'It Was Mayhem!' Trevon Diggs' Big Stop Sets up Cowboys to Upset Bengals
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Brett Maher’s 50-yard field goal is the lasting memory of the Dallas Cowboys slipping past the Cincinnati Bengals 20-17 Sunday, and rightfully so.
Seeing the ball slip through the uprights set off a wild celebration inside AT&T Stadium as the Cowboys avoided a 0-2 start against the Super Bowl runner-ups.
"It was mayhem,'' Maher said.
Cooper Rush, starting in place of Dak Prescott, played the part of backup-turned-hero to perfection, leading a final drive the resulted in Maher’s moment.
But what about the reason the Cowboys were in position to mount that final push?
The Dallas defense, on the field for most of the second half and sucking wind as Cincinnati rallied, made the most critical stop of the game. And Trevon Diggs made the stop that defined the stop.
Facing a third-and-3 on their own 15-yard line, the Bengals went to a type of play that worked so often in mounting their second-half charge. A simple Joe Burrow throw on the flat, with a receiver in open space netted necessary yardage again and again as Cincy kept drives alive.
For a brief second, it appeared as though Burrow had done it again. He found Tyler Boyd in stride and a first down was just a tantalizing few steps away.
Enter Diggs.
BOOM.
The star cornerback, coming off an 11-pick season and not known as an especially vicious tackler, closed the gap and stuffed Boyd in his tracks for his fifth solo tackle of the game. No YAC. No first down. And no more yapping from the Bengals about his "bad technique.''
The Bengals were forced to punt with 69 seconds remaining. That proved just enough for Rush and friends to get Maher in position.
The defensive stand topped off an afternoon of mostly brilliance for Dallas defenders. The Bengals were held to three field goals through three quarters and Burrow was sacked six times, including two by all-world terror Micah Parsons, who, we can jokingly (we think) note is on pace for 34 sacks.
Realistic, Jerry Jones?
'Well, if Maris got 61 home runs. ... That’s old stuff right there,'' the Cowboys owner replied with a chuckle.
The Cowboys have only given up two touchdowns in two games. As much as Rush and Maher as basking in the glow of this victory, that defensive stinginess is key to the Cowboys being 1-1 going to the New York Giants next week.
One stop was all it took.
You can find Art Garcia on Twitter @ArtGarcia92.
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