Clarence Hill’s 5 Things from Dallas Cowboys 23-16 win vs. New York Giants

Let’s be clear.

The Dallas Cowboys don’t have a quarterback controversy on their hands.

What they do have is an enviable quarterback situation and one of the best defenses in the NFL.

Backup quarterback Cooper Rush won for the second straight game in place of injured starter Dak Prescott, leading the Cowboys to a 23-16 victory over the New York Giants on Monday night at MetLife Stadium.

Rush, who is now 3-0 all-time as a starting quarterback, directed his third consecutive game-winning drive to put the Giants away.

He led the Cowboys to a game-winning field goal in a 20-17 victory against the Cincinnati Bengals last week and beat the Minnesota Vikings with a game-winning touchdown pass in the in final moments last season.

All he does is win.

“Yeah, that’s the job,” Rush said. “You’ve got to come in and you’ve got to play well every week. That’s how this league works at every position. Week-in and week-out you’ve got to show up and you know we were able to build some momentum last week and it carried into this week, and we just don’t hurt ourselves and keep staying on track and making plays, I think we’ll do alright.”

Rush completed 21 of 31 passes for 215 yards and a touchdown while leading the Cowboys to 10 fourth-quarter points after the game was tied at 13-13.

But also credit a stout Cowboys defense, which recorded five sacks and continued to keep opposing offenses out of the end zone.

The Giants, who fell to 2-1, scored a lone touchdown in the third quarter as the Cowboys have allowed only three touchdowns in three games to move to 2-1 on the season.

The 2022 Cowboys are now tied for the fewest touchdowns allowed through the first three games of a season in franchise history

All-Pro cornerback Trevon Diggs killed any hopes of a Giants comeback with an interception with 1 minute, 17 seconds left the game.

The victory allowed the Cowboys to keep track with the Philadelphia Eagles (3-0) in the NFC East.

“It tells you the kind of team you have,” coach Mike McCarthy said. “These guys have been leaning on one another. This is an outstanding locker room. The accountability is very high. The resilience is there, you can see it every step of the way. It’s just like anything, sometimes you have to go through some hard times to get to where you want to go and hopefully we’ve built a good foundation to get to where we want to go.

“Excellent win on the road. We did what we wanted to do.”

The Cowboys face the Washington Commanders (1-2) in another NFC East battle on Sunday at AT&T Stadium.

The Cowboys were undefeated in the division last season and have now won 10 of their last 11 against the Giants.

And now they have some momentum and continued life until Prescott returns.

“It’s really big. We needed some momentum,” running back Ezekiel Elliott said. “As a team, going on the road with a backup quarterback, it’s going to be a little tough. It’s always tough on the road, a tough division game on the road, but Coop was poised as usual.

We don’t really care about what you all believe. The only thing that matters is these guys in this locker room. We’ve got a lot of faith in ourselves, and we know what kind of team we are.”

Clarence Hill’s 5 Things from the Cowboys’ 23-16 win vs. the Giants

Cooper Rush doesn’t blink, continues to play well and win

Cooper Rush did it again.

He was simply Cooper Rush again.

The Cowboys’ backup quarterback doesn’t blink the face of adversity and now the Cowboys are 2-0 with Rush at the helm in 2022 and still in the thick of the race in the NFC East.

Despite being let down by his receivers through the first three quarters, including two big drops by CeeDee Lamb and one by Jalen Tolbert, Rush stayed calm and cool as always.

And after the Giants scored on a 36-yard run by Saquon Barkley to take their first lead of the game in third quarter at 13-6, Rush directed a 75-yard scoring drive.

He connected on a 17-yard pass to Lamb, a 29-yard pass to tight end Peyton Hendershot and 12-yard pass to Noah Brown to power a nine9-play drive, capped by a 1-yard run from Ezekiel Elliott.

He followed that with an 11-play, 89-yard drive in the fourth quarter, giving the Cowboys the lead.

That Mike McCarthy allowed the Cowboys to go for it at the Giants 41 on fourth-and-4 with 10:27 to go showed the team’s trust in Rush.

He connected with Lamb for four yards and followed with three straight completions, capped by a 1-yard touchdown pass to Lamb, putting the Cowboys up 20-13.

Rush completed 12 of 13 passes for 129 yards on those two crucial drives combined.

A 44-yard field goal on the ensuing series gave the Cowboys a 23-13 lead.

“Well, he doesn’t get rattled,” McCarthy said of Rush. “When coming into the locker room after the game Cooper was the first guy in the locker room. We had to come to get him to go out and interview. So, that’s the guy. He’s the same, every day. So consistent. But yeah, he’s playing good football right now. I’m glad to recognize him for it. He’s giving us the boost to just keep playing on offense.”

Jason Peters takes over at left guard

The Cowboys signed 40-year-old Jason Peters following the following the injury to Tyron Smith for insurance at left tackle.

But with rookie Tyler Smith holding it down and playing solidly, Peters, a nine-time Pro Bowler at left tackle, is getting a chance to help the Cowboys at left guard.

The 19-year veteran made his presence immediately after taking the field on the third series of the game for Matt Farniok, combining with Smith to open a hole for a 46-yard run from Tony Pollard. Smith blocked two guys on the play.

Elliott also had a 27-yard run over the left side after Peters entered the game as the Cowboys had 126 yards rushing in the first half. Dallas finished with a season-high 176 yards on the ground, including 105 on 13 carries by Pollard.

Elliott, who 15 had carries for 73 yards, said he noticed a big difference with Peters on the game and wondered aloud how the Chicago Bears let him out the building after playing there last season.

“Yeah, we got into a real good groove,” Elliott said. “The O-line did their thing. They established that line of scrimmage, established the run early and in the second half we adjusted well and kept running well.”

The Cowboys had 71 yards rushing in the season opener and 107 in Week 2 against the Bengals.

Peters, who was on a pitch count in his first game, didn’t play in the second half but he gave the Cowboys a glimpse of things to come.

The running game is definitely growing with Pollard and Elliott.

“Yeah, definitely we’re getting there,” McCarthy said. “I think we had what, 28 rushes? We’re close. The goal is to get over 30. But yeah, we’re getting close to where we want to be. Obviously, we’d like to have some more point production. We don’t want to be kicking field goals, we want to score touchdowns. We definitely, if you look at the three games we’re played in, we’re definitely trending the right way.

“At the end of the day, it’s about ball distribution and being in schemes that guys can have whiteness in their knuckles, get off the ball and go get them. I think we’re doing a much better job there.”

CeeDee Lamb makes up for drops, still must prove he’s No. 1 WR

One reason the Cowboys said they felt comfortable dealing No. 1 receiver Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns in the off season was the presence of 2020 first-round pick CeeDee Lamb.

As the wearer of the legacy 88 jersey, his elevation to No. 1 was pre-ordained.

But Lamb has been a disappointment so far in 2022. He came into Monday’s game with nine catches for 104 yads and no touchdowns. He was second behind Noah Brown, who had 10 catches for 159 yards and a touchdown.

Lamb continued to struggled against the Giants with a wide-open drop in the second quarter that he could have turned into a touchdown, if not put the Cowboys in certain scoring range. He then dropped a pass a few plays later that took the Cowboys out of field goal range.

The pass was tipped but it was a play Lamb has to make.

Lamb’s play exacerbated a larger problem for the Cowboys who lack seemingly playmakers at receiver, especially with Michael Gallup the team’s best big-play threat missing the first three games recovering from a torn ACL.

Third-round pick Jalen Tobert, who suited up for the first time after watching the first two games in street clothes as a healthy inactive, dropped a potential touchdown pass in the third quarter.

Lamb redeemed himself in the fourth quarter with a crucial catch on fourth-and-4 from the 41 to extend the chains with the game tied at 13-13.

He then caught a 26-yard pass and bullied his way toward the end zone before being stopped at the 1.

Lamb capped the drive with a spectacular one-handed over the shoulder catch for the touchdown.

“I mean he’s CeeDee Lamb, he’s going to make plays,” Rush said. “I’m sure he wants that one [drop] back, but you’re going to hang with a guy like that. He’s an unbelievable a player. I didn’t even realize, someone told me he just ran a fade and caught it one-handed. I didn’t even know that. So, an unbelievable catch, just making sure his feet got down and a big-time player, ran a good corner route on a play and that’s what he’s about.”

It was his first touchdown of the season and his first touchdown in 11 games, dating back to the 43-3 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Nov. 14, 2021.

Lamb finished the game with 8 catches for 87 yards.

“CeeDee’s a fierce competitor,” McCarthy said. “There’s just certain guys where you feel you need, to be a resilient game. The plan was to get CeeDee involved. CeeDee’s going to get the ball. CeeDee’s our number one receiver so that will never change.”

DeMarcus Lawrence joins sack party as Cowboys stuff Giants

Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence finally got on the board in the sack department with three sacks through the first three quarters to lead a strong defensive effort against the Giants.

The Cowboys recorded five sacks against Daniel Jones and kept the passing game contained. Jones finished 20-of-37 passing for 196 yards with one interception.

In addition to the fives sacks, the Cowboys recorded 17 quarterback pressures and 12 quarterback hits against Jones.

Jones, however, gashed them on several scrambles from the pocket, netting 79 yards on 9 carries.

A potential turning point in the game came in the third quarter when Lawrence was sidelined by a foot injury.

A strong defensive effort against Saquon Barkley for much of the game was undone by a 36-yard touchdown run by the NFL’s leading rusher, allowing the Giants to take their first lead of the game.

It was only the third touchdown surrendered by the Cowboys through the first 11 quarters of the season.

And the Cowboys defense made it stand, limiting the Giants to a lone field goal in the fourth quarter. Cornerback Trevon Diggs preserved the victory with a late interception of Jones on the Giants’ last desperation drive.

Lawrence returned in the fourth quarter to held turn the Giants back.

The Cowboys led the NFL in turnovers last season. This season they are leading the league in sacks through three games, recording 12 the past two games combined.

“I think our defense really picked up where they left off last year,” McCarthy said. “I thought the second half of the season we came on super strong and the confidence, the continuity, the depth – it’s definitely a strong football team.

Micah Parsons, who leads the Cowboys with four sacks, was limited in the game due to cold/allergy symptoms that caused him to miss two days of practice last week. He recorded just one tackle but had two quarterback hits.

Mike McCarthy shows faith with another fourth down gamble

Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy gave the Cowboys the impetus for the victory against the Cincinnati Bengals last week with a fourth down gamble on the opening drive of the game, resulting in a touchdown and a early lead in a 20-17 triumph.

McCarthy pulled off his gambling magic in the fourth quarter against the Giants.

The Cowboys faced a fourth-and-4 from the Giants’ 41 with the game tied at 13-13. Instead of punting, McCarthy went for it and Cooper Rush connected with CeeDee Lamb for exactly four yards.

A few plays later, Lamb caught a touchdown pass to put the Cowboys in the lead, propelling them to victory.

“Big play of the game and really, we were in four-down territory on second down, so really fourth and three or less, I was thinking about it,” McCarthy said. “But I like the call and they obviously called a timeout. We actually changed the call. So, I just liked the way we’re playing with confidence in pass protection. Basically, running the basic call that Cooper’s run 100 times. So, go execute it and just have faith in the guys.”

The players made the plays but McCarthy showed confidence in them and provided the impetus. Again.

Also credit offensive coordinator Kellen Moore for calling another excellent game with an even mix of pass and run. The Cowboys had 30 runs to 31 passes in the game.

“I liked the game Kellen called,” McCarthy said. “”We’re being able to stay aggressive and getting Ezekiel [Elliott] and Tony [Pollard] the ball. We’re doing the right thing. I thought he called a hell of a game though.”