ll be able to suit up for the team’s next contest against the division rival Giants.

Schultz suffered the right knee injury in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 20-17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. While initial reports indicated that his ACL was not compromised, the 26-year-old underwent an MRI to get a more detailed diagnosis. That exam showed a less serious PCL injury.

The Cowboys have said they will monitor Schultz throughout the week to see how it responds to rest and rehab.

Running back Ezekiel Elliott suffered a PCL injury in Week 4 of last season, but managed to play through the condition for the remainder of the schedule.

Schultz led the Cowboys in receptions in Week 1, catching seven passes in the opening night loss to Tampa Bay. He was less involved in this weekend’s meeting with the Bengals, catching two balls on four targets for 18 yards before the injury.

What most fans will likely remember more from Week 2 was Schultz’s third-quarter fumble. It came on a 9-yard catch and run in which Schultz had already reached the line to gain and was fighting for an extra yard.

If the Stanford product cannot play Monday, the club will turn to rookies Jake Ferguson and Peyton Hendershot. Ferguson saw 34 offensive snaps versus Cincinnati (56% of the unit’s plays) while the undrafted Hendershot was in on just seven offensive plays. Neither has been targeted in the passing game in 2022.

Schultz played 90% of the Cowboys’ offensive snaps on Sunday. He recorded 14 catches on 16 targets for 146 yards and a touchdowns in two clashes last season against the Giants.

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Twitter reacts to Cowboys 20-17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals entered as a heavy betting favorite to beat Dallas but Cooper Rush, Micah Parsons and Twitter had something to say about that. | From @ProfessorO_NFL

Following a Week 1performance that saw the Cowboys lose several key starters and score just three points, the team headed into Week 2 with a new starting quarterback, strong safety and left guard against a Cincinnati Bengals team that made a Super Bowl run in 2021. Both clubs entered the game looking to avoid an 0-2 start.  The Cowboys’ offense had it’s share of big performances from Cooper Rush, Tony Pollard, CeeDee Lamb and Noah Brown while the defense carried the load, sacking Bengals QB Joe Burrow six times and holding Cincinnati to just 17 points in a gutsy performance.

The Bengals entered the game as a heavy betting favorite but several key performers had something to say about that. The effort resulted in a thoroughly enjoyable game, and the reactions on Twitter matched the vibes. Here’s a look at this week’s best reactions.

‘He never blinks’: Cowboys had total confidence in Cooper Rush on game-winning drive

The backup QB didn’t feel the need for a rah-rah speech in the huddle with the game on the line; his offense responded by doing their jobs. | From @ToddBrock24f7

As the Cowboys offense took the field for the final time Sunday afternoon, the situation was set up like the last scene of a made-for-Hollywood movie. Tied score, 57 seconds left, one timeout remaining. It was up to a backup quarterback to guide the team into field goal range for even a chance to pull off the dramatic upset.

The moment called for a rousing, goose-bump-inducing speech, the kind delivered by the square-jawed leading man as the music swells, a climactic call to action full of rich imagery and soul-stirring emotion, a masterpiece of motivation written by a room full of award-winning scriptwriters.

But as the huddle formed around Cooper Rush, he had nothing memorable to say at all.

“I don’t remember anything specifically,” an understated Rush recalled afterward as he spoke to reporters. “It was probably, ‘Let’s go, here we go, this is why we do it, this is our time.’ It’s a fun group, good group with tons of leaders all over the place. Not everyone needs to get hyped up. They know their job, they know what to do, and you just go play ball.”

And that they did. Rush moved the unit 33 yards in six plays, close enough to give kicker Brett Maher a chance from 50 yards. The field goal try connected, and Dallas came away with an improbable 20-17 win.

But it all seemed very business-as-usual for Rush. Despite making just his second pro start, the undrafted 28-year-old Central Michigan product was as calm and collected in crunch time as he normally is taking practice tosses alongside Dak Prescott.

“Those are the perfect adjectives to describe Coop; he’s calm and he’s collected,” running back Ezekiel Elliott said Sunday evening. “He may seem like he’s a little quiet at times, but he knows his stuff and he was ready for this moment.”

Head coach Mike McCarthy agreed, having seen Rush also lead Dallas to a comeback win in his first start last season.

“That’s Cooper Rush; we see that every day. He’s the same, he is so steady [in his] personality type, he never blinks,” McCarthy gushed in his postgame press conference.

Rush was an efficient 19-of-31 on the day, amassing 235 passing yards and one touchdown through the air on his way to a 95.5 passer rating. Despite standing on the sideline for most of the second half while the Bengals offense played keep-away, Rush was his most accurate when it mattered most. He completed all three of his pass attempts on that final drive (even though it took Noah Brown snaring a tipped ball) to keep things moving.

“We have the utmost confidence in him and the ability to lead us in the two-minute drive in the back-end of the game,” CeeDee Lamb said. “You can’t ask for much [more than that].”

And thankfully, no one asked Rush for a fiery exhortation in the huddle. In fact, the former seventh-round draft pick said that as he took the field for what turned out to be the game-winning drive, he wasn’t even thinking much about his own responsibilities. He admitted he was more occupied by KaVontae Turpin’s 14-yard punt return that set the offense up at the 35.

“I was thinking, ‘Great job by Turp getting us not backed up, getting us out there a little bit.’ Brett has a big leg, and his range is pretty out there. We knew we just had to get a few first downs.”

Just a few first downs, in the waning seconds of a brawl with the previous season’s AFC champions, after every last bit of momentum had been sucked out of the stadium over the previous 29 minutes, and with an entire fanbase who all but expected the backup to fall flat on his face.

And Cooper Rush delivered. Without some big rah-rah pep talk.

“He never changes; he stays the same with communication on the bench,” McCarthy said. “It’s actually exciting to see him get excited after we win the game. I get a charge out of it because he is so consistent.”

In fact, as long as the even-keeled Rush can keep delivering and his Cowboys teammates keep simply doing their jobs on the field, there doesn’t need to be any fanfare at all.

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‘One tough dude’: Cowboys WR Noah Brown may not be unknown anymore after career day

The 7th-round pick caught all 5 of his targets Sunday, logging career-best yards and scoring his 1st TD. It was no surprise to his team. | From @ToddBrock24f7

After 55 games as a Dallas Cowboy, Noah Brown finally has a souvenir to take home. A late-round draft pick in 2017, the New Jersey native has been buried on the team’s depth chart for most of his pro career, contributing heavily on special teams but remaining mostly anonymous to the casual fan.

But after extending the Cowboys’ opening possession with a clutch 17-yard pickup on an early 4th-and-2 and then capping off the drive with his first career touchdown, the 26-year-old says the ball he caught in the end zone from backup passer Cooper Rush will serve as a treasured memento.

“I’ve got to keep that one,” Brown told reporters following the Week 2 win; his leaping score set the tone for a largely-dismissed Dallas squad to pull off a 20-17 upset over last year’s AFC champs.

On Sunday, Brown literally caught everything that came his way, snagging five receptions on five targets and ending the day with a career-best 91 receiving yards and led to that long-awaited touchdown.

Rush-to-Brown isn’t the connection anyone would have guessed to put up the Cowboys’ first touchdown of the season. But just as the Week 1 injury to Dak Prescott opened the door for Rush to make a name for himself over the next few weeks, having Michael Gallup and James Washington in the rehab room for training camp and the preseason has given Brown a chance to show the rest of the world what those within the organization have always know he can do.

“He’s a baller. We’ve been together since we were rookies,” Rush explained Sunday evening in his postgame remarks. “He just keeps getting better and better every year. He earned that starting spot, and you guys got to see tonight why. All he does is make tough catches, always in the right place at the right time… He’s a heck of a player.”

“Noah’s a stud. He’s so competitive,” head coach Mike McCarthy added. “Just the offseason he had, obviously the anticipation of the opportunity that he was going to have this year. Now you’re just seeing the payoff of it.”

Brown has always made the most of limited opportunities, dating back to his time at Ohio State. As just a redshirt sophomore, he started all 13 games for the Buckeyes and hauled in four touchdown grabs in one memorable game against Oklahoma. That single season was enough to convince Brown to skip his final two years of college eligibility and declare for the NFL draft.

The Cowboys took him in the seventh round, mainly after running back Ezekiel Elliott lobbied the front office to draft him. But Brown has sometimes struggled to get on the field, as an always-crowded WR room in Dallas has had to compete for complementary roles behind A-listers like Dez Bryant, Amari Cooper, and now CeeDee Lamb.

After missing a big chunk of 2018 and all of 2019 with injuries, Brown has finally had his breakout moment.

“It’s extremely satisfying,” Brown told media members Sunday. “This organization has put a lot of trust in me for a long time. To come out here on a big stage, in a big moment, and make the play, I was happy to be able to do that for my guys.”

After his performance Sunday, Brown may even continue a Dallas tradition of obscure receivers rising to prominence and vying for more playing time. At one point, Cedrick Wilson, Cole Beasley, Patrick Crayton, Terrance Williams, even Kelvin Martin were unknowns, too.

“Well, I like those- quote- no-name receivers to step up and be the difference,” team owner Jerry Jones said after the Week 2 win. “Give him a chance. He got out there and got some more snaps under his belt.”

In fact, Brown was on the field for 85% of the Cowboys’ offensive snaps versus Cincinnati, far surpassing fellow receivers Dennis Houston (34%), Simi Fehoko (10%), and KaVontae Turpin (8%).

He maintained a presence on special teams as well, the spot where he first earned the trust of his Cowboys coaches.

“It’s great,” Brown said of his increased usage on offense, “but I was out there doing the dirty work today, too. I always take pride in that, take pride in getting open, take pride in blocking, whatever I’ve got to do.”

That’s the thing that stands out most to McCarthy about Brown.

“Tough, tough football player, both on offense and special teams,” the coach offered. “Love the way he plays. How many receivers are your personal protector on punt team? One tough dude.”

But on Sunday, Brown was more than just a special teams contributor. With Gallup to return soon and Washington to follow, he hopes all the years spent with Rush in practice- and how it manifested itself on the field in a huge Week 2 win- translates to more pass-catching opportunities on Sundays.

“It’s huge. It’s just a testament to all the work we put in in the facility,” said Brown. “Not a lot of people get to see Cooper or me in the past, really, but the work showed today. I’m proud of that.”

He’s pretty proud of that touchdown ball, too. Even thought he admits he doesn’t have a place at home ready for it.

“Not yet. I’ll find one.”

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3 stars from Cowboys’ upset Week 2 victory over Bengals

A dominant defensive performance was augmented by two players who have risen together from the bottom of the depth chart. @CDPiglet takes a look at the top players from Sunday night.

The Dallas Cowboys came in to the game against the Cincinnati Bengals with a record of 0-1 after an abysmal performance last week. The loss was compounded by injury to quarterback Dak Prescott. In order to defeat the AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2, they were going to need a much better all-around performance. They got it.

The offense did more than just not lose the game, they literally went out and won it with a last-minute drive. The defense kept the game close as they held a high-powered offense to only 17 points, and made Bengals QB Joe Burrow uncomfortable all night. The special teams unit was special as well with two field goals of 50-plus yards, including the game winner as time expired. When a team plays a complete and competitive game like Dallas did Sunday night, it makes it difficult to narrow down the three best stars of it.

Cowboys LB Micah Parsons appeared unstoppable vs Bengals

After a second-straight dominant performance, Parsons looks to be locking in and locking up offensive lines. | From @TimLettiero

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Week 2 in the NFL saw the Dallas Cowboys take on the AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals this week. Although the Bengals were coming off a heartbreaking loss in their season opener, their offense is still known as one of the most explosive in the league. In order to come out victorious, the Dallas defense had to keep the offense in the game as they dealt with some growing pains. Dan Quinn’s unit did just that.

Leading the way, once again, was star LB Micah Parsons. In what ended as a dominant defensive performance, from top to bottom the defense completely shut down the Bengals high-powered offense. For 55 minutes, this unit allowed only nine points on three field goals while forcing five punts. Parsons and company got to QB Joe Burrow on six occasions but forced over a dozen pressures, seven of which came from Parsons alone.

As usual, Parsons blitzed from a multitude of positions, however the defensive left side was his main spot in the first half. This, of course, had him matched up against former Cowboy RT La’el Collins. It’s fair to say Parsons got the best of his former teammate.

The second half started off with more of the same as just two minutes in Parsons would come off the opposite side and take down Burrow for his second of the day.

Micah Parsons has now proved twice his rookie of the year campaign was not a fluke. In fact, Parsons is on historic pace for his age.

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100+ of the best pics from Cowboys thrilling 20-17 win over Bengals

Get those right-click save-as fingers ready as there’s ton of great captures from the exciting home win led by the defense and backup QB Cooper Rush. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Dallas Cowboys were on the precipice of a lost season. Already sitting at 0-1 and staring the dreaded 0-2 start in the face, they had to bear down and try to win a game without their franchise quarterback. For the second time in two seasons, backup Cooper Rush came in to start the game and left it victorious, once again in the final minute.

The Cowboys 20-17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals was mostly on the strength of their defense, as Micah Parsons once again led the way. The second-year LB had two sacks, as did DE Dorance Armstrong, among six takedowns of Joe Burrow. The corners kept the WRs contained, the line kept Joe Mixon contained and set the stage for the offense and special teams to win the game. Thanks to the wonderful photographers from the Associated Press, USA Today Images and Getty Images, enjoy over 100 great snaps from the contest.

TE Schultz missed end of Cowboys’ game-winning drive, knee to be evaluated

The Cowboys lead tight end tried to return following a knee injury, but will need further evaluation. | From @CDBurnett7

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The Cowboys were in the midst of a nail-biter, after a complacent second-half performance erased their 17-3 lead. Quarterback Cooper Rush and the offense took the field in a deadlock at 17 and after moving near midfield quickly, Rush targeted tight end Dalton Schultz. A Cincinnati defender jumped at Schultz and the Dallas tight end wasn’t able to make the catch and then went down with a knee injury.

After reaching the sideline, Schultz kept his helmet on for the third-down effort before going to trainers with the Cowboys offense off the field.

Schultz tried to return to the field, but lasted just two plays before limping off. It appears that he didn’t suffer an ACL injury, but there will be some follow up on Monday to see if he has to miss any time.

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