3 struggling Cowboys players who came up clutch in win vs Eagles
By Jerry Trotta
The Dallas Cowboys are back where they belong atop the NFC East after their dominant 33-13 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night.
Dak Prescott, Stephon Gilmore, Micah Parsons and Brandon "Butter" Aubrey, who made more NFL history by making field goals of the 60- and 50-yard variety and extending his consecutive made FGs streak to 30 start his career, were catalysts in the win.
Mike McCarthy deserves his own flowers for calling an excellent game and having his team ready to dominate despite being days removed from surgery to address acute appendicitis after he experienced abdominal pain on Wednesday.
While Prescott, Gilmore, McCarthy, Parsons and Aubrey snatched the Monday morning headlines, let's show some love for some previously-struggling Cowboys players who stepped up and helped Dallas dethrone their rivals, shall we?
3. Michael Gallup
Gallup's struggles this season are well-documented. Other than Jourdan Lewis, Gallup has arguably been the most criticized Cowboy in 2023. Early in the year, Dak Prescott had a low success rate when targeting Gallup, who, at the time, drew more looks than Jake Ferguson, Brandin Cooks and KaVontae Turpin.
Gallup has since been phased out of the offense. He's been out-snapped by second-year receiver Jalen Tolbert and his target share has plummeted.
While Gallup wasn't a focal point on Sunday, he came up with some clutch grabs, including a touchdown right before halftime that put Dallas up 24-6. Beyond the TD, Gallup made a big catch on third down in the third quarter and drew a pass interference on Darius Slay on a 3rd and 17.
He also made a beautiful 39-yard catch in the fourth quarter on a pass that had a 17.4% completion probability, per Next Gen Stats. It was arguably a more impressive throw from Prescott, but Gallup made a great over-the-shoulder snag and had the awareness to drag both feet in bounds.
We witnessed vintage Gallup on Sunday. His target share should remain minimal but this win proved he can make an impact in a limited role.