3 impressive Cowboys performances despite offensive struggles vs Lions

The Dallas Cowboys beat the Detroit Lions at home by a score of 26-7 and are now 5-2 on the season. That’s the most important thing.

However, if you watched the game, you likely saw that this offense struggled. Although it was great to get Dak Prescott back, he seemed to have difficulty finding his rhythm, and outside of the run game (which also had its fair share of struggles), the offense looked out of sorts.

The Lions came into this game as the worst defense in terms of rushing yards allowed and points allowed. Yet, the Cowboys couldn’t amass more than three points in the first half.

Kellen Moore was calling confusing plays on third downs that only needed short gains and the 1-4 (now 1-5) Lions seemed to move the ball much easier than Dallas did. This team definitely needs to go to the drawing board and figure out how to use the imposing weapons they have in a much more effective yet simple way.

However, there are still things that were impressive in this game. The defense, as always, continues to shine and there were three players who really helped keep the ball moving for the Cowboys today. Let’s talk about those guys.

3 impressive Cowboys performances despite offensive struggles vs Lions

3. KaVontae Turpin, KR/PR/WR

KaVontae Turpin may not technically be a large member of the offense but his impressive punt and kick returns certainly help the offense in terms of field position.

Each week it seems like the former USFL MVP is just a broken tackle away from getting all the way into the end zone. Today was no exception.

In fact, today you could literally see in real-time just how fast Turpin is. On his first punt return, the NFL rookie literally took a full second to stop and read the situation before making his first step. He went several yards before being brought down.

His highlight of the game was a 52-yard return in the third quarter. Turpin caught the ball on the Cowboys’ 8-yard line. He ran through a massive group of people, increased speed, juked a defender, and was finally taken down at the Lions’ 44-yard line.

This play marked the second longest by an NFL player this year and makes the former USFL WR the only player in the league with multiple 50-yard returns this season.

Turpin actually was part of a few offensive snaps today and had a three-yard rush off a handoff from Prescott.

Turpin was actually lined up in the backfield for the victory formation at the end of a game and a fan in the stands caught him just casually doing a celebratory backflip by himself while “no one was watching.”

The other excellent thing about Turpin is that he is smart with his returns. He’s great at looking at the whole field and being smart about whether he should take a touchback, call a fair catch, or move the ball forward. This kid is really something special and we know he will take it to the house off a return soon.

2. Tony Pollard, RB

There is still much debate about whether Tony Pollard or Ezekiel Elliott should get more snaps in the offensive playbook, but the reality is that (this year) they are both doing great and make for an excellent one-two punch for this team.

With the passing game struggling mightily today, Pollard was there to pick up the pieces and use his strength and speed to make plays both on the ground and in the air. He may not have had any touchdowns, but he had significant plays that helped push the ball forward and get crucial first downs.

For example, this 25-yard run.

For the game, the RB2 had 12 rushes for 83 yards leaving him averaging 6.9 yards per carry. His long was 28 yards and he also added two receptions for 26 yards.

Whether you think Pollard should get more snaps or not, the good thing is that he’s doing his part when he gets the ball. Moore and his staffers certainly get a lot from someone deemed an RB2.

1. Ezekiel Elliott, RB

Ezekiel Elliott had quite the day. He looked like his 2016 self and it wasn’t even all rainbows and sunshine.

The RB1 struggled in the first quarter, just like the rest of his teammates. However, in the second quarter, Elliott was able to break free for a 14-yard gain. Unfortunately, that big play ended with Lions safety Deshon Elliott’s helmet colliding directly with Elliott’s knee. The Cowboys’ RB was down on the field, which is something we rarely see from the physical player.

He was eventually able to walk off the field, but fans were panicked that the 27-year-old may be badly hurt. He remained on the white part of the sideline and never received medical attention, but it was still a scary site to see.

It seemed like the back would likely be subbed out for a few plays or limited, but that absolutely wasn’t the case.

In the second half, the Cowboys clearly made some halftime adjustments and Elliott was back and better than before. Early in the third quarter, he impressed the home crowd with this hurdle move which made everyone feel significantly better after seeing his knee injury, which he later said he thought was likely a contusion.

This exciting maneuver eventually led to the Cowboys going up 10-6 on Detroit. But that wasn’t all from Elliott.

After the Cowboys’ third takeaway of the game from Jourdan Lewis, which sadly ended up in an injury, Pollard and Elliott worked together to lead this team down the field to get all the way to the one-yard line. Eventually, the RB1 scored yet another power touchdown.

The multi-score game for Elliott marked his first two-touchdown game since Week 10 of the 2021 season. It gave Dallas a 17-6 lead on their way to the 24-6 victory.

Moore needs to continue to use these players and make sure that the rest of the offense is complimenting them as well. There were times when this team made Detroit look better than they were, and that can’t happen. Prescott and the WRs need to make things happen if they want to be a more complete team.