Cooper Rush started his second game of the season and delivered once again, completing 21 of 31 passes for 215 yards and a crucial touchdown pass to CeeDee Lamb to put the Cowboys ahead of the Giants midway through the fourth quarter.
Rush has handled the monumental responsibilities of a Cowboys starting quarterback with grace in two games, demonstrating that he is capable of handling the reins while Dak Prescott recovers.
His performance helped the Cowboys outgain the Giants by more than a yard per play, and his series of completions on the aforementioned touchdown drive – including a bullet to Lamb to convert a fourth-and-4 – propelled the Cowboys to an early-season victory.
We’ll leave the illogical quarterback controversy debate for Twitter users to kill time within the coming days, and in its place, Rush has certainly helped himself a lot with his performance in the last two games. As a result, Dallas is 2-1.
The Giants’ offensive line continues to struggle. The statistics don’t show it, but Daniel Jones performed admirably (save for his final attempt, which ended in the hands of Trevon Diggs). Jones looked like the quarterback Giants fans have been hoping for in recent years. He was poised, and even if some of his attempts were a little too slow, he let it rip all night.
Unfortunately, neither his receivers nor those tasked with protecting him did him any favors on the other end of his passes. This defeat is the fault of the offensive line, which allowed QB pressures on 40.5% of Jones’ dropbacks on Monday night. Jones was under duress for much of the game, was sacked five times, and still managed to keep the Giants in the game. He simply never had enough time to settle in, which points to New York’s current state. Rookie tackle Evan Neal, the defensive coordinator’s preferred target, will not want to watch this tape, but it will be a valuable teaching tool for the first-round pick.
Saquon has returned? Through three weeks (+112), Saquon Barkley is the only running back to surpass expectations among running backs, trailing only Lamar Jackson across all positions. On Monday night, Barkley gained 27 of that RYOE total, including +31 on his 36-yard touchdown run. For Giants supporters, that play was a long time coming. They had to wait years for Barkley to get back to the form that led to his selection as the second overall pick in 2018. Barkley is showing the burst, quickness, change of direction, and top speed that once made him popular throughout the NFL. He also appears to be healthy and poised of making a weekly difference for this Giants offense. Of course, coming during a contract year, the timing is ideal.
The Giants will surely benefit from his services in every game if he can stay healthy throughout the entire season.
Dallas’s rushing assault is also present. Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott deserve a tip of the 10-gallon hat for their combined 28 carries for 178 yards and one touchdown. They created a ground attack that controlled the game and enabled Dallas’ offence to move the ball steadily all night long. Their efforts properly sheltered Rush. Penalties hindered their offensive goals, but Elliott came through in a couple of crucial short-yardage situations on a drive that culminated in an Elliott touchdown that tied the game at one yard.