Cowboys DT Neville Gallimore fined almost $10K for late-game kick vs Giants

From @ToddBrock24f7: The 4th-year defensive tackle actually got off light; the fact that he has so few penalties over his career may have played into his favor.

In the waning moments of last week’s 49-17 win, Neville Gallimore took an uncharacteristic cheap shot at a Giants opponent. It won’t be cheap for the Cowboys defensive tackle, however, to make amends in the eyes of the league.

Gallimore was fined $9,754 for kicking Giants guard Justin Pugh in the groin after a third-down play late in the Week 10 victory. Gallimore was ejected from the game with less than a minute to play; the 15-yard penalty extended a garbage-time touchdown drive and allowed New York to make the final score a little less embarrassing.

On the play, Gallimore had fallen into the back of Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito’s legs. Pugh took offense and gave the fourth-year Oklahoma product a retaliatory shove while we was still on the turf. Gallimore responded by striking back with his foot at Pugh, who was still standing over him.

As is so often the case, officials only saw the second shot.

After the game, Pugh said he wasn’t hurt and even felt bad that the moment would end up incurring a monetary fine for Gallimore.

“Look, he hit the quarterback late. I took exception to it, I hit him. I shouldn’t have done that when he was on the ground- pushed him- and he kicked me,” Pugh said per the New York Post. “I’ve gotten in so many fights in my career, I’m not gonna cost myself money. He’s gonna get a FedEx, so I feel bad for him on that. I don’t want a guy to lose money. But you don’t kick somebody on a football field.”

Now that kick will cost Gallimore nearly five figures.

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The fine is actually on the light side compared to those incurred by several other players in recent weeks. That may be because Gallimore is not a repeat offender; in fact, the former third-round draft pick has drawn just four flags of any type through 44 game appearances.

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Cowboys’ Dan Quinn: Mazi Smith’s arrow ‘going up’ after best game yet vs Giants

From @ToddBrock24f7: He had just 3 tackles on the day, but Smith’s solo TFL on Saquon Barkley in Week 10 could be the kind of moment that propels the rookie.

The final stat line won’t raise many eyebrows: three solo tackles, one tackle for loss, one quarterback hit. But Sunday’s 49-17 win over the Giants may turn out to be Cowboys defensive tackle Mazi Smith’s big breakout.

Dallas defensive coordinator Dan Quinn is at least allowing for that possibility.

“I think you saw Mazi with the TFL, kind of looping around,” Quinn said to reporters this week, referring to a first-quarter play where he dropped Giants running back Saquon Barkley for a three-yard loss.

In the grand scheme of the game, it was a minor moment. But one that could have major repercussions for the 22-year-old rookie.

“It’d be nice if you just add water and you [get] instant kick-ass,” Quinn quipped. “But it takes time and coaching to get there, and he is certainly doing that. I thought [Sunday] was more of what we’ve seen in practice, so to see him come through like that and play well, being aggressive and taking his shots- he had some good pass rushes as well- sometimes you need that one moment to help kick you going.”

The nature of Week 10’s blowout win ended up giving Smith many moments, or at least extra playing time. He was on the field for 25 defensive snaps- nearly 44% of the unit’s reps- his most in a game since being drafted 26th overall by the Cowboys in April.

Quinn allowed that it’s been a ramping-up process for the 337-pounder. But unlike the fans who only chart gameday production and have been ready to label Smith a bust halfway through his first pro season, Quinn says the Michigan product has made steady and significant improvement within the D-line rotation.

“The inside player, we oftentimes measure somebody just on their sacks if you’re a defensive lineman,” Quinn explained, “but what impact do they have on the game?”

Smith had significant impact, earning a tip of the hat from PFF as their highest-graded rookie defensive tackle for Week 10.

Quinn pointed out that, even from his vantage point all the way up in the coaches’ booth, he could feel Smith’s quickness and movement versus New York. He also gave a shout-out to second-year defensive end Sam Williams and said that he sees both players’ arrows as still being very much on the rise.

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He admitted, though, that Smith needs the occasional reminder to fully unleash the freak strength and athleticism that earned him rave reviews at the college level.

“He wants to do it right so badly,” Quinn remarked. “I remind him every once in a while, ‘Hey, man, don’t forget to fire out and let somebody know. You don’t always have to be perfect; you’ve got make sure you’re knocking guys back.’ He really got that message.”

Saquon Barkley can attest to that. Now it’s up to Smith to pass the message along himself to rest of the league, one opposing running back at a time.

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3 Major takeaways as Cowboys exploit the Giants and move forward

The Cowboys wiped out the Giants once again. What are the major takeaways from the Dallas get-right game? | From @cdpiglet

The New York Giants have got to be tired of playing the Dallas Cowboys. After a 40-0 blowout to open the year, Dallas almost dropped 50 on their heads this time, beating them down to the tune of 49-17. This was a “get right game,” with the team cleaning up plenty of issues coming off a loss in Philadelphia.

The Dallas defense held the Giants to 172 total yards, taking down their QB five times for sacks, grabbing an interception, and holding them to 0-for-12 on third-down attempts. The offense was also in full force, with two receivers going over 150 yards and each scoring touchdowns. In fact six players scored in all, and the Cowboys outgained New York by 468 yards—the largest differential in the NFL in 44 years.

The media and some of the fanbase likely downplay this victory because the team lost to the San Francisco 49ers (badly) and the Philadelphia Eagles, so beating the Giants isn’t seen as an important event. That is a narrative the team must ignore altogether. Dallas is trying to improve their play as the season rolls on. They did that in this matchup, and the team can take plenty of positives from this win. Here are some of the essential items coming out of Week 10.

Motion kills, emotions build among Cowboys lessons learned vs Giants

Lost in the fire and rubble of the Cowboys blowout win over New York are a few important situations that need to be recognized.

At face value, it may not seem like a 49-17 thrashing of an overmatched Giants team would offer much insight to the Cowboys. Here’s Dallas, a loaded roster in the thick of the playoff hunt, playing their best ball of the season. And here’s New York, a battered and bruised cellar-dweller, just hoping to survive the game, and probably, the season.

The Cowboys already had the reputation for beating up on the little guys. They were great when faced with a mismatch, it’s their ability to perform against their equals that was under constant question. But Week 10 against the Giants was not their standard drubbing of an inferior opponent. It was more than that. It was a departure from the norm on both a micro and macro level.

It’s these items that deserve extra attention this week as the Cowboys progress into their most logistically difficult part of the schedule.

With three games in 12 days, Dallas faces a tough task in schedule alone. It’s a time when the Cowboys traditionally struggle and given the circumstances this season, it’s a section they absolutely need to win if they want to catch the division-leading Eagles in the standings.

What was learned?

Cowboys-Giants Week 10 Gallery showcases joy from lopsided rivalry

Right-click-save-as. A look at the game through the lens of talented photographers who captured all of the action in the blowout victory. | From @KDDrummondNFL

Don’t let the glorious memories from Sunday’s absolute dismantling of a division rival fade away. After the Dallas Cowboys failed to score on their opening drive, going 0-for-4 near the goal line, and then went three-and-out on the subsequent possession, things improved mightily. Dallas scored seven touchdowns, the most on offense since 2021, in romping the New York Giants 49-17.

The constant barrage of success led to a ton of celebratory moments, as Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks and Michael Gallup wowed through the air, Rico Dowdle impressed on the ground. On the opposite side, the defensive front harassed rookie QB Tommy Devito all afternoon, and DaRon Bland did what DaRon Bland does. Here’s all of the action, captured by the great photogs from USA Today Sports and Getty Images.

4 Downs: Lamb, Gallup plays among most important of Week 10 rout

From @ToddBrock24f7: CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup made big-time catches, Dak Prescott listened to his feet, and the Dallas D got stout at the goal line.

32 first downs. 640 yards of offense. 61 passing yards allowed. Not a single third-down conversion by the opponent. Touchdowns by six different Cowboys players. Oh yes, there were plenty of plays to remember in the 49-17 pummeling of the New York Giants.

But the highlight-reel scores aren’t always the most important moments of the game. In this edition of 4 Downs, we’ll look at an early defensive stand that may have altered the course of the entire contest, as well as the one-handed feat of amazement that forecasted the rest of CeeDee Lamb’s record-breaking day.

For those Cowboys fans wondering if Dak Prescott’s legs are really going to continue to be an integral part of the offensive attack, we have an answer. And one play should give provide an encouraging update for the rest of the schedule regarding one Cowboys playmaker who hasn’t been his usual self.

Here are four plays that not only shaped the Week 10 win over New York but should also help set the table for what to expect over the team’s remaining seven games.

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‘This one’s sweet’: Brandin Cooks flirts with career-best day in Cowboys breakout

From @ToddBrock24f7: Cooks had his biggest day yet as a Cowboy and almost the biggest day of his career, racking up 173 yards in a 49-17 win over the Giants.

The last time Brandin Cooks had 170 yards receiving in a game, the 23-year-old was wearing a fleur-de-lis on his gold Saints helmet, and across the NFC, the Cowboys were wrapping up a surprising 2016 season under a rookie quarterback named Dak Prescott.

This past Sunday found the two on the same team- and definitely the same page- as Cooks tied the second-best day of his pro career and enjoyed his long-awaited breakout performance as a Cowboy.

“For him to have that production is awesome,” Prescott said Sunday after Dallas’s 49-17 thumping of the Giants. “That guy deserves it more than anybody. Amazing teammate, amazing friend, amazing guy. Does everything the right way, and he deserves that.”

Cooks ended the day with nine catches on 10 targets for 173 yards. This was after compiling just 165 yards over his first seven outings with the team.

It was the first time the six-time 1,000-yard receiver has produced like it since signing with Dallas. But Cooks maintains he didn’t do anything differently.

“Nothing. Just continuing to try to trust the process, like I’ve always said,” Cooks told reporters after the win. “The ball came my way, and I just wanted to be able to take advantage of the opportunities that I had tonight.”

The deep-threat playmaker certainly capitalized and was responsible for four of the Cowboys’ nine longest plays from scrimmage, posting receptions that gained 37, 34, 32, and 25 yards. But his best moment may have come on a 10-yard end-zone catch that he later called “a trust throw” from his quarterback.

It wasn’t Cooks’s first touchdown as a Cowboy. But he had far more targets and receptions on Sunday than in any game since arriving.

“It’s a blessing,” Cooks explained before quoting Scripture: “‘Don’t grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time, you’ll reap a harvest if you don’t give up.’ It’s been a hard, tough couple years, but my faith and my work ethic, my family- my wife and my kids- just continue to push me to keep going. This one’s sweet, for sure.”

“Practice, man,” is how Prescott credited the day he and Cooks had. “You know me, I always talk about practice, what we put into it. Going back to this game plan, going back to early in the week, I told him, ‘Let’s put the work in and it’s going to come out.’ He’s been there for us all year when we’ve needed him to, there’s been games where we’ve come back and said, ‘Could you have gotten him more involved?” Yeah, sure, maybe so, right? He’s that type of player that deserves those questions when he’s not getting those targets or getting those catches.”

The questions had definitely been coming, with Cooks on pace to set career-lows in both catches and yards for 2023… before Sunday’s stellar performance.

“I just think his opportunities came together,” Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy explained in his postgame press conference. “The protection part of it [is] we’re getting to where we need to be. We still have work to do there going off of last week, and we definitely took a step this week. And I think just with that, we were able to get into the the play types that we want to live in, and I think you’re seeing more of that here the last couple weeks.”

True. Don’t look now, but Cooks now has three touchdown grabs in his last four games.

Of course, part of Cooks’s quiet season had been because of the monster numbers being posted by fellow Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb. But despite setting his own NFL mark in Week 10 with double-digit receptions and 150-plus yards in a third straight contest, Lamb wanted to talk about his teammate’s near-record day.

“That was long overdue for Brandin. I couldn’t wait to celebrate with him enough,” Lamb said. “He deserved 200 [yards].”

Lamb knows that Cooks’s return to big-play form will only spread opposing secondaries thinner as they try to cover a growing array of weapons in Dallas, with Jake Ferguson and Michael Gallup also in the mix and even youngsters Jalen Tolbert and rookie Jalen Brooks coming on strong.

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“Each and every one of us can go up and go get it,” said Lamb. “Deep ball, deep threats. It’s all picking your poison.”

And if defenders elect to give The Archer just a little bit of space, Prescott will be right there to deliver more strikes to Cooks, now that he’s reminded everyone of the kinds of lights-out performances he can have.

“And he’ll have more of them, I promise you,” Prescott vowed. “It might not be an every-week thing, but he will have more of these games.”

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‘They showed that?’: Cowboys’ Prescott talks about viral reaction to Lamb saving throwaway

From @ToddBrock24f7: Cameras caught the QB’s reaction to a failed throwaway going for 17 yards in a game where even the mistakes turned into Cowboys highlights.

Some days, it just goes your way.

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was humming on Sunday, throwing for for 404 yards and four touchdowns while compiling a 138.3 passer rating. All are top-10 numbers for his career.

But the moment most indicative of his play during the 49-17 Week 10 rout came on a pass he wasn’t even trying to complete.

“I’ll be honest; I was throwing it away,” Prescott said Sunday in his postgame press conference.

He may have been surprised that CeeDee Lamb turned the busted play into a 17-yard gain, but he was caught even more off-guard when he learned that TV cameras had captured his since-gone-viral reaction to the moment.

“They showed that?”

It happened late in the second quarter. Already up 21-0, the Cowboys were marching once again and had just moved the chains to set up at the Giants’ 28. As the pocket broke down and he scrambled to elude New York linebacker Azeez Ojulari, Prescott heaved the ball skyward. With Prescott falling backward and on one foot when he released it, the throw looked like either a lower-seating-bowl souvenir or maybe even a terrible decision that he would regret a split-second later.

But then Lamb raced underneath it from outside the camera frame and made the unlikely grab. The catch gave the Cowboys yet another first down- one of 32 on the afternoon- and moved the offense that much closer to its fourth touchdown of the half.

Maybe most important, it was proof that the day would indeed belong to Dallas, one of those rare games in which even the mistakes end up being highlights.

“That’s CeeDee Lamb being CeeDee Lamb,” Prescott explained. “I didn’t quite get it out of bounds, and CeeDee came back, and that’s kind of why I stuck my tongue out. Man, just put it in his vicinity and it’s going to be his or nobody’s. That was a wild play.”

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Thankfully for Cowboys fans, it was a wild one that went the team’s way.

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Twitter reacts to Dak Prescott, Cowboys record-setting win vs Giants

Top reactions to the Cowboys bludgeoning the Giants for the second time in 2023, straight from social media. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Dallas Cowboys stomped a mudhole through yet another inferior opponent on Sunday. Their Week 10 victory over the lowly New York Giants, 49-17, was the club’s second 40-burger in the last three weeks and third overall. Dallas has now had the largest margin of victory in a given week across the NFL a whopping four times (Week’s 1, 4, 8 and 10), proving their worth.

But they haven’t defeated a good-to-great team yet, so questions still remain about exactly what this team is. Blowing out the opposition is crucial, but not as important as actually beating other good teams. Regardless, the performance was epic, with quarterback Dak Prescott, WR CeeDee Lamb and the club as a whole setting NFL records, or doing things that hadn’t been accomplished in decades.

Twitter (his mama named him Clay, I’m a call him Clay vibes here) is the perfect place to capture all the glory and discussion from fans to media. Here’s a large sample of reactions, stats and funny memes centered around the Week 10 dismanting.

Enjoy.

Studs and duds in Cowboys’ 49-17 thrashing of Giants in Week 10

The Cowboys and Dak Prescott had an offensive explosion in the Week 10 blowout win over the New York Giants. | From @BenGrimaldi

Death, taxes, along Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys beating up on the New York Giants. Nothing is for certain in this world except for these three things, apparently. Unfortunately for the Giants, it happens twice a year thanks to the NFL’s disdain for geography allowing the Cowboys to be a part of the NFC East.

It’s been an especially rough year for the Giants, who have now been torched by the Cowboys in both games, outscored by a score of 89-17. In the Week 10 drubbing, Prescott and the Cowboys cooked up their second 40-burger against their rivals in 2023. Despite failing on a fourth-and-goal early in another frustrating red zone trip, little else went wrong in the dominating win for Dallas. Here are the studs and duds from another laugher for the Cowboys.