The score 37-18 suggests the Dallas Cowboys absolutely dominated the New York Giants in Week 9, but anyone who watched the game knows that simply wasn’t the case. Sloppy play all around on the Cowboys part made for an ugly game, although they did do enough to secure the victory and in so doing swept the Giants for what I believe to be the third year in a row.
I can’t say I was to happy with the way the Dallas Cowboys played Monday night, especially after coming off their bye week. I was hoping for a much more prepared and disciplined team than what we’ve seen up until this point this season, but they once again continued to shoot themselves in the foot from the get-go. It’s becoming a theme for them.
The Cowboys were fortunate to win this road game against the Giant. It could easily slipped through their grasp. But enough of that talk, let’s get to this week’s edition of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. As always, feel free to take advantage of the comment section to share any of your own thoughts and opinions on this topic.
The Good
Overall there wasn’t a whole lot of positive things to say about the Dallas Cowboys performance against the New York Giants on Monday night. They played sloppy pretty much from the beginning to end and nearly let this game slip through their grasp. Having said that though, there were a few individual performances that stood out. That’s why I want to give a shout out to DeMarcus Lawrence, Michael Bennett, Xavier Woods, and Ezekiel Elliott. I believe they were the good.
Ezekiel Elliott was pretty much the only bright spot for the Cowboys offense last night. He put the team on his back and averaged nearly 7 yards to carry. On the defensive side of the ball DeMarcus Lawrence and Michael Bennett were all over the place. They were equally effective against the run or rushing the passer and were a big part of why RB Saquon Barkley was pretty much held in check. As far as Xavier Woods is concerned, he created not one, but two turnovers against the Giants. Hopefully the play of this foursome continues to shine the rest of the season.
The Bad
I feel like a song that’s stuck on repeat day after day, week after week, because the bad for the Dallas Cowboys continues to be all of the penalties and mental mistakes they make game after game. This week against the New York Giants was no exception. They continued to shoot themselves in the foot early and often. I don’t know about you, but I’m absolutely sick of seeing it. Unfortunately, I’m not sure this will ever change.
It all started maybe a second or two into the game when Tony Pollard penned the Cowboys deep in their own territory after fielding a short kickoff. Then the very next play Dak Prescott threw an interception, which allowed the Giants to get out to an early 3-0 lead. Throw in the holding call on Tyron Smith that negated a TD and a mental mistake by Chidobe Awuzie that resulted in a Giants TD, and Dallas did their best to giftwrap the game for New York.
The Ugly
I thought about singling out a single player here, but I think the ugly for the Dallas Cowboys in this Week 9 matchup with the New York Giants was the overall team play. Offense, defense, and special teams all made the Giants look better than what they are and I think that’s absolutely unacceptable after coming off a bye week. The entire team just looked undisciplined and unprepared.
Special teams allowed several big kickoff returns that put the Giants in favorable field position. Defensively the Cowboys were able to pretty much shut down RB Saquon Barkley with the exception of the long 65 yard screen pass, but still allowed New York’s offense to drive the field too easily. And offensively the only thing that really looked any good was Ezekiel Elliott in the running game. The passing game just looked out of sorts.
