3 Cowboys studs (and 3 duds) after escaping Chargers in Week 6

After their worst loss of the season in Week 5, the Dallas Cowboys headed to SoFi Stadium this week to face the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday Night Football. While they were better overall than the prior game, they still left a lot to be desired in this one.

Dallas was sloppy on both sides of the ball with penalties as well as missed opportunities on offense. Dak Prescott made some clutch plays but also refused to pull the trigger on several deep shots which led to sacks. On defense, they allowed too many receivers to run free which could have spelled disaster if not for some misses from Justin Herbert.

They still pulled off the win thanks to a defensive stand at the end, which included a sack from Micah Parsons and an interception by Stephon Gilmore.

Now, let's look back over the fourth win of the year for Dallas — which had more than its share of studs and duds.

Cowboys Dud: Tyrus Wheat, Linebacker

With Leighton Vander Esch out — and Rashaan Evans still not ready to suit up — the Cowboys were relying on Malik Jefferson and Tyrus Wheat to fill in. Both players were called up from the practice squad and Wheat was on the field early, but he wasn't able to stand out in a positive way.

The undrafted rookie missed a tackle on Keenan Allen on second-and-seven deep in Dallas territory. Instead of forcing a third down, the linebacker allowed Allen to get past him for an 11-yard gain and a fresh set of downs.

Wheat was again guilty of a mistake that negated a 55-yard punt from Bryan Anger. After another frustrating offensive drive, the Cowboys had to punt and this should have pushed the Chargers back to the 27-yard line. That play didn't count, however, as Wheat was flagged for an illegal formation as he wasn't lined up correctly.

Thankfully for Dallas, Anger drilled another 55-yard punt but it still gave Los Angeles better field position with them starting at the 32 instead of the 27. Still, it was a forgettable debut for the rookie.