A win is a win, but it was not pretty. The Dallas Cowboys got the monkey off their back after a long week of reflection coming off their 28-25 Week 3 loss against Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens. They were happy but not satisfied to have secured a hard-fought victory on the road over the New York Football Giants, but there was no party after the game.
What was important Thursday night at the end of sixty minutes were the numbers on the scoreboard at MetLife Stadium, Dallas Cowboys 20, New York Giants 15.
The two-game losing streak is now a thing of the past going into their mini bye week. Those in the media who have been outspoken and loudly criticizing Dallas (2-2) and coach Mike McCarthy and forecasting a subpar season have been forced to eat some humble pie, at least for one night. The Cowboys got back on the horse doing the things that will lead them to victory going forward, a good offense and a solid defense.
Quarterback Dak Prescott threw one of his two touchdown passes to his favorite target CeeDee Lamb after they were spotted having a heated discussion on Sunday about Lamb’s lack of touches and the Cowboys defeated their division rival and little brother, the Giants for the seventh straight time and 14th in 15 games.
“We got to change the narrative. That’s what this game did, especially over a long weekend,” said Prescott, who completed 22 of 27 for 221 yards. “It puts us at 2-and-2. It allows us a couple of days to get our mind right, to get our body right.”
Lamb took accountability during the week and then backed it up with his play on the field, snagging seven balls for 98 yards and a score. Prescott has outlasted the Giants and won 13 consecutive starts against the team.
The Giants struggles on the offensive side of the football are nothing new. Quarterback Daniel Jones threw for 281 yards on 29 completions. Rookie receiver Malik Nabers had a dozen catches of his own for 115 yards and showed why he is an absolute stud, but was taken to the locker room late in the game with a concussion. Running back Devin Singletary was held to a whisper, carrying the rock 14 times for only 24 yards, struggling against a Cowboys defense that gave up 274 yards on the ground just four days earlier.
“We don’t feel good about losing,” said Jones, who has had three straight solid performance. “We didn’t do enough to win. We’re frustrated. We’re not discouraged. I think we’re still confident in our team and what we can do well, but we don’t feel good about this.”
Embed from Getty ImagesPrescott connective with running back Rico Dowdle on a 15-yard screen pass for a touchdown to give the Cowboys the lead in the first quarter. He then found Lamb for a 55-yard catch-and-run touchdown on a play that ended with the receiver being assessed a 15-yard penalty for taunting.
“I lost my first two games to them,” said Prescott. “It could have been a remarkable rookie year had that not happened. It’s a good matchup for us. The offensive line always sets the tone. I love playing here in New York. Cowboy fans travel well.”
With 2:28 left on the clock in the fourth quarter and the Giants without a time out, and the Cowboys leading 20-15, Dallas was looking to close things out against New York on the road.
McCarthy made the obvious decision to run the ball three plays in a row to milk as much clock as possible, with the drive resulting in a fourth down with 32 seconds to go.
Place kicker Brandon Aubrey, who was ‘Mr. Automatic’, converting 12-for-12 on field goals this season and 48-for-50 in his career, galloped onto the field to kick what everyone in the stadium expected to be chip shot.
Aubrey had booted a 60-yard field goal earlier in the third quarter, and just last week made a 65-yard kick to set the record for the second-longest field goal in NFL history, just behind the Ravens’ Justin Tucker’s 66.
What’s even more incredible about his 60-yarder on Thursday is that it moved him to 16-for-16 on field goals of 50-plus yards for his career, extending his record for the longest such streak to start a career by any kicker in NFL history.
So, a 51-yard attempt to him should be a piece of cake, especially with the game basically over? Apparently, it was a lot. Aubrey missed the FG, snapping his streak of 50-plus-yard makes.
Jones would go on to throw an interception in a last-ditch effort to win the game, and the final score would remain 20-15.
With three career 60-yard field goals, Aubrey needs just one more to tie the NFL record set by Brett Maher. He is now tied with Greg ‘The Leg’ Zuerlein, Matt Prater and Maher as the only kickers in NFL history with three or more field goals of 60-plus yards.
The Cowboys travel to the Steel City, Pittsburgh for a Sunday night game on October 6, the second of their five scheduled prime-time games.
The Giants are on the road at Seattle on October 6.
