The Dallas Cowboys have snapped their two-game losing skid and are .500 on the season after moving to 2-2, thanks to a 20-15 victory over the New York Giants. Meanwhile, Daniel Jones' club now falls to 1-3 on the campaign after struggling to find the end zone. In fact, the Giants settled for five field goals throughout the night.
That proved to be the difference, particularly in the first half, as Dallas built up the majority of its lead. New York efficiently was able to get deep into Cowboys territory, but settled for field goals three times in the first half. That was outpaced by Dallas as it found the end zone twice over that stretch and went into the locker room at halftime up 14-9. The two sides then traded field goals in the second half en route to a Cowboys victory.
Dak Prescott completed 22 of his 27 pass attempts on the night for 221 yards and two touchdowns. On the other side, Jones completed 29 of his 40 throws for 281 yards and an interception.
Despite the win, Dallas didn't come out of this game unscathed. Star pass rusher Micah Parsons needed assistance coming off the field after suffering an apparent lower leg injury in the closing minutes of regulation and was eventually carted to the locker room. To make matters worse for the Giants, first-round rookie Malik Nabers, who had 12 catches for 115 yards receiving, was shaken up after trying to make a sideline catch on a fourth-down attempt with a little over three minutes to play and taken to the locker room. Per the Prime Video broadcast, he suffered a concussion.
From here, the Cowboys will gear up for another prime-time matchup as they'll head to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers for a "Sunday Night Football" matchup in Week 5. As for the Giants, they'll head out west to face the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field.
Why the Cowboys won
The Cowboys kept the Giants out of the end zone, but completely shut down New York's rushing attack. The Giants ended up having just 26 yards rushing on 24 carries, finishing with 1.08 yards per carry. This was the Cowboys' fewest yards per carry allowed in a game in franchise history when facing a team with 20+ carries. The defense also held the Giants to 5 of 16 on third down and 4.7 yards per play.
On a night where Dallas needed its defense to make plays, the Giants were the perfect antidote for their defensive woes.
Why the Giants lost
The Giants moved the ball throughout the night, but couldn't get the ball in the end zone. The lack of a rushing attack helped, but the Giants were still able to score on five of their first six possessions (not counting end of half). The problem was all those points were field goals.
After a 77-yard drive to open the second half, the Giants had just 59 yards the rest of the way. Devin Singletary averaged just 1.7 yards per carry (24 yards rushing), while the rest of the rushers totaled just two yards. This was another inconsistent performance on offense by the Giants.
Turning point
Facing a third-and-3 in the first quarter, Dak Prescott was pressured by Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux and was forced to step up in the pocket. With no running lane to get the first down, Prescott was forced to find a diving Hunter Luepke for the first down.
That play extended the drive, but was a smart decision from Prescott to get rid of the football and not take a sack. Luepke had an 11-yard gain and the Cowboys would score a touchdown later in the drive (12-play, 75-yard drive) to take the lead for good.
Of Prescott's hot start to the game, this was probably his most impressive throw.
Play of the game
The Cowboys were up 7-6 in the second quarter when they decided to target CeeDee Lamb on a fly pattern. While having Lamb run that route the first three games has been problematic, this time it paid off.
Dak Prescott threw a perfect pass to Lamb, who beat Deonte Banks and cut to the inside to take the ball 55 yards for the score and take a 14-6 lead. That second touchdown was what the Cowboys needed to create enough distance from the Giants.
Dallas controlled the game from that point, forcing New York to get into the end zone if the Giants wanted to retake control of the game.
**The quote **
"I'm very impressed with him. He's a great young player. He's going to be really good in this league. I'm looking forward to all the battles we're going to have. -- Trevon Diggs to NFL Network on Malik Nabers. Nabers finished with 12 catches for 115 yards, as the 12 catches tied the Giants record for most catches by a wide receiver in a game in franchise history. He also suffered a concussion late in the fourth.
Up next
The Giants (1-3) and Cowboys (2-2) each have 10 days off before their next game. Dallas travels to Pittsburgh for "Sunday Night Football" on Oct. 5 while New York heads to Seattle.
Wow! Congrats 🤠