Notes: Joseph Starts, Steele’s TD, Amari Delivers

Amari Delivers

The Cowboys' offense had been inconsistent on third down and in the red zone the last few games, and wide receiver Amari Cooper said earlier this week that he could be part of the solution with more receiving targets.

Turns out he was right.

Quarterback Dak Prescott got Cooper involved early and often in Sunday's blowout win over the Giants. Cooper had a game-high 11 targets, and he caught seven passes for 85 yards and a touchdown.

It was Cooper's third-highest catch and yardage total of the season, and he moved into the team lead for receiving touchdowns (seven).

-Rob Phillips (12/26)

Steele's TD

For the second straight game and fifth game this season, Terence Steele filled in for Tyron Smith (inactive; ankle injury) at left tackle Sunday, protecting quarterback Dak Prescott's blind side.

But it was Steele's pass-catching skills that got all the attention.

Late in the second quarter, the second-year tackle reported as an eligible receiver on the right side of the formation and found himself wide open in the end zone when Prescott faked a handoff to Ezekiel Elliott.

"When the play happened, that's every O-lineman's dream to catch a touchdown," Steele said. "I blocked and tried to get my head around as fast as possible and it was there and I caught it. Perfect ball from Dak."

Steele became the first Cowboys linemen to score a touchdown since Rayfield Wright in 1968.

-Rob Phillips (12/26)

Schultz Takes A Hit

Scary moment in the second quarter: Tight end Dalton Schultz was down on the turf for a couple minutes after taking a big hit from Washington safety Bobby McCain following a 14-yard catch over the middle.

Schultz was able to jog off on his own and returned to the game.

"I just got the wind knocked out of me," he said. "I don't know where he hit me, but it felt like he hit me right in the diaphragm."

McCain was flagged for unnecessary roughness, but Schultz said, "It was a good hit. … I thought it was pretty clean."

-Rob Phillips (12/26)

Turning Heads

The Cowboys had begun pulling starters late in the third quarter of Sunday's blowout win, but backup receiver Malik Turner kept the momentum rolling.

On the final play of the third, Turner took a short pass from backup quarterback Cooper Rush and made at least 10 defenders miss tackles on a 61-yard gain deep into Washington territory. Two plays later,

Rush found Turner in the end zone to push the lead to 49.

"Every opportunity I get, I'm going to do what I can do, what's asked of me," Turner said. "Whenever the opportunity comes again, I'll be ready for it."

-Rob Phillips (12/26)

Setting Up

The last-minute placement of Jourdan Lewis on the Reserve/COVID-19 list resulted in the first career start for rookie cornerback Kelvin Joseph meaning Cowboy fans got a look at who they may hope will at some point be a long term starter opposite Trevon Diggs.

Like Diggs, Joseph was drafted in the second round, but he came to the NFL with less experience than Diggs after a few tumultuous college seasons. Poorly timed injuries prevented Joseph from competing for the starting cornerback spot that Anthony Brown ultimately secured, but the rookie has been steadily contributing on special teams for weeks.

After the game, Joseph took a moment to thank all of his coaches for rewarding his patience by putting him in a position to contribute to the defense.

With Lewis, who typically plays in the slot, unavailable, the experienced Brown slid over to the slot to fill in for him, which opened up an outside cornerback position for Joseph.

The young defensive back was drafted for his playmaking abilities and he just barely missed out on an interception in the second half, but his coverage was impressive the entire game. Washington managed less than 200 yards passing.

"I feel like I lived up to the expectations and I have room for improvement," Joseph said.

Confidence never wavered for Joseph. He knew he would get his shot on defense, and he claims that once he was out there, it was just a matter of finding some momentum that he could feed off of.

"It's all about making plays and trusting your technique," Joseph said. "I trust the coaches. I trust everything they instill in me."

-Jonny Auping (12/26)