CHICAGO — A sensational showing and clutch performance by Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys' offense against the New York Giants was nearly overshadowed entirely by the defensive struggles, though the latter made the big play when they had to have it for Matt Eberflus.
One week later, Eberflus was leading the same defense against his former team, the Chicago Bears, where he recently served as head coach, and against former first-overall pick Caleb Williams.
In a week-to-week league, it couldn't be predicted what Williams and the Bears as a whole might be capable of, especially being desperate to land their first win of the Ben Johnson era.
And win they did, but there were several Cowboys who tried their best to try and will the game in favor of Dallas.
[Note: This list is unranked.]
Dak Prescott, QB
Few can question the will and intestinal fortitude of Prescott. Despite his defense struggling mightily for a second consecutive week, he stayed steady in his offensive approach and helped the Cowboys climb out of a 14-3 hole to tie the ball game at 14 point a piece in the second quarter. Unfortunately for Dallas, the defense then allowed 10 points to finish the first half, but the All-Pro quarterback continued to play well despite the counterpunches landing on the other side of the ball — one of his two interceptions coming as he tried to make some sort of out-of-reach comeback.
George Pickens, WR
It's almost as if Pickens is really, really good at football, or something. Even without Lamb on the field, the Bears had no real answer for what Pickens can do — putting his route-running on full display as well as his hands, his one-handed touchdown catch in the second quarter coming after a key conversion and chunk play that saw him shake a couple defenders after a toss from Prescott to the left side. Without Lamb, Pickens gave Prescott a WR1-level target for the entirety of the fight in Chicago — the tipped ball leading to an INT being his lone error of the game with a 31-14 deficit in the fourth quarter.
Brandon Aubrey, K
When neither the offense nor the defense could find its way through the dark in Chicago, there was Aubrey being the lighthouse in the storm. His first two field goals made it a reasonable 14-6 game before Prescott and Co. found a groove that led to a Pickens' touchdown and a two-point conversion reeled in by Jalen Tolbert. As per usual, Aubrey was butter smooth for Dallas.
Jake Ferguson, TE
For the second week in a row, when Prescott needed a stabilizing force in the air, he called upon Ferguson, and the Pro Bowl tight end delivered time and again. Ferguson was a perfect 8-for-8 on targets and catches heading into halftime, and was the most productive receiver on the field through the first two quarters — with CeeDee Lamb on the sideline nursing an ankle injury.
Javonte Williams, RB
Make no mistake about it, Javonte Williams wants one play in particular back in this game, namely the lost fumble created by a strip takeaway on the Cowboys' first offensive drive of the contest. He acquitted himself extremely well thereafter though, building on the 26-yard gain on the aforementioned play and showing a ton of physicality that includes putting a would-be tackler through the Earth's crust on national television and keeping the ground game moving for yet another week.
Jalen Tolbert, WR
With Lamb sidelined for much of the game, the Cowboys inevitably looked at Tolbert as the WR2 opposite Pickens, and he didn't disappoint when it mattered most. A critical catch for a conversion on third down was followed up by the aforementioned two-point conversion being reeled in on a crisp in-route that rewarded Prescott for going through his progressions before finding him.
Kenny Clark + Osa Odighizuwa + Solomon Thomas
Their stat line won't jump out at you, but the trio was able to halt most rushing attempts up the middle and forced the Bears to run at the edges instead, where they had more success — per their job description. Odighizuwa even threw in a pass defense in the third quarter for good measure on what might've been an interception, and momentum-changing play, if the secondary could reel it in.
