It may have taken seven full games, but it finally happened. The Dallas Cowboys played complementary football on Sunday against the Washington Commanders and have a 44-22 victory to show for their work. There are always moments in a game you feel like could have gone better for your team, and in that respect the Cowboys doubled up their division rivals, and it feels like they didn’t play their best overall game.
There is zero doubt that the Cowboys did play their most complete game, though. The offense had its successes and the defense finally turned in positive work when they were on the field. It was wonderful to see and a potential look at how this team can succeed on a weekly basis if they can just manage to do this very difficult thing.
Following games like this our stock report is usually a fun one and this edition is no different. We have nothing but up arrows, green lights, and good times here.
Let’s go.
Stock Up: Dak Prescott
It is objective fact that Dak Prescott has had stellar seasons as the Cowboys quarterback, and it feels pretty fair to say 2023 has been his best work to date.
What we are seeing from Dak at the moment is the best quarterback play that he has offered the Cowboys throughout his career. He is in full and total control, both physically and from a processing standpoint, of what he wants to, and ultimately will do, at any given moment. With an arsenal featuring two top-level receivers, a stellar tight end, a run game that works, and a play-caller that leans into it all, the sky truly is the limit.
Stock Up: CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens
It feels fair to lump these two together because they are kind of a package deal at this point. This was by far the most potent version of the Cowboys offense that we have seen with both CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens on the field (it was only the fourth game of it to be clear, and the third really when you consider Lamb was hurt early against Chicago).
They are so dynamic individually that you can see how they clearly frustrate the opposing defense on a play-by-play basis. The massive Lamb touchdown? It felt like they were barely trying.
Stock Up: Jake Ferguson (and the front office)
We are witnessing the best season of Jake Ferguson’s career to date and he still has 10 games to play in it. Sunday offered another multi-touchdown performance which underscores that.
Remember when the front office gave him an extension back at training camp? They look pretty brilliant right now. This serves as an argument (another one!) as to why extending players in the earliest possible window is wise.
Just imagine if they hadn’t done so and Ferguson was in the middle of a contract year right now. Thankfully we don’t have to worry about that.
Stock Up: Javonte Williams
Ferguson’s return to dominance has helped the offense, but one of the most important developments this season has been a stable run game from Javonte Williams. He runs like a man on a mission.
For the second time this season, Williams ripped off a run at the end of the first half that helped the Cowboys put a touchdown on the board before intermission. Each and every run of his has the potential to bowl somebody over. His style is infections.
Stock Up: Matt Eberflus
We have slung a lot of arrows, they have been warranted, but we must give credit where it is due. Shout out to Matt Eberflus for adjusting and listening and doing what he could to help the overall team.
Sunday was not the zone defense-fest that we have grown accustomed to from this season’s Cowboys, and while it would not exactly be fair to say that this was the exact reason why things went well, it certainly was a factor.
We should also note that Washington was down some of their playmakers, but the Cowboys defense dominated in a way that was absolutely foreign to the first six games of the season. They earned their props and that starts with their leader.
Stock Up: Donovan Ezeiruaku
Welcome to the NFL, Donovan Ezeiruaku!
We mentioned the days of Oxnard with Jake Ferguson, and it was back then that Ezeiruaku was a story each and every single day. Some of that hype was paid off on Sunday against Washington.
It can be argued that these things are all cyclical, can’t it? Playing less zone defense, mounting a lead, having a secondary that is in a more stable position as a result, everything lends to circumstances that help the pass rush in those instances. Ezeiruaku capitalized.
Stock Up: Jadeveon Clowney
So did Jadeveon Clowney! This was by far his best game as a Cowboy and that showed in multiple moments.
We keep saying things like how the Cowboys don’t need to get immense production on defense because the offense is so good. This is obviously true, and Clowney is a microcosm of that.
If the defense can generate a handful of splash plays in certain moments of games, then they are going to put the team at large in a position to succeed. Hopefully Clowney can continue to do that.
Stock Up: DaRon Bland
This game was really starting to feel like 2023, and then DaRon Bland had a pick-six to fully take us back in time. That it came when everything was well in hand, and we could all party and celebrate, just made it more awesome.
Seriously though, DaRon Bland was awesome against the Commanders even if we take the pick-six away. Again, everything is working together in a harmonious way which is allowing for him and others to thrive.
Stock Up: Brandon Aubrey
This man has hit more field goals from 60+ than anybody in NFL history. That is absurd.
As if Brandon Aubrey weren’t amazing enough, he is also insanely reliant and dependable. He has become both the most accurate and most long-distance kicker in the NFL all at once. That is unfair.
Stock Up: Brian Schottenheimer
One of the biggest takeaways from this season, whenever it is over, has to be that Brian Schottenheimer was the right man to lead this team. The front office may have arrived at that decision in an unorthodox and unconventional manner, but what matters now is that he is out in front leading.
This team carries a disposition of belief and tenacity. They have dealt with all sorts of drama off of the field and still rally when the whistle blows. On Sunday they decimated a team that many rightfully believed in when the season began. It was not a game to them. It was a decision, and they made one that Washington was on the wrong end of.
Schotty forever.
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