One day later, it's still hard to digest what actually occurred Sunday against the Giants in a game in which the Cowboys both won and lost. They won the game, but lost their franchise quarterback in Dak Prescott, who was taken to the hospital for a fractured and dislocated ankle injury that required immediate surgery that night.
We'll soon find out what his injury will mean to the Cowboys, but at least for that game, Andy Dalton was able to carry the lead to a dramatic win.
Let's take one more look back at this game, with the key players, moments, milestones and stats from this game.
The story of the game had little to do with the final outcome. But despite the heartbreaking injury to Dak Prescott, the Cowboys managed to rally and secure the win. Let's look back and how things unfolded.
Player of the Game:
From start to finish, CeeDee Lamb was a beast for the Cowboys' passing game. He was Dak's favorite target early on, and finished the game with a career-high eight catches for 124 yards, including a clutch over-the-middle reception before halftime that led to a go-ahead touchdown. Lamb also caught Andy Dalton's first pass of the day, resulting in a first down that also led to a third-quarter score.
Nemesis:
The Giants were led by receiver Darius Slayton, who led all players with 129 receiving yards on eight catches and he would've had an even bigger day had a third-quarter touchdown not been negated by an offensive pass interference penalty on a teammate. Slayton also had a 39-yard reception earlier in the game and was the biggest problem for the Cowboys' secondary all game.
Unsung Hero:
It's got to be Andy Dalton. The backup quarterback was thrown into action late in the third quarter when Dak went down and he immediately showed why he was brought to the team this offseason. Dalton completed 9 of 11 passes for 111 yards (108.7 QB rating) and he led the offense down the field in a minute to set up Greg Zuerlein's game-winning field goal.
Turning Point:
The Cowboys once again fell behind in the first quarter – this time it was 17-3 – before the offense staged a run-oriented touchdown drive to close the game. But the tide turned on the next series when DeMarcus Lawrence came screaming off the edge to sack Daniel Jones and force a fumble, that bounced right to Anthony Brown for a game-tying touchdown.
Need More From ...
The interior of the Cowboys' defense has been an issue for a couple of weeks now. After yielding over 300 rushing yards to Cleveland last week, the Cowboys' defense again gave up too many runs in the middle of the field. The Cowboys had trouble getting off the field on third down, allowing the Giants to cover 7 of 13 attempts. Whether they were getting pushed around in the run game or failing to create pressure up the middle, the defensive tackles were not as effective. And the position took a bigger hit Sunday when Trysten Hill was carted off with a knee injury that is believed to be a a torn ACL.
Don't Forget ...
While Amari Cooper had just two catches for 25 yards, his 15-yard catch in the final minute of the game might've been the biggest play. The Cowboys were back on their own with 48 seconds to play. If the Cowboys don't complete that pass, it opens up third-and-long and the Giants still possessed a timeout. Kicker Graham Gano had already made three field goals over 50 yards so New York could've gotten the ball near midfield with enough time to win the game. So the catch by Cooper opened up some breathing room and put the Cowboys in position to be aggressive and go win the game.
Remember Me?
One of the biggest storylines of the game was the return of Jason Garrett, the former head coach of nine seasons for Dallas. Garrett actually spent 13 years with the team as a coach, and eight more as a player (1992-99). Garrett is the Giants' offensive coordinator and he was able to lead his team to its most productive game of the season so far. And as fate would have it, Garrett was standing close to Dak when he suffered the injury. He made his way onto the field and shared a moment with current coach Mike McCarthy as they tried to offer support for the injured quarterback.
So, That Happened:
Before his injury, Dak Prescott became just the second quarterback in franchise history to catch a touchdown pass. He hauled in a reverse pass from wide receiver Cedrick Wilson in the second quarter. Dak joined Danny White as the only quarterbacks to catch a TD while Wilson was just the fifth receiver in franchise history to throw one, and the first since Dez Bryant in 2016.
Milestone:
CeeDee Lamb became just the second player in NFL history to begin a career with five straight gams of at least five catches. He ties the mark set by Terry Glenn, who began his career with the Patriots before eventually playing five years in Dallas.
Stat of the Game:
The Giants jumped out to a 14-3 lead at the end of the first quarter, which was only surprising because of their 0-4 record and struggles on offense. But against the Cowboys, teams have done this all year. After Sunday's game, the Cowboys have now been outscored 57-26 in the first quarter of the first five games this year.
