The Dallas Cowboys got a much-needed win in Week 9, but it certainly wasn’t pretty. Dallas led by 10 points for much of the third quarter, but they found themselves down by three points with less than two minutes to play against one of the worst teams in the NFL.
The good news is that Dallas won and it’s tough to get road victories in the NFL, regardless of the opponent. And while they didn’t gain any ground on the Giants in the NFC East, they did put some distance between themselves and the Eagles and Commanders. Going into Week 10, this is a two-team race for likely the No. 3 seed in the NFC (that’s crazy to consider, I know).
But who stood out in Week 9? And which players/coaches still leave a lot to be desired? Here are the biggest winners and losers from a wild week of football:
Winner: Quinnen Williams, DT
The best player on the field for both teams was Quinnen Williams, who was dominant again in this contest. While he did not record a sack, he did make three tackles behind the line of scrimmage and forced a fumble on Jonathan Taylor when the Colts were in field goal range.
Williams also drew a big holding call earlier in the game and was basically unblockable. He’s been a completely different player in the last month and this is the version of Williams the Cowboys envisioned when they traded so much for him last season. This was just an unbelievable performance by Williams.
Winner: Cowboys' run game
After a really disgusting outing last week against the Cardinals, the run game looked significantly better in Week 9. The Cowboys were called for multiple offensive holding penalties that took away big runs, but they still ran for 170 yards. Javonte Williams ran really hard once again, and Tyler Goodson was able to create some chunk plays as a change-of-pace back.
Goodson really does add a dynamic element to this run game, but this is how the group needs to play every week if they want to start stacking some wins. This was a much better performance by the run game in Week 9.
Winner/Loser: CeeDee Lamb, WR
For the first time ever, a player has been named a "winner" and a "loser" in the same week. But there is no way we could leave CeeDee Lamb off this list. On one hand, Lamb did catch 10 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown and made a huge reception on the game-winning drive. But Lamb had three offensive penalties and a fumble on one of the wildest plays of the season.
Lamb was more "good" than "bad", but this was still a very weird game for the star receiver for Dallas. He knows he can be better, and the Cowboys will need him to be against better teams. But this was a performance that Lamb surely wants to forget.
Winner: Christian Parker, DC
The Cowboys allowed 16 points in the second half, and you would assume that means that Parker would be a loser here. But that's not the case. The defense played outstandingly well in the first half of this game, and the only touchdown they allowed in the first two quarters came after a Dak Prescott fumble.
Parker's unit had several three-and-outs, and they did force the Colts to kick a few long field goals late in this game, which gave the Cowboys a chance to win. And after Dallas scored the go-ahead touchdown, they got the game-winning interception. It wasn't perfect, but this was easily the best coaching job by Parker to date.
Winner: Caleb Downs, DB
Caleb Downs has been one of the most reliable players for the Cowboys on defense this season, but he has yet to have a breakout performance. Until Week 9. Downs recorded a sack in the first half and, of course, had the game-sealing interception.
The Cowboys have had a lot of turnover in the secondary, and this was another week in which Joey Porter Jr. did not play. But Downs made several huge plays in this game, and Dallas needed them all to secure the win over the Colts.
Loser: Brian Schottenheimer, HC
Schotty makes this list because his team had over 150 penalty yards and they consistently made mistake after mistake. DeMarvion Overshown was flagged for a 15-yard penalty for celebrating and he wasn’t even active in this game.
The Colts were barely trying in this game, and the Cowboys nearly found a way to lose it. Schottenheimer settled for another 50-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter, and, of course, Brandon Aubrey missed it. It was just another game in which Dallas was outcoached, and it’s hard to think he is the right guy for the job long term.
Loser: Daron Bland, CB
This has been a nightmare season for Daron Bland in every sense. The Colts have no receivers who can make plays down the field and yet Bland was called for a massive defensive pass interference call that flipped this game.
He just has not looked like the same player that we saw in 2023 or 2024 and that’s a shame. In fact, it’s fair to wonder if the Cowboys should consider benching him once Joey Porter Jr. is healthy.
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