Cowboys 37 Giants 34: 10 'Whitty' Observations - A Win And A Dak Loss
Dallas Cowboys 37, New York Giants 34, Sunday in Week 5 at AT&T Stadium marks a win ... and a loss Of Dak Prescott
10. Dak Prescott’s ankle injury - a compound fracture - was gruesome. So are the aftershocks. In the ugly business side of the NFL, Prescott’s decision to reject a long-term contract offer from the Cowboys is now a painful reality. He essentially gambled on himself, and was epically winning during a season in which he was on pace to have the most prodigious passing season in league history.
This can still work out fine, in terms of football and finance. And it's nice to see brother Tad Prescott tweeting good news from an Arlington hospital where Dak is undergoing ankle surgery.
But now … ouch.
9. If a bad Cowboys team winds up doing only thing right in 2020 it’s going to be CeeDee Lamb. The dude is fearless. Make catches. Absorbs hits. Turns bad throws into good results.
8. In August it was Luka Doncic’s left ankle. In October it’s Dak’s right ankle. This one looked worse. Feels worse.
7. Burned by a sneaky fake field goal. Twelve men on the field on a punt return. Fumbled snaps. Just a nauseating gaggle of Pop Warner gaffes by the Cowboys. No way around it: Regardless of the victory, this is not a well-coached or well-prepared team.
6. In a maddening homecoming in a stadium where he bored us to tears with his conservative play-calling, Giants’ offensive coordinator Jason Garrett dusted off plays he rarely … check that, called plays he NEVER ran in Dallas. Tight-end reverses? Flea-flicker passes? A tackle-eligible pass on a two-point conversion?
Garrett was like Olivia Newton-John in Grease, exacting revenge after being spurned for being too shy by showing up in tight leather pants, teeny tube top and daringly smoking a cigarette.
5. Before his injury, Dak was producing another highlight performance. Negating his first career Pick Six, he caught his first career pass and touchdown on a 11-yarder from receiver Cedric Wilson.
“Philly Special” meet “Dallas Dazzle”. All-time touchdown passes thrown by Cowboys’ No. 11s: Danny White. Wade Wilson. Drew Bledsoe. Cedric Wilson.
4. Defensive coordinator Mike Nolan tried moving from the booth to the bench. May I suggest Globe Life Field? Perhaps Canada?
Against a Giants’ offense that hadn’t scored a touchdown in two weeks, the Cowboys coughed up 27 defensive points. In their last four games, Dallas’ opponents have scored 39, 38, 49 and 34 points. The Giants had two touchdowns negated by penalties. Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good.
It helps when the Dallas D finally makes a play, I guess.
3. When they had to, a Cowboys’ offense featuring a rookie center making his first start, two undrafted tackles and a backup quarterback marched from their 12 to New York’s 16 to set up Greg Zuerlein’s game-winning field goal. But again, can Zuerlein not confidently drill one down the middle? Whew.
2. Michael Gallup might have slightly mistimed his jump on his game-clinching, 38-yard catch from a slightly under-thrown pass from Andy Dalton.
Might not have been perfect, but it was poetic.
Despite all their warts and their iffy immediate future without Dak, the Cowboys are 2-3. The Cowboys lead the NFC East.
1. Prescott’s injury is gonna be one of those remember-where-you-were moments. One of several disastrous scenes this year, courtesy of a 2020 that absolutely gives no f's about fairness. Golf’s Tony Finau suffered a similar-looking injury – dislocated ankle – at The Masters in 2019 and returned to play the next day. But Prescott, of course, plays a slightly more physical sport.
The image of the Cowboys’ quarterback being carted off with tears in his eyes was heartbreaking.
READ MORE: Dak Undergoes Successful Surgery, To Be Released From Hospital Monday
READ MORE: Cowboys' Jerry: 'We're All Heartbroken For Dak'
And it will stay that way for a long time.
