Cowboys hope winning battle vs Giants, 20-15, didn’t cost them much more via injury K.D. Drummond 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. After another Giants field goal, Prescott found Lamb on a beautiful route, who weaved into open space and scored on a 56 yarder. That helped them overcome a ridiculously bad tackling night by the defense, which again buckled down when necessary. Eric Kendricks, Mazi Smith and DeMarvion Overshown had great games. Read all the best Cowboys coverage at the Austin American-Statesman and Cowboys Wire.

Check out the drastic difference in Micah Parsons’ effectiveness from 2023 to 2024 K.D. Drummond Your eyes do not deceive you. Micah Parsons is not playing anywhere near the same level as he did in 2023. The campaign is still relatively young, but the NFL regular season is a small sample size in and of itself so trends through three games are a lot more indicative than a bad week in the NBA or NHL. Parsons, who has just one sack on the season and only one QB hit over his last two contests, is struggling to round into form in Mike Zimmer’s new defense. For all the accolades he is continuously heaping on Zimmer for entrusting the defense to him, the play on the field is not showing that to be a good decision. Of course part of that is the newness of the defense, but the advanced stats show that despite getting Parsons more free of the ridiculous double and triple-teams he normally faces, it isn’t resulting in him doing what he’s asked to do any better. In fact, his pass-rush win rate in 2024 doesn’t stand out at all. ESPN’s Seth Walder tracks this metric, a measurement of how often a player defeats his block within 2.5 seconds. He recently revealed his first iteration for the 2024 season, clocking this ability though three games. In 2023, Parsons was double teamed at a ridiculous rate that dwarfed every other edge rusher, but still managed to also dwarf every other edge in PRWR. In 2024, Parsons is around seventh in double-team rate, but he’s just in the middle of the pack in PRWR. These are rate stats, so it’s not about whether or not Parsons is being asked to rush less than years before. This is a display of how well he’s performing when he does rush the passer. For what it’s worth, PFF did grade his effort against Baltimore in Week 3 as, by far, his strongest pass rush effort of the young season; grading him at 90.7. That season-high is still a healthy amount below his season grades for each of his first three years: 93.7 in 2023, 92.0 in 2022 and 93.0 in his rookie campaign. His Week 1 pass-rush grade was 69.9 and Week 2 was 75.8. Parsons spoke post-Ravens loss about the defenders behind him not trusting him to execute in front of them. Perhaps everyone will step up on Thursday night against the New York Giants. Read all the best Cowboys coverage at the Austin American-Statesman and Cowboys Wire.

Love: Prescott’s dominance Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports If you’re a fan of either team, you already know about Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott’s dominance over the Giants. Ever since losing to them twice as a rookie, Prescott has 12 straight over New York. Prescott’s also got his most passing touchdowns against the Giants with 27, against just eight interceptions in 14 games. The only time the Giants have beaten the Cowboys in recent years was when Andy Dalton started a game for the injured Prescott in 2020, and their fan base is begging for the streak to end. It’s hard to find a player who’s done better against a single team than Prescott against the Giants. It’s the perfect opponent for the Cowboys and Prescott to be playing to get out of their funk. Hate: The Giants pass rush Sunday, September 10, 2023. Part of the lore of the Giants franchise is their defense and this year they have the ability to live up to their reputation. The front seven for the Giants is legit, they lead a defense that’s second in the league in sacks with 14, eight of which came last week in a win over the Cleveland Browns. The group is led by Dexter Lawrence, an All-Pro defensive tackle who’s among the best defensive players in the league. Lawrence has three sacks on the season, which is on pace to shatter his career high, and few DTs in the NFL are better are creating pressure in the pocket. It’ll be a huge challenge for rookie center Cooper Beebe in the middle to slow down Lawrence. On the edges, the Giants have bookend pass rushers in Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux, who will stress an offensive line that’s struggled in pass protection. Burns was acquired in the offseason via a trade and after a slow start, had his best week against the Browns with his first sack as a Giant, plus a forced fumble. In six seasons, Burns has four years with at least eight sacks, so he knows how to get to the quarterback. Thibodeaux is coming off an 11.5 sack season in 2023, and with help now on the opposite side, he could be in line for an even better year in 2024. Love: Rushing defense Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports It hasn’t been a banner start to the running back by committee approach from the Cowboys, but the matchup with the Giants offers a chance to get on track. It’s a defense that allows over 131 yards a game on the ground, 23rd in the league, and that’s after the Browns could muster just 69 yards rushing. In the first two weeks, the Giants gave up 111 yards to the Minnesota Vikings, and a whopping 215 to the Washington Commanders, respectively. The Commanders do have a QB who can run, but their starting RB Brian Robinson gained 133 yards on just 17 carries in the Week 2 win. The Cowboys don’t use Prescott’s legs much anymore, but they should call for some QB runs to take advantage of an aggressive defense to help boost the running game. The Cowboys and Mike McCarthy have said they need to get the rushing attack going and that’s proven difficult to do in the first few weeks of the season. The Week 4 matchup gives the offense a chance to settle in and find their groove on the ground. No matter who carries it in Week 4, the Cowboys have to love the opportunity to run the ball against the Giants. Hate: Malik Nabers Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports The Cowboys are only allowing 187 yards through the air, but that’s partly because the defense is so easy to run on. In the matchup with the Giants, Mike Zimmer’s group will have to account for one of the league’s best young wide receivers. Rookie Malik Nabers has been one of the top WRs in the league through three games and is coming off strong back-to-back weeks. In Week 2, Nabers caught 10 passes for 127 yards and a score, which he backed up with an eight catch, 78 yard, two touchdown performance against the Browns. Nabers has already joined some of the elite company through his first three games, and he’ll look to continue his hot start. The Giants rely on Nabers to be the biggest part of their passing game, he’s the most targeted WR in the NFL, with 37 passes going his way through three weeks. Nabers is also second in receptions (23), fifth in receiving yards (271) and tied for first in touchdowns (3). There’s not much to the passing game for the Giants, if the Cowboys slow down Nabers, they can slow the passing attack and force QB Daniel Jones to look elsewhere. That’s easier said than done and the Cowboys won’t like going up against Malik Nabers. Love: Playing Daniel Jones Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports The Cowboys have got to love going up against Jones in Week 4, a QB whose record is 1-7 against Dallas, with the only win coming against a Dalton-led team at the end of the 2020 season. Jones doesn’t like seeing the Cowboys coming, he’s thrown just four touchdowns against five interceptions and has been sacked 24 times, the most against any opponent he’s faced. Jones has also yet to top 229 yards passing against the Cowboys in any of his eight starts against them. Aside from playing the Cowboys, Jones hasn’t been a very good QB since being drafted as the sixth overall pick in the 2019 draft. The veteran QB has just 79 total career touchdowns in 63 games, to along with 49 turnovers, 42 of which have come on interceptions. Jones lacks pocket awareness and often gives the ball away when pressured, so the Cowboys need to force him into mistakes, something Jones is prone to make. Zimmer’s defense needs to make life uncomfortable for Jones if they want to leave New Jersey victorious. Hate: Stopping the run

Cowboys fans launch campaign to convince Jerry Jones to fire Jerry Jones K.D. Drummond They’ve had enough. Cowboys Nation is large, global and relatively pissed off after the first three weeks of the season. The issue isn’t about losing the last two games in blowout fashion (and last week was a blowout despite the final score). No, that’s just the symptom of the disease. The gripe is that the issues the team has, and there are a lot of them, have been obvious to virtually every careful observer of the team for an entire year. Heck, even the casual fans know what ails the team. Dallas cannot stop the run because they’ve only minimally invested in the defensive interior. Dallas cannot run the ball because they’ve turned over a bunch of their offensive line and failed to invest in the running back position. Dallas’ passing game is out of sync because their star receiver missed all summer in an avoidable contract dispute said player won, and the team didn’t invest in veteran depth during the offseason. After an offseason of complaining about the lack of moves made by “all-in” owner and General Manager Jerry Jones meaning nothing, fans have had enough. Cowboys Nation is organizing to convince Jones to fire himself. Is it going to work? Of course not. Jones has virtually said “over his dead body” whenever asked about relinquishing control of team decisions. He’s been pretty defiant when asked recently, too, telling long-time beat reporter Clarence Hill, Jr. the following: “I’ve done it all. So I have an ordinate amount of confidence that [expletive], if anybody can figure out how to get this [expletive] done, I can figure out how to get it done,” Jones said. “I’ve been there every which way from Sunday, and have I busted my ass a bunch, a bunch. And there’s nobody living that’s out cutting and shooting that can’t give you a bunch of times they busted their ass. So hell no, there’s nobody that could [expletive] come in here and do all the contracts … and be a GM any better than I can. “Plus, I’m where the buck stops. When it [expletive] up, I got to cover it. And so there you can’t give anybody enough. Can’t give. There’s nobody can do it.” Talk about pouring gasoline onto a fire. Football boycotts don’t work, unfortunately. But that doesn’t mean a fed-up consumer base shouldn’t exercise their voices and try to make a dent. Even if the only benefit is releasing pent-up frustrations together. There’s power in numbers; even if it’s just grieving a potentially lost season in unison. Jones’ candor in interviews since training camp lets fans know he hears the complaints. And if the 2024 season doesn’t turn around quickly, these cries and pleas for a new name at the top will only grow louder. The truth is, though, the Cowboys are really Stephen Jones’ team. On a day-to-day basis, the Executive VP makes the majority of financial decisions in negotiations, and has for about a decade, but the elder Jones is still a primary part of the decision-making process. VP of Player Development Will McClay is in charge of identifying talent, but the Joneses sign off on, or nix any deals and any trigger pulls on trades and draft picks. Jones owns the richest team in all of professional sports. The season-ticket waiting list is strong and AT&T Stadium is such a popular tourist attraction, opposing fans scoop up any tickets on the secondary market because Jones’ marketing genius has built the team everyone loves to hate, and beat. But perhaps Cowboys Nation can help right the ship through some good old-fashioned public shaming. And if the first three weeks of the season are any indication, there could be a lot of opportunities coming soon. Read all the best Cowboys coverage at the Austin American-Statesman and Cowboys Wire.

Micah Parsons says ending rare losing streak will take team effort: ‘Got to elevate together’ Todd Brock Micah Parsons has never experienced losing three football games in a row. Not in the NFL. Not in college. Not in high school. Not ever. And if he counts his total back-to-back losses, it takes just one hand and doesn’t even require all five fingers. (The Cowboys haven’t dropped three consecutive contests since 2020, in the wake of Dak Prescott’s ankle injury and before Parsons was drafted.) So the Cowboys’ current two-game skid had Parsons uncharacteristically subdued when he spoke to reporters this week. But it’s not just about having come up short on the scoreboard- not in a short prep week where other fingers are being pointed. No, what’s at issue here isn’t scheme breakdowns or missed assignments or being outmuscled, but far more fundamental (and troubling) themes like effort and professionalism. Despite he and other team leaders being vocal about it for a second straight week, Parsons had to admit he’s not even sure the message is getting through to those that need to hear it. “It’s very hard to tell, right? ‘Cause everyone’s nodding their head like, ‘Yeah, we all agree.’ At the same time, it’s not equal out there on the field,” Parsons said after Tuesday’s walkthrough. “I feel like, as a competitor, at some point, you’ve got to be prideful enough to say, ‘Hey, I’m not going to allow this to happen to me.’ I feel like some people are just allowing them[selves] to keep getting smacked in the face. When are you going to stand up?” After the Cowboys’ season-opening blowout win over the Browns, new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer praised his unit for “staying on the reservation,” and sticking to their assignments. The team’s embarrassing losses in Weeks 2 and 3, however, were followed by internal complaints about some teammates playing “hero ball,” trying to do more than the job their position requires. DeMarcus Lawrence compared the unit’s effort to “little league football.” Parsons himself said, “We just got people trying to be Superman.” The Dallas defense is having obvious struggles as they transition away from Dan Quinn’s freewheeling style of play to Zimmer’s more disciplined approach. Parsons acknowledged that the unit is filled with a lot of young players, inexperienced rookies, and new faces, likening the process to growing pains. But despite his status as one of the most feared defenders in the sport, a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro, and one of three players the organization has labeled as critical to their long-term plans, Parsons said he hasn’t started pulling guys aside in the locker room to talk about pulling their weight. “I just feel like I’m not there yet, to go to someone,” he said. “It’s hard to blame one particular person for one thing.” Perhaps Parsons need to do some growing, too, at least in that regard. [affiliatewidget_smgtolocal] If there’s collective growing to be done, though, these Cowboys need to do it in a hurry. They face a division rival in the New York Giants on Thursday night. Away, on a short week, and at 1-2, the Cowboys are already hearing that it’s a must-win situation. Parsons has a different perspective. “I feel like every game is really must-win,” he said. “In the last two years, we were one game off a No. 1 seed, things like that. So I think every game has equal importance. In particular, I would like to get the ball back rolling again, getting back in the win column, getting to what we know best.” So the 25-year-old will continue to preach the “do your job” sermon. And he says he’s fighting the urge to personally stray from that lesson himself, even as he looks to avoid the first three-game losing streak of his life. “It’s hard, because I’ve got to fit into the system,” he explained. “I’ve got to fit into the framework. That’s the whole point of everyone doing their one-eleventh. Elevate yourself. What do you need others to do? Elevate, too. We all got to elevate together; it can’t be just one or two. To me, I’ve just got to make my plays when they’re there and do my job for my guys.” …and also hope that his guys pick up on the message that has reverberated around The Star for two weeks, going on three. A frustrated Parsons says he’s still not sure they have. “I mean, everyone says it. But then again, we’ve got to see what happens on Sunday. Or Thursday.” Read all the best Cowboys coverage at the Austin American-Statesman and Cowboys Wire.

Stock Up, Stock Down: What’s there in Cowboys Land to invest in besides Aubrey? Cameron Burnett Winning at AT&T Stadium used to be a near certainty for the Dallas Cowboys. Recently it’s looked nearly impossible with three straight opposing assaults at home. Week 3 saw a more competitive finish, but that’s all it was with the hometown club falling, 28-25, to the previously winless Baltimore Ravens. There were a plethora of issues that plagued the Cowboys in their descent to 1-2 on the young season. While finding a complementary option in the receiver room, Dallas’ star wideout had his own forgettable day. The defensive issues mirrored Week 2 and yet again. Here’s the stock report heading into a short week with Thursday Night Football against the New York Giants. Stock Down: WR CeeDee Lamb Sep 22, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Baltimore Ravens cornerback Nate Wiggins (2) and Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey (44) defend a pass intended for Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (88) during the second half at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images CeeDee Lamb is often the man carrying the load in the wide receiver room, and his chemistry with Prescott has turned the pair into an elite duo. His performance and antics that followed in Week 3 were the complete opposite. On the face, Lamb finished with four catches for 67 yards. The problems came with a fumble in the Cowboys’ lone trip to the red zone in the first half and late drops during the comeback effort. The game could’ve gone far differently without those miscues. As things unraveled for Lamb, his body language mirrored and the star was on the sideline too often during Prescott’s heroic efforts. Emotion can be a good thing in football, but as the star of the Cowboys offense, this just isn’t a good look. Stock Up: K Brandon Aubrey Sep 22, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys place kicker Brandon Aubrey (17) kicks an onside kick during the fourth quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images There’s one consistent thing about the Cowboys through three games and that’s Brandon Aubrey. The star kicker easily made a 65-yard field goal before making a 51-yarder look like a chip shot. While the offense may struggle at times, reaching midfield is nearly a guarantee for three points. That’s a weapon you can’t put a value on, which makes this McCarthy decision even more infuriating. If that wasn’t enough, his sidewinder onside kick led to some late drama. If Dallas manages to find its rhythm as a team, Aubrey’s value will become even more obvious. Stock Up: WR Jalen Tolbert Sep 22, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Jalen Tolbert (1) catches a touchdown pass during the fourth quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images While Lamb was the talk of the day in the wide receiver room, Jalen Tolbert quietly displayed a ton of confidence and chemistry with Prescott. He scored a 15-yard touchdown on one of the better route combos of the day, slamming the brakes before finding himself wide open in the middle of the endzone to make the game competitive. The passing game is heavily dependent on the trio of Lamb, Brandin Cooks and Jake Ferguson. Tolbert proving himself as a legit option can add a different gear to this offense. Stock Down: Offensive Tackles Sep 22, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Terence Steele (78) lines up during the fourth quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images Letting Tyron Smith walk in free agency continues to look puzzling. RT Terence Steele has struggled mightily and Tyler Guyton is dealing with growing pains on the left side. Prescott was hit seven times and the run game was nonexistent with 16 carries for 31 yards. Nnamdi Madubuike bullied Steele on many occasions. That’s an issue for the whole unit but the tackles were a major liability in the loss to the Ravens. When the quarterback is uneasy and missing on throws while there’s nothing working on the ground, it’s no wonder the offense couldn’t find its footing. Steele is contracted through 2028 and that investment looks more dicey by the day. Read all the best Cowboys coverage at the Austin American-Statesman and Cowboys Wire.

Prescott, Lamb with opportunity to get Cowboys back on track vs depleted Giants CB corps Todd Brock After getting taken to the woodshed in back-to-back weeks, the Cowboys are looking for something- anything- to feel encouraged about heading into a suddenly-very-important Week 4 game. They may have found it in the Giants secondary. Third-round rookie Dru Phillips and veteran Adoree’ Jackson, two of New York’s top cornerbacks, sat out the team’s Tuesday walkthrough- the second straight DNP for both- with calf injuries per the Giants website, and head coach Brian Daboll didn’t sound overly optimistic that either would be ready to suit up Thursday night. “We’ll see. Go all the way to the end like we normally do,” Daboll told New York media on Tuesday. “We’ve got a couple more days; we’ll see where everybody’s at tomorrow night, Thursday morning.” Jackson played just 17 defensive snaps in Week 3, while Phillips logged seven. Daboll said he doesn’t believe either player will have to go on injured reserve, but that will be of little solace as Dak Prescott comes to town. The Cowboys quarterback enters the game as the NFL’s passing yards leader through three games. Granted, a significant chunk of his 851 yards have come as the offense played from way behind against both the Saints and the Ravens, but Prescott won’t complain about facing a depleted secondary as Dallas looks to get back on track in their first divisional tilt of the season. The Giants’ CB shuffle could put extra pressure on Deonte Banks, their 2023 first-round pick out of Maryland. This past Sunday, the 23-year-old was tasked with covering a five-time Pro Bowler. It did not go well. Banks got “torched by Amari Cooper and looked lost on the field” versus the Browns, according to Giants Wire. Cooper caught seven balls and scored twice in a game the Giants ended up winning. It’s the kind of game film, though, that could have Cowboys star receiver CeeDee Lamb salivating in anticipation after a very frustrating day last week. Lamb sits one spot outside the league’s top 10 in receiving yards but was mostly stymied last Sunday after a costly red-zone fumble early in the game. Him returning to form (and quickly) will be absolutely critical if the Cowboys are to have any long-term success this season. [affiliatewidget_smgtolocal] Daboll admitted that finding a scheme to shut down Lamb has already been a focus for his staff during this short week. “Tough opponent, really good player, CeeDee,” the coach said. “They’ve got a lot of really good players. So we’re burning it pretty good here.” Giants cornerback Nick McCloud may also provide some relief for after missing Weeks 2 and 3 with a knee injury. He was listed as limited both Monday and Tuesday, but Daboll expressed “hope” that McCloud would be able to go Thursday. Cor’Dale Flott, Tre Hawkins, and Art Green could also figure into the mix for the New York defensive backfield. They have one career interception among them. Given the early struggles from the Cowboys’ run game, Mike McCarthy may be asking his running backs to help the offensive line with pass protection, letting Prescott and Lamb go to work on turning things around against a Giants CB corps already on the short end of the injury stick. Read all the best Cowboys coverage at the Austin American-Statesman and Cowboys Wire.