Prescott's NFC East Domination Continues in Cowboys 37-18 Win Over the Giants
If one thing has been clear in the Dak Prescott era in Dallas, it is that the Dallas Cowboys own the NFC East. Despite a tough start to Monday night, however, that trend continued, with the Cowboys dominating on both sides of the ball to the tune of a 37-18 in New York, and moving to 5-3 on the season.
Prescott's night started with an interception on the first play from scrimmage for either team. The Cowboys defense was able to hold New York to a field-goal attempt, however, in what would become a trend throughout the night.
From there, the MVP candidate went 22-of-34 for 257 yards and three touchdowns, with a quarterback rating of a 101.7. His performance was also complemented by what was arguably Ezekiel Elliott's best game of the season to this point, too, with Elliott carrying the ball 23 times for 139 yards, and averaging six yards per carry.
Though it was a relatively quiet night for the pass catchers overall, it was also one highlighted by big plays, with Amari Cooper, and Blake Jarwin both catching touchdowns of over 40 yards, and Michael Gallup making an acrobatic 18-yard romp into the end zone for the third.
Said Dak: “The brotherhood is second to none. I've never been on a team like this. The care for one another to succeed on the field and off the field, it's impressive. When you have a team like that and you face adversity, it's water down a duck's back."
Defensively, the D inside of the 20s for Dallas was the key to everything, with the Giants only scoring one touchdown out of five trips to the Cowboys red zone. Critical in nearly all of those red-zone stops for Dallas was the play of both Jaylon Smith and Sean Lee, who each finished the game with 12 tackles apiece.
Both players played key roles in slowing down Saquon Barkley as well, with the superstar running back carrying the ball 14 times for just 28 yards in the contest. Barkley did break loose for a 65-yard reception in the second half, but his other five catches went for just two yards combined.
In the pass rush, Dallas continued Its progress and made things very difficult for rookie QB Daniel Jones, sacking him five times, hitting him 11 times, and forcing him into one of his two fumbles.
Jourdan Lewis would then go on to put an exclamation point on the evening for the Dallas defense, returning Jones' second fumble 76 yards for a touchdown with just six seconds to go in the game.
The win, which gives the Cowboys their 17th win in 22 tries against an NFC East opponent with Prescott under center, not only helps keep the Cowboys ahead of the Philadelphia Eagles in the division, but gives the Cowboys a much-needed boost heading into a difficult upcoming schedule.
That gauntlet, which begins with the Minnesota Vikings next Sunday, also includes matchups against the Detroit Lions, the New England Patriots, and the Buffalo Bills.
Dak and “The Brotherhood” feel good about the challenge.
“Like coach (Jason Garrett) said (in the Cowboys post-wiin speech),” Gallup told SI.com, “This team’s got a lot of fight and grit. And we showed it.’
