3 Cowboys players who silenced their critics in demolition of Patriots

1. DaRon Bland

Most of Cowboys Nation recognizes how special of a player Bland is. He doesn't have many critics (how could he?), but folks have questioned how big of a step back Dallas' defense would take with him shifting outside in place of Trevon Diggs.

Bland struggled early against the Cardinals. He committed a long pass interference penalty on a touchdown drive and later was beat on a big third down. In a testament to his mental fortitude, he closed strong and piggybacked off that with arguably his best game as a pro against the Patriots.

Bland put the game out of reach in the second quarter with a textbook pick-six of Mac Jones that extended the Cowboys lead to 28-3. Early in the third quarter, Bland jumped another Jones pass for his second interception of the game.

Incredibly, less than five minutes of game time separated Bland's interceptions. He now has seven picks in his last 10 games and three in four games this season.

Again, tough to have critics with that level of production, but Bland quieted anyone and everyone who questioned how he'd perform in Diggs' wake.

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