Victory Monday is sweet, and it's even sweeter when the victory is a blowout versus a divisional opponent.
The Dallas Cowboys extended their home winning streak to an NFL best 12 games, and Dak Prescott notched his 12th straight win versus the New York Giants.
The last time Prescott started a game against the Giants that didn't end in a victory was his rookie season of 2016.
That season, the Giants swept the Cowboys in both games by four total points.
Since then, a Cowboys team quarterbacked by Prescott has rattled off 12 straight wins with an average margin of victory of nearly 17 points.
If that's not one player's ownership of another team, I don't know what is.
Dallas defeated New York 49-17, with most of the starters only playing three quarters before being relegated to the bench.
The Cowboys led by as many as 35 points, and several players contributed in big ways.
Let's talk about those standout stars now.
Dak Prescott
We have to start off this list with QB Dak Prescott.
Prescott had one of the best games of his career, and his most impressive performance since the Wildcard game at Tampa Bay.
He finished 26/35 (74.2%) for 404 yards and four passing touchdowns.
Throw in an 11 yard touchdown run, and Dak finished the game with five total touchdowns, an NFL season high 97.2 QBR, and a 138.3 QB rating.
Prescott was decisive when in the pocket, and lethal when throwing from outside of it while picking key moments to scramble.
He did throw an interception reminiscent of the type of interceptions he would throw last season when Cordale Flott stepped in front of a pass over the middle of the field.
However, after that interception, Dak would go on to throw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns, showing that despite the interception, he will remain aggressive.
If Prescott continues to play like this, the Cowboys will be tough for any team to beat.
Brandin Cooks
One of the many benefactors of Dak Prescott's stellar game was a name we have been waiting to see get on track.
Brandin Cooks had his best game as a member of the Cowboys, and nearly had the best game of his career.
Coming into the game, Cooks had 17 receptions for 165 yards.
In the Giants game alone, he had nine receptions for 173 yards and a touchdown.
Cooks' personal best for receiving yards in a single game is 186 yards, a feat he reached in a game as a member of the New Orleans Saints back in 2016.
Head coach and play caller Mike McCarthy finally got Cooks involved in the offense after he did not eclipse four receptions or 50 yards in a single game this season.
It was clear from the start that the Cowboys were going to focus on getting Cooks on track.
The very first play was a slant pattern to him that Prescott locked in and pumped the ball until Cooks sprung open.
Cooks made numerous big play catches of 25, 34, 37, and 32 yards to get to his season high day.
Utilizing him properly in the offense consistently will take the Cowboys offense to another level like they showed on Sunday.
CeeDee Lamb
Cooks might have been a benefactor of Prescott's stellar play versus the Giants, but CeeDee Lamb has benefited from that for the past four games.
Lamb brought in 11 catches for 151 yards and two touchdowns (one rushing, one receiving) in three quarters of play.
That performance put him in company all his own, setting the NFL record for consecutive games with 10+ catches and 150+ receiving yards.
Lamb caught big plays of 30, 30, 17, and 28 yards to continue his scorching level of play.
It must be bittersweet for Stephen Jones to watch Lamb dominate defensive backs on a weekly basis because with each milestone, his price for his new contract is shooting up.
DaRon Bland
Shifting over to the defensive side, we cannot ignore what DaRon Bland did versus the Giants, and also what he has done since he was drafted last year.
Bland tied for the team lead in tackles (4), had a great pass break up, and notched his team leading fifth interception on a deep throw by Giants QB Tommy DeVito.
With that interception, Bland pushes himself into second place on the NFL leaderboard this season, and stands alone in having the most interceptions (10) since the start of the 2022 season.
We can only imagine what this defense would look like with Trevon Diggs, DaRon Bland, and Stephon Gilmore in midseason form.
