In their first-ever road game on a short week and coming off two lopsided losses, the Dallas Cowboys were happy to pick on somebody their own size in a 20-15 victory over the New York Giants Thursday night at MetLife Stadium.
10. DETERMINED DEFENSE: Give credit to Mike Zimmer and his beleaguered bunch. After getting gouged by the Saints and Ravens and surrendering a league-high eight rushing touchdowns in the first three weeks, the Cowboys held the Giants to a measly 26 rushing yards and kept New York out of the end zone all night. And the defense did it despite Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence and Trevon Diggs each missing a chunk of the game with various injuries.
9. DIGGIN' DEEP: With DaRon Bland on injured reserve, Andrew Booth ineffective and Diggs in the locker room getting treated for cramps, the Cowboys lined up for a couple of key plays defending their Red Zone with cornerbacks Amani Oruwariye and Israel Mukuamu. No way you had that on your Bingo card. A drop by Giants' receiver Darius Slayton at the 10-yard line helped big time. In a quirky game, it was Oruwariye who finally ended it with an interception at Dallas' 4-yard line.
8. LAMB CHOPPIN': Last Sunday CeeDee Lamb had likely his worst game as a pro. A fumble in the Red Zone. A dropped pass. Punctuated by a sideline outburst toward quarterback Dak Prescott. He apologized, vowed to be better, and delivered against the Giants. He caught seven passes for 98 yards and scored the game's final touchdown with 9:16 remaining in the first half. With his 55-yard score, Lamb tied Miles Austin (34 career TD) for 10th on the Cowboys all-time receiving touchdowns list.
7. PLAID & BAD: We're sure it's "suggested" by the NFL as a new release/revenue generator, but thumbs down to the plaid caps worn by coaches on both sidelines. Looks like a design rejected by the folks who give out the traditional winner's jacket at the Colonial golf tournament in Fort Worth each Spring.
6. NEW YORK ... LIFE?: Back in the day - 1972ish - there were these ridiculous TV commercials for an insurance company called New York Life. They featured a football game where fake defenders made the most feeble attempts at tackles you ever laid eyes on. On Rico Dowdle's 15-yard touchdown catch-and-run, Giants' linebacker Micah McFadden would've been cut for an attempt too lame even for the ads. Add Cowboys' safety Donovan Wilson to the sorry squad for letting Devin Singletary spin out of his grasp on a fourth-down attempt in the second quarter.
5. BETTER LUCKY THAN GOOD: The Giants' first possession resulted in three points, which realistically could've been seven. Flat out, the Cowboys benefitted from a lucky and inexplicable penalty against New York. A 15-yard facemask flag against tight end Daniel Bellinger clearly should have been called against Dallas' DeMarvion Overshown. The mistake resulted in a 30-yard swing of field position.
4. FLAGGED!: A bizarre first half featured 31 passes, 27 completions and (seemingly) 58 penalty flags. Or, as flabbergasted Prime voice Al Michaels put it, "It's gotta be 147. We're running out of laundry." The Cowboys were penalized nine times in the first two quarters (two more were declined); 11 for the game for 89 yards. Dumbest penalty of them all: Lamb's 15-yarder for taunting. He actually threw the ball toward a Giants' defender as he crossed the goal line on his 55-yard catch-and-run score.
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3. POST-IT NOTE: Grapevine High School alum, rap star and Cowboys fan Post Malone showed up for the game wearing a jersey. Considering his team's start to the season - and another 60-yard field goal - Brandon Aubrey's No. 17 was a savvy choice. Aubrey became only the second player in NFL history to make multiple field goals from 60+ yards in the same season. The other? Brett Maher with Dallas in 2019. Aubrey did miss from 51 yards with :28 left to leave the door briefly ajar.
2. DAK DOMINATION: Prescott has won 13 consecutive starts against the Giants, last losing them to them as a rookie in 2016. On the other sideline, New York's Daniel Jones falls to 1-13 in primetime games.
1. WINNING UGLY: This wasn't the roll-up-40-points-by-the-third-quarter-and-set-some-records-down-the-stretch kinda win the Cowboys are used to against the Giants. They won last season's two games by a combined 89-17, for crying out loud. They let rookie receiver Malik Nabers torch them for 12 catches and 115 yards. Parsons (lower leg) left with an injury. Same (foot) with Lawrence. The offense didn't score a touchdown in the game's final 40 minutes. Even Aubrey proved he's human. But the Cowboys desperately needed a win ... and they got it. Ugly or not.