Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images Dak Prescott was highly efficient on Thursday night. It may not have been pretty, but the Dallas Cowboys got the bounce-back win they desperately needed on Thursday night against the New York Giants. There was some good, and some bad, on both sides of the ball, but one player’s performance stood above the rest. That guy was Cowboys’ quarterback Dak Prescott. The 31-year-old signal-caller put together his best game of the season, completing 22 of 27 passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns. Prescott’s dominant performance earned him this week’s game ball. DAK PRESCOTT. CEEDEE LAMB. 55 YARDS AND NO ONES GONNA STOP HIM pic.twitter.com/OZHCRKsW3W — NFL Fantasy Football (@NFLFantasy) September 27, 2024 Prescott was dominant in the quick game, recording a CPOE of +21.2% on passes thrown in under two seconds. He finished the day 13 of 14 for 143 yards and both of his touchdowns on those such throws. Dak Prescott had a completion percentage over expected (CPOE) of +21.2% on passes thrown in under 2.5 seconds. He was 13-14 on those for 143 yards and 2 TDs. Long story short: Dak Prescott was throwing darts last night. pic.twitter.com/FSgSPP9Kuc — Joseph Hoyt (@JoeJHoyt) September 27, 2024 Prescott’s 125.5 Quarterback Rating was his best mark in a single game since Week 12 of last season against the Washington Commanders. Rayne Dakota Prescott pic.twitter.com/pMieIJYry2 — MartinTalkCowboys (@DAK_4_MVP) September 27, 2024 When Prescott displays the type of accuracy he did on Thursday, the Cowboys are hard to beat. Dallas improved to 21-0 when Dak has a completion percentage of 77% or higher. Despite some suboptimal offensive line play, Dak Prescott put together one heck of a performance last night. If Prescott can sustain this level of play in the coming weeks, the Cowboys will have a shot to beat any team they play.

Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images Mazi Smith appeared to arrive on Thursday night. It is possible, perhaps even likely, that you had the Dallas Cowboys at 2-2 through the first four games of the season. That would hardly shock anyone. While that may or may not have been the case, the manner in which Dallas has arrived here was predictable in a sense, but that hasn’t made the much any less annoying to crawl through. Whatever the case, here the Cowboys are indeed a .500 operation through four games and have earned a moment to sit back, breathe and reset. Most fan fears about this team were not quelled on Thursday night, but finding a way to win ugly is a skill whether or not that makes anyone happy. The Cowboys won ugly but it will count the same as the next “pretty” one that they are able to get, assuming they do. That is actually probably not true if we are being honest. While this was “only the Giants” it is worth mentioning that the Giants are an NFL team and that beating one is never an easy thing. Beyond that, the win in question was a road one for the Cowboys and a road one in the division at that. It does not get more valuable and they pocketed the dub. These are the kinds of things that are easier to say as the “muck” from the contest gets further in the rearview mirror. It is for this exact reason that we offer three “day after thoughts” on a weekly basis around here so that we can properly contextualize what we witnessed in the game that just happened. Here we go. Mazi Smith’s arrival is the best thing that happened This is an assumption, but a safe one: Dallas Cowboys fans everywhere had written off the idea of Mazi Smith being a serviceable player for the team at any point ever in time. Smith was not just serviceable on Thursday, he was phenomenal. Consider that the New York Giants had 26 yards rushing on 24 attempts. That was in large part due to the role that Smith played. We have seen enough ‘not great’ games from Smith to ward off any sort of establishment of times being completely and totally different; however, it is certainly exciting to have seen him take such an important step. Jalen Tolbert and Hunter Luepke are becoming important pieces This was noted in the day after thoughts last week, and was second then as well (even though last week was just a few days ago) – Jalen Tolbert and Hunter Luepke are really starting to come into their own. A big reason for this is the lack of other legitimate options, but Tolbert and Luepke have both been reliable weapons in the passing game for consecutive weeks now. That is serious growth. What’s more is that Luepke is becoming an explosive ball-carrier who can emerge out of the backfield. Consider that the Cowboys had three total carries on rush attempts on Thursday night where the runner reached 15+ MPH. Two of those were authored by CeeDee Lamb and the third belonged to Luepke. Tolbert and Luepke are earning more opportunities. It should not have been that hard to win, but we will be grateful Some of what little good vibes that emerged from Thursday night dissipated in the wake of the news concerning Micah Parsons and his high-ankle sprain. Oh and then there was DeMarcus Lawrence’s foot injury. Even before those things happened though, it was difficult to stand particularly tall after this win. Dallas got a remarkably efficient day from their quarterback, two of the players they can’t depend on a ton (Mazi Smith and Terence Steele) seriously stepped up, and the team did not allow a single touchdown to be scored. In spite of all of these things they barley won by five. They did not even cover the 5.5-point spread (an admittedly large figure). It is a ton of fun that Dallas continues to beat up on a division rival and we will always make the proper jokes as a result of it, but this felt like a much more difficult round to go with them. This is not the case because New York is suddenly stout and difficult, it is because the Cowboys are that ill-equipped. Thursday night’s performance may have only been good enough to beat one team. Thankfully for the Cowboys that one team happened to be the one they were playing.

Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images Name one good, bad, and ugly thing from the Cowboys Week 4 victory over the Giants. Nothing about it was very pretty, but the Dallas Cowboys were able to walk away from MetLife Stadium with another win after the 20-15 victory over their division rival, the New York Giants. They no doubt still have a lot of work to do to get better as an overall team, but a win is a win and that’s what they needed after back-to-back losses. Today, we are going to take a look at one good, one bad, and one ugly thing from the Dallas Cowboys Week 4 victory over the New York Giants. There’s probably more bad and ugly we can take away from this matchup between division rivals, but there was actually some good things that happened we can sprinkle in as well. THE GOOD – The Dak Prescott/CeeDee Lamb connection Through the first three weeks of the 2024 season the connection between Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb has been a little off. It’s not all that big of a surprise considering No. 88 missed nearly in the entire offseason due to his holdout while contract negotiations were ongoing. Thankfully though, we saw these two finally synchronize in the Week 4 matchup with the New York Giants to the tune of seven receptions for 98 yards and one TD. Yes, the Giants were a little short handed at CB, but it was good to see the 4/88 connection revived. THE BAD – Penalties The Dallas Cowboys continued to be their own worst enemy with these boneheaded penalties that put them in poor down-and-distance situations on offense and negate big plays such as turnovers defensively. The Thursday night matchup against the New York Giants was no exception. In the first half alone they had nine penalties and ended the night with 11 total. This has been a reoccurring problem for them for several years now and there seems to be no solution. Sadly, it’s going to more than likely cost them a “W” this year. THE UGLY – Cowboys run defense’s treatment of the Giants After back-to-back weeks getting completely embarrassed by the Saints and Ravens, the Dallas Cowboys defense actually played competent football in the Thursday night matchup against the Giants. They managed to hold New York to just 26 total rushing yards and kept them out of the end zone despite the Giants dominating the time of possession. Hopefully this is a sign they are heading in the right direction and will continue to play competently moving forward.

Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images Cowboys star pass rusher Micah Parsons reportedly suffered a high-ankle sprain on Thursday night. Near the end of Thursday night’s win on the road against the New York Giants, the Dallas Cowboys were surely wondering if the victory as coming at a price. On the penultimate possession of the game for the Giants, star pass rusher Micah Parsons went down with what appeared to be a lower-leg injury. Breaths were held as he was helped off of the field and have been to varying degrees in the aftermath of the victory as everyone has been wondering the exact severity of what he could be dealing with. That is now known. According to NFL Network, Micah suffered a high-ankle sprain. Sources: #Cowboys All-Pro Micah Parsons did, in fact, suffer a high-ankle sprain in last night’s win over the #Giants. His status is to be determined. pic.twitter.com/DJlfPnt5km — Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 27, 2024 It goes without saying that high-ankle sprains are tricky things in the NFL and that no two instances of them are alike. Conventional assumption would be that Micah would miss at least some time and given that Dallas has a bye after their next two games (at Pittsburgh Steelers, Detroit Lions) then it stands to reason that this could be one line of thinking. DeMarcus Lawrence was also banged up in the win at MetLife and the full details of that have yet to be reported at the time of this writing. Clearly the Cowboys have some work to do in general, but if they are going to be playing games without Micah Parsons that became all the more difficult. All the best to Micah. Hope to see him back as soon as possible.

Brad Penner-Imagn Images Who would you say stood out the most for the Cowboys on Thursday night in the win? If only for a moment, Cowboys Nation can breathe a sigh of relief. Facing a dreaded 1-3 start to begin the regular season, the Dallas Cowboys escaped from MetLife Stadium with a close 20-15 win Thursday night over the New York Giants. Even before the night began, the Cowboys were scrambling for healthy bodies to suit up in their secondary. Having played a physical Baltimore Ravens team only four days ago, Dallas was without Caelen Carson and Markquese Bell. The injuries only piled up from there. As the game wore on, Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence left the game with injuries, and you could only hope that Dallas could survive the night. Without two of their integral stars on defense, defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer’s unit was able to hold the Giants’ offense at bay for the much-needed win. Here are the stars who shined when the team needed it most. CeeDee Lamb Throughout the week, there was a lot of discussion on CeeDee Lamb and how he vented his frustrations on the sidelines during Dallas’ loss last week. Lamb owned up to his behavior, reaffirming that his relationship with Dak Prescott is as strong as ever. That was true during Thursday’s game. The Cowboys wasted no time implementing Lamb into the game plan and peppering him with targets early and for much of the contest. Per usual, Lamb lined up in several areas in different formations, making it difficult for the Giants to account for him. He made several touch catches with the defense draped all over him on tightly contested passes over the middle. : #DALvsNYG on Prime Video : Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/LvklCbYJ1e pic.twitter.com/jJqVToHwyH — Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) September 27, 2024 The highlight of his night was beating Giants cornerback Deonte Banks Burns for a 55-yard touchdown to claim an early 14-6 lead. Lamb was targeted eight times and caught seven passes for 98 yards. Though Lamb will occasionally get frustrated, there’s an underlying passion of a competitor who wants to win and contribute while doing so. Lamb demanded the ball, and he delivered when given the opportunity. When his number was called, he answered and is a big reason why the Cowboys are back at .500 Mazi Smith Following their last two losses against the Saints and Ravens, the media challenged the Cowboys. In both of their previous games, they were annihilated on the ground and were gushing rushing yards to opposing offenses. It’s almost as if the defense took the critiques personally because they played as if they had heard enough and made a statement against New York. The Cowboys stifled the Giants’ rushing attack and held them to a paltry 26 yards on 24 attempts (1.1 yards per carry). For that to happen, a special tip of the cap goes to the interior defensive line, who has come under fire, especially Mazi Smith. Smith made several flash plays to stack offensive linemen and allow his teammates to make the tackle. He also contributed a few tackles of his own including a tackle for loss. Eric Kendricks & DeMarvion Overshown Directly benefitting from the efforts of the interior defensive line were Eric Kendricks and DeMarvion Overshown. Kendricks was all over the Giants ball-carriers and had a game-high 13 tackles. Meanwhile, Overshown continues to impress when given a more prominent role. His long arms and incredible speed feel like a cheat code when defending the short to the intermediate area of the field. On one play, he chased Devin Singletary to the outside to minimize what would have been a sizeable gain midway through the second quarter. He also made several tackles in space to limit bigger gains, including a terrific touchdown-saving tackle on Wan’Dale Robinson deep in the red zone. Amani Oruwariye Amani Oruwariye is certainly as unlikely a hero as you could imagine. Oruwariye was called to the active roster because of injuries but only saw significant snaps after replacing Andrew Booth Jr., who was benched to begin the second half. Oruwariye is a fifth-year journeyman who didn’t let his early struggles define his night. After the Cowboys risked a long field goal attempt from Brandon Aubrey that was no good from 51 yards; the Cowboys needed to make one last stand to secure the victory. At this time, Parsons and Lawrence could only look on from the sidelines. As Daniel Jones attempted a desperate heave at the end zone down the right sideline, Oruwariye didn’t panic while the ball was in flight and made a leaping grab to pull the ball away from the waiting arms of Giants receiver Jaylin Hyatt. His interception effectively ended the game and sent Cowboys fans home happy.

Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images Your Friday morning Cowboys news. Cowboys hold off NFC East rival Giants in defensive battle – Todd Archer and Jordan Raanan, ESPN Cowboys avoid 1-3 hole and squeak past the Giants on Thursday Night Football. Dallas picked up its second win of the season with a final score of 20-15, but star edge rusher Micah Parsons was carted off the field late in the game with a left ankle/foot injury. He said afterward that X-rays were negative and he will get an MRI on Friday. Giants’ rookie receiver Malik Nabers also exited the game in the fourth quarter after suffering a concussion. Here are the most important things to know from Thursday night for both teams: Dallas Cowboys Promising trend: When Lamb has some sideline issues, the best seems to come out of him. During last year’s loss at San Francisco, Lamb kept to himself on the sideline and then followed with six games with at least 11 catches and seven games with more than 100 yards. In last week’s loss to New Orleans, Lamb had a spat with Prescott and did not speak to the media after the game. On Tuesday, Lamb was apologetic and said he would be better. In the first half alone, he had six catches for 94 yards (both season highs) and a touchdown. Eye-popping stat: Brandon Aubrey has played 21 games for the Cowboys. He has three field goals of 60 yards in his career, including a 60-yarder in the third quarter against the Giants. That’s one off the NFL record held by Brett Maher, who made four with the Cowboys over two different stints. Aubrey made a 60-yarder last week against the Ravens. He is 2-for-2 from 60 yards this season. The rest of the league is 0-for-2, according to ESPN Research. Cowboys hope winning battle vs Giants, 20-15, didn’t cost them much more via injury – K.D. Drummond, Cowboys Wire Cowboys won the battle, but suffered some casualties along the way. The Dallas Cowboys finally got back in the win column, but they hope they didn’t suffer a much larger defeat. In taking out the division rival New York Giants, 20-15, the Cowboys were better in a ton of issue areas they’ve had recently. Dak Prescott was precise in his passing, CeeDee Lamb got going with over 100 total yards and a score and the defense was as strong as they’ve been in a long time. After allowing almost 500 yards rushing in the last two games, they held the Giants to just 26 on 24 attempts, a lowly 1.1 yard-per-carry average. The defense kept the Giants out of the end zone after New Orleans and Baltimore had conveyor belts in Weeks 2 and 3 and sealed the game with an interception. But the biggest concern now is the health of superstar Micah Parsons. Parsons left the contest twice, the first for a stinger concern that he quickly returned from. But late in the game, Parsons was landed on when his teammate pushed a Giants offensive linemen on the back of his legs. Parsons was taken into the locker room on a cart. The team was working without DeMarcus Lawrence, who suffered a foot injury early in the third quarter and never returned. The club also lost Trevon Diggs and Zack Martin for a few plays each. But thanks to two first-half passing touchdowns off the arm of Prescott, the Cowboys were able to overcome. The Giants scored a field goal on their opening drive but Dallas answered with a long, methodical response that ended with a Rico Dowdle receiving touchdown, his first score of the season. Dallas Cowboys Irritating Game Against the NY Giants – Cody Warren, Inside the Star. Why not all is well that ends well. The Third Quarter The Giants received the second-half kickoff. Daniel Jones and the Giants’ offense moved the ball well against the Cowboys’ defense on this series. The Dallas Cowboys’ defense seems to be an extreme version of bend but don’t break, as the Giants would get another field goal. The Cowboys led 14-12. The Cowboys offense seemed to find some resemblance to a run game in this series. Rico Dowdle and Ezekiel Elliott ran the ball well, but, shocker, a penalty killed the drive. The Cowboys settled for a field goal. The Cowboys would go up 17-12. The defense decided to show up on this series as rookie Marshawn Kneeland made a big play by getting to Daniel Jones for a five-yard loss. The series would end in a punt. The next offensive series was not good. Run negated by a penalty, run for a loss, run for eight yards, and a pass for three yards. Resulting in a punt. This would basically end the third quarter. The Irritating Fourth Quarter The bend but don’t break defense showed up again as the defense held the Giants to a field goal. The Cowboys led 17-15. Dak Prescott and the offense would take over and move the ball down the field, but stall out around the Giants 22-yard line. The series ended in a field goal. The Cowboys led 20-15. The defense finally decided to start playing and forced a turnover on downs, giving the Cowboys’ offense the ball at the Giants’ 45-yard line. The Cowboys could only move the ball 13 yards on seven plays, ending the drive on Brandon Aubrey’s first missed field goal from 50-plus yards. The Giants took over at their 32-yard line. Daniel Jones tried to force the ball down the field, but the series and game ended on an interception by the Dallas Cowboys defense. It was not a great game, but some improvement could be seen. The Giants were a terrible team, and they seemed to move the ball down the field too easily. The Dallas Cowboys’ defense must step up to get out of their slump. The offense was not spectacular, but not having a running game kills the offense. The Dallas Cowboys