The Dallas Cowboys improved to 2-1 with a win over the New York Giants on Monday Night Football — and it was thanks to another impressive comeback from Cooper Rush, who gave them the lead in the fourth quarter with a touchdown to CeeDee Lamb.
For the wideout, it was a redemption act to haul in that touchdown, as he had a first half to forget that included a terrible drop. Lamb wasn’t alone when it came to some plays that were forgetful, as we look at those who stood out as studs and duds in Week 3.
Cowboys studs and duds Week 3 vs New York Giants
Stud: Tony Pollard, RB
Maybe instead of trying to create a lame quarterback controversy between Cooper Rush and Dak Prescott, Jerry Jones should be asking why Tony Pollard doesn’t get the ball more. Of course, he won’t answer that question because he’s the reason why — he wants Mike McCarthy and Kellen Moore to use the man who makes the money, which is Ezekiel Elliott.
While Elliott did play well in this game, Pollard again proved to be the better player. On Monday, he had 71 yards on just six carries at the half, including a huge 46-yard run — and it could have been more if he hadn’t had a 10-yarder called back due to a penalty.
He didn’t get the short touchdown run, which went to Elliott, but he had 13 rushes for 105 yards as he continues to make the most of every opportunity.
Dud: Mike McCarthy, Non-Disciplinarian
As if those penalties weren’t enough, the Cowboys continued to get one flag after another. There were holds by Tyler Smith, a hit out of bounds by Sam Williams, and a personal foul on Donovan Wilson — which was a bad call, but still, they have a reputation for a reason.
And that reason is that Mike McCarthy has done absolutely nothing to fix the non-stop penalties by Dallas. They were first in the league in penalties a year ago and they’re on pace for that once again this year.
They lost out on sacks, big runs, and potential touchdowns as they had eight accepted penalties for 70 yards. Until he gets this under control, McCarthy is going to struggle to find sustained success.
Stud: DeMarcus Lawrence, EDGE
It was a big night for DeMarcus Lawrence, who got started early. He had a sack on the opening drive, then nearly picked up a second on the ensuing drive, but Daniel Jones just got away from him. From there, he had several other pressures, including one that forced a fourth down that led to Graham Gano’s first field goal make. This tied the score at three, but it was a win for the defense after the way the Giants were cutting through the defense for much of that drive.
To my count:
— Patrik [No C] Walker (@VoiceOfTheStar) September 27, 2022
DeMarcus Lawrence has six pressures to along with his two sacks and five tackles ...
And that's with time remaining in the first half. #Cowboys
He kept attacking and recorded his third sack in the third quarter, which ties a career-high for No. 90. Perhaps he could have had even more, but a foot injury sent him to the sidelines — which was the only thing that could slow him down on the night.
Dud: Peyton Hendershot, TE
Again, this one was all about penalties. Peyton Hendershot made it to the 53-man roster due to his ability in the passing game, and he was given a big opportunity on Monday with Dalton Schultz out, but didn’t make a great impression.
On the three-yard line, he was called for a false start, forcing Dallas to walk back to the eight on third-and-goal. That led to an incomplete pass and the second field goal of the night for Maher.
During their next drive, Pollard ran it for 10 yards, which should have given Dallas a fresh set of downs … had it not been for the second flag on the rookie, this time for holding. This gaffe by Hendershot put them in a huge hole that they only climbed out of thanks to a 27-yard run by Ezekiel Elliott.
He did have a few catches, but went out of bounds late in the game, keeping Dallas from running the clock out.
Stud: Dorance Armstrong, EDGE
New York took advantage of a penalty on Anthony Barr during their first drive and moved into field goal range. It should have been an easy three points, since it was a 47-yard kick for the usually-accurate Graham Gano, but Dorance Armstrong had other plans, as he was able to block the kick and get the ball back for his team.
https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1574557563131002880?s=20&t=pwosGZHTvbUe3T-9F0zD7w
On the following drive, he again made some noise, sacking Jones at the Dallas 30, helping to end the drive with New York settling for a field goal.
After being forced to punt early in the game, it looked as though Dallas was about to get the ball right back, as they forced a three-and-out — or, at least, they thought they did. After a third-down pass from Daniel Jones to Saquon Barkley hit the turf, a flag came flying, and Anthony Barr was called for a hold that gave the Giants five yards and a fresh set of downs. New York was able to get into range for a field goal following the hold, but Dorance Armstrong saved them from giving up three points when he blocked the attempt.
Armstrong should have had two sacks on the night, but a penalty erased one of them late in the game. He’s been a great player for the ‘Boys and has helped them fill the hole left by Randy Gregory, recording three sacks now in the first three games of the year.
Dud: Matt Farniok, OG
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. The Cowboys were driving down the field and an offensive lineman was flagged for holding, which killed the drive.
Ezekiel Elliott had just gained six yards to set up a third-and-two on the New York 38-yard line. They had to walk it back, though, as Matt Farniok was guilty of the penalty, and they were suddenly facing a second-and-18 situation. Unsurprisingly, this led to the first punt of the day, as Dallas walked away with no points on their opening possession.
Jason Peters replaced him and was better, but the coaching staff kept putting Farniok on the field for some reason. Overall, he’s not a terrible player, but there is a better option, and Farniok’s made a few mistakes when he’s been on the field.
Stud: Cooper Rush, QB
There’s no quarterback controversy in Dallas, but Cooper Rush might have convinced some team that he deserves a shot. He continues to do everything asked of him, and is now 3-0 as the starter for Dallas.
Not only did he lead them on a couple of scoring drives in the fourth quarter to secure the win, but he also could have had a much more impressive stat line if it weren’t for a couple of drops.
Even with the drops, he got the job done and made almost no mistakes on Monday night. He’s kept his team in the race, and they have to feel confident they can contend with anyone with him under center.
Stud: CeeDee Lamb, WR — After the first half
The Cowboys foolishly traded Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns, but they did so thinking CeeDee Lamb was ready to be the No. 1 receiver. After recording 1,102 yards on 79 receptions in his second season, he agreed that he was ready for more.
Against the Giants, he had a shot to really go off and prove he was the man for the job, but got off to a slow start. In the first half, Lamb dropped a wide-open pass that was dropped into his lap beautifully by Cooper Rush. At their own 48, Rush threw a bomb that Lamb simply dropped. He walked back tapping his chest to take the blame (who else were we pointing fingers at?), but then dropped the ball again a couple of plays later.
Lamb more than made up for the issues in the first half, though, as he ended up with the catch of the week, hauling in a one-handed touchdown to put the Cowboys up for good.
https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1574591805017927680?s=20&t=pwosGZHTvbUe3T-9F0zD7w
He ended up with 87 yards and a touchdown on eight receptions, which erased a rough start to the game. Having said that, he needs to continue to make plays the way he did late in this game.
Against better offenses, leaving a deep pass — especially one that might have gone for six — on the field is a recipe for disaster.
Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb snags game-winning, one-handed TD to erase brutal drop
Dallas Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb dropped a brutal pass earlier in Monday Night Football, but made up for it with the game-winning touchdown.