FRISCO, Texas – Do not ever – ever – minimize a win in this NFL.
A win is a win. No matter who you beat. Why, you think the Giants are thinking, Aww shucks, how lucky were we to beat the Texans in overtime. Heck no. The NFC East-leading Giants are celebrating making that first possession overtime stop on the road in Houston, and then on their first two offensive plays, a Cam Skattebo 42-yard run and Devin Singletary 32-yard touchdown run for the victory moved them to 4-2-1 just like that to send them frolicking ontotheir flight back home.
Nor should the Cowboys have minimized their 38-21 victory over the now 2-5 Eagles Sunday at The Linc. They understood what they did, going on the road to beat the two-time defending NFC East champs at their place in front of those people. No apologizes necessary, didn't matter who they faced, they needed to end that two-game slide to get to 3-4, letting the Giants know, hey, we're still lurking here.
Yeah, get it, the Eagles were without quarterback Jalen Hurts. No wide receiver DeVonta Smith. Offensive line being reconstructed.
But you know what, when the Cowboys were beaten in Rio by the Ravens, 34-31, on that walk-off field goal, bet no one mourned over the Cowboys playing without All-Pro guard Tyler Smith, losing starting safety Jalen Thompson in the second quarter and still without the likes of DeMarvion Overshown, Malik Hooker, Cobie Durant and P.J. Locke. That's life in the big leagues.
And one of the main reasons the Cowboys did leave Philadelphia, with all their exuberant fans having to put their pregame sky-high middle fingers back in their pockets, was 38. That's right, the Cowboys scored 38 points against what still was being considered one of the top defenses in the NFL, that including their defensive front with the likes of defensive tackles Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis.
Well, high five the Cowboys' offensive line, especially the middle threesome of guards Tyler Smith and Tyler Booker, along with center Cooper Beebe. Carter and Davis combined for six tackles on the Cowboys' 65 snaps, 38 of those runs. And other than the combined tackles,those two loads in the middle zeroed out on all else, no sacks, no QB hits, no TFLs.
Again, none of that had to do with missing Hurts and Smith.
No apologies necessary.
• Lamb Of Goodness: This stat on CeeDee Lamb thanks to our TV producer Cody Eastwood. Now easy to see CeeDee ranks third in NFL receptions with 53, six behind leader and Arizona tight end Trey McBride, by the way, the Cowboys having to face him on Sunday. Lamb ranks second in the NFL with 651 yards receiving, trailing just Seattle's Jaxon Smith-Njigba (867). But here is Cody's second level stat: CeeDee is third in the NFL with 22 third down targets; third with 15 third down receptions; and tied for second in the NFL with 12 of those third down receptions converting first downs. Pretty stout, eh.
• More Than "Zero": Maybe Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown made an impression finally on Eagles quarterback Tanner McKee, starting just his fourth NFL game in his third season against the Cowboys on Sunday. Why, it was DeMo, in his first game back after suffering the severe hamstring strain in the opener, picking off McKee to nearly nail shut the Cowboys' win midway through the fourth quarter, leaving the inexperienced McKee saying this after the game: "Obviously, I wish I had the interception back. Great play by I think it was No. 0 that made that play." Hey Tanner, that should be Mr. 0 to you, also known as DeMarvion Overshown, OK.
• In All My Years: Never once have I ever heard the head referee say what I thought I heard, but figured no way heard that, in a football game when at a high school football game this past Friday night between local schools, Lewisville and Flower Mound. Evidently the officials closest to a play couldn't come to an agreement on a Flower Mound fumble that Lewisville returned for a touchdown. Instead of the head referee settling the dispute he, on his stadium mike, says this: "Repeat third down." Do what? You kidding me? Come on, make a decision. If it were me the Lewisville head coach, would have had to carry me off the field before the "replay" was snapped.
• Health Willing: Maybe someday this team will regain health. At least last Wednesday, having returned to practice Overshown, Durant and Locke. Now out on the resistance cords, which is a step in the right direction, were Dee Winters, Jalen Thompson, Jonathan Bullard and KaVontae Turpin working with some on-field rehab. That had head coach Brian Schottenheimer saying on Tuesday, "That's what we're excited about," meaning getting his guys back on the field. And since this is a short week, what with the Monday night game and Sunday's home game against the Cardinals starting at noon, the Cowboys had a glorified jog through practice.
• A few Treats: More Lamb-blasting, his 53 catches in the first seven games of the season tying Amari Cooper (2020) for most receptions in the first seven games in franchise history … Oh, and one more Lamb stat just to bring up some names of the past: His 10th career game with multiple touchdown receptions, the two against the Eagles on Monday night, is the third most in franchise history, passing the likes of Michael Irvin, Tony Hill and Franke Clarke, leaving him behind just Dez Bryant and Bob Hayes' career record of 15 … This is just the Cowboys' eighth game of the season, but already have played five road games (Rio counts):three prime-time night games on the road and one in South America, making for four mid-morning returns, counting this past Monday. At least they play on normal weeks for the next four games before the short Thanksgiving Day week against Philly, followed by the Dec. 7 Monday Night game at Seattle, meaning another early morning arrival before that long-awaited bye.
So for this week's last word, we turn to Cowboys second-year linebacker Shemar JamesSr., that is since after the birth of his son that Sunday evening following the Cowboys' road game in Houston when he was flown back to Dallas on Air Jerry in time to witness the birth and name, with his wife, his son Shemar James Jr. The 22-year-old linebacker has not only been thrust into a starting role in the middle of the defense but has also been given the responsibility of wearing the Green Dot.
And what most have forgotten, last year as a 21-year-old with only three years of college experience at Florida, James finished second on the team with 84 tackles, just two behind leader Kenneth Murray (86). So his elevation did not come out of nowhere, now having played 78.7 percent and 87.9 percent of the defensive snaps that past two games, ever since Winters went down in the Green Bay game.
"It meant a lot. It showed that they trusted me ultimately," James said of the Cowboys coaching staff leaning on him. "My only concern was to go out there and make sure I played to the best of my ability. People, it's about what have you done for me lately. I just have to go out there and play my game and make sure this defense is the best that it can be.
"Last year, it was kind of like my first game or two, I was just running around out there going on straight ability, just relying on my athletic ability. Now it's kind of like the game has slowed down. You become a student of the game in the offseason, and like (defensive coordinator Christian Parker) talks about, getting your master's in defense, and I felt like I did that. And it's not only helped me, but helped the other guys in turn."
Maybe just the spark this defense needs.
