Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb Excite NFL Fans in Bounce-Back Win vs. Daniel Jones, Giants

Paul KasabianFeatured Columnist IISeptember 27, 2024

Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images

The Dak Prescott-CeeDee Lamb connection and a stout defense that never allowed a touchdown propelled the Dallas Cowboys to a 20-15 road victory over the New York Giants on Thursday, putting the team’s record at 2-2 and stopping a two-game losing streak.

Prescott hit Lamb on a 55-yard touchdown pass with 9:16 remaining in the second quarter to give Dallas a 13-6 edge. Lamb beat cornerback Deonte Banks down the sideline and cut inside to evade safety Tyler Nubin for the score.

Dallas Cowboys @dallascowboys💿💿💿

📺: #DALvsNYG on Prime Video
📲: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/LvklCbYJ1e pic.twitter.com/jJqVToHwyH

Prescott completed 22-of-27 passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns (no interceptions).

Next Gen Stats @NextGenStatsDak Prescott was at his best in the quick game against the Giants, completing 13 of 14 passes under 2.5 seconds for 143 yards and 2 TDs.

Prescott’s +21.2% CPOE on quick passes is his highest mark in a game since Week 12, 2022 against the Giants (+36.5%).

Lamb caught seven passes for 98 yards.

With the win, Dallas fought back from a brutal two-game stretch which saw the team lose home matchups to the New Orleans Saints (44-19) and Baltimore Ravens (28-25).

During the Ravens game, Lamb “had what looked to be a sideline spat with” Prescott, per ESPN’s Todd Archer, en route to a quiet four-catch, 67-yard, zero-touchdown game. He also lost a fumble and dropped a pass.

Lamb apologized for his outing two days later and also said his attitude did not “help the situation or the outcome of the game.”

But Lamb turned it up Thursday. He did have a quiet second half (four receiving yards compared to 94 in the first half), continuing a season-long trend (15 second-half yards in four games). However, he authored the game’s biggest play, and that was good enough to get it done.

Meanwhile, a Cowboys defense that entered the week having allowed an NFL-high 557 rushing yards through three games shined on Thursday. The Giants ran for just 26 yards on 24 carries (1.1 yard per rush).

Big Blue did move the ball through the air, as quarterback Daniel Jones completed 29-of-40 passes for 281 yards. Superstar rookie Malik Nabers caught 12 passes for 115 yards, while Wan’Dale Robinson snatched 11 passes for 71 yards.

But the Giants never got in the end zone, finding themselves inside the Cowboys’ 15-yard line on just one drive. Kicker Greg Joseph ended five scoring drives with field goals.

And Dallas’ defense came up big in the final minutes, forcing a turnover-on-downs with 3:30 remaining up 20-15. The final play was an incomplete pass to Nabers well-covered by cornerback Trevon Diggs on 4th-and-6 from the Giants’ 45-yard line. Unfortunately, Nabers suffered a concussion on the play and left the game.

The Giants got the ball back on their own 41-yard line after a missed field goal but only had 28 seconds and no timeouts. Three plays later, a desperation Jones Hail Mary heave to Jalin Hyatt ended with an Amari Oruwariye interception.

This was a solid bounce-back win for Dallas against an NFC East rival on the road. However, it wasn’t all smiles. Micah Parsons was carted off the field with a lower leg injury in the fourth quarter, and DeMarcus Lawrence missed the end of the game as well, although it appears both will be OK. Jon Machota of The Athletic provided more details from inside the Dallas locker room.

Jon Machota @jonmachotaDeMarcus Lawrence (foot) says he’s in pain but he’s going to be fine. Micah Parsons (ankle) is limping around the locker room, definitely in pain. He told Dak: “I’ll be good.”

In the end, though, it was encouraging to see the Prescott-Lamb connection spark again.

Dresk47 @dresk47Daniel Jones is not a bad QB. Dak Prescott, however, is a damn good QB.

Good Luck Everybody. @MrSuperShinPoor little giants.

Dak Prescott runs New York.#DALvsNYG

bears fan @BallKnowerNFLDak Prescott is #good

Kevin Gray Jr. @KevinGraySportsDak Prescott making some really good tight window throws and then the screen pass to Rico Dowdle for the touchdown!

Cowboys up 7-3 on the Giants #DallasCowboys

Jack @JackDannKFdak prescott so good when you don’t have somebody in your ear reminding you how much they don’t like the Cowboys

Kyle Sloter @KyleSloterBig props to CeeDee Lamb for having strong enough character and self awareness to realize his attitude last week was an issue. Major respect for course correcting and having a great game. https://t.co/bq2H54yQ4i

Skip Bayless @RealSkipBaylessAgree with Dak: key tonight was getting the ball to CeeDee early and often. More he touches it, hotter he gets.

Deetrey @deetrey_Nice accurate game from Dak. No turnovers 💪🏾 Still no major weapons outside of CeeDee Lamb. Go get Amari Cooper back

Frank Hornig @FrankAHornigCowboys take care of business in NY.

Dak and the Cowboys defeat the Giants 20-15. Dak played a solid game and CeeDee did way better tonight. The defense was able to keep the Giants offense out of the endzone all night.

Giants kept it close, but field goals can’t win it. https://t.co/MU9yXQIki5

nick ✭ 2-2 ✭ @nickc0487CeeDee had a standout performance: 7 receptions, 98 yards, 1 TD. pic.twitter.com/IIFCIFqf26

Dallas will now visit the undefeated 3-0 Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday evening, Oct. 6 at 8:20 p.m. ET.