Cowboys studs and duds Week 4: Trevon Diggs deflects narrative

Stud: Michael Gallup, WR

Michael Gallup was on the field for the first time since tearing his ACL last season and he reminded us just how good he is. In the second quarter, he grabbed the first touchdown of the game for Dallas, as he hauled in a nine-yarder from Cooper Rush.

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Later in the game, he again had a huge impact — twice. First was when the Commanders had just pulled within five points and Gallup drew a penalty downfield, getting 38-yards thanks to the defensive pass interference. That led to a touchdown from Rush to Lamb. Gallup drew another interference call following a turnover on downs in the fourth, this time gaining 27-yards for his team.

Dud: Kellen Moore, Offensive Coordinator

Kellen Moore does a lot of good as the play-caller for the Cowboys, but at times, he becomes his own worst enemy. In this one, he missed a chance to take a huge lead early in the game since he wouldn’t stick with what was working.

Rush and the offense were moving the ball through the air, including a 31-yard pass on a check down to Ezekiel Elliott during the opening drive. Rather than sticking with the pass, he put them in a hole by pounding the ball with Elliott, leading to just two yards gained on two plays.

A couple of drives later, Lamb gained 56-yards on three catches to move it into Washington territory. This led to another run, this time with Tony Pollard, and a loss of two. Again, they had to settle for a field goal, taking a 6-0 lead but with the way Rush was dealing, they should have continued to ride the hot hand until the Commanders proved they could stop it.