Top 10: Zeke & D-Law Are Easy, But Who’s Next?
The Cowboys had plenty of game balls to pass around on Sunday, but there were three that stood out the most. Obviously, Zeke, D-Law and Maher stole the show, but what about the rest? Let's look at the Top 10 performances from Sunday's win over the Lions, voted on by the staff at DallasCowboys.com.
10. Allen Hurns – His stat line wasn't great and hasn't been all season. But Hurns is starting to look like definition of a "possession receiver." When the Cowboys needed a big first down, Hurns was there three times on Sunday, delivering clutch receptions to move the sticks.
9. Geoff Swaim – Not only did he record his first career touchdown, but Swaim had some nice plays in the passing game, including a 31-yard reception in the first half. Swaim also held up nicely in the blocking game.
8. Jaylon Smith – While it wasn't his first career start like Vander Esch, Smith had all eyes on him with Sean Lee being out and the Cowboys struggling so much without him. But Smith was active once again, rallying to the ball for six tackles. He also provided heavy pressure that led to a sack for Lawrence.
7. Tyrone Crawford – Just clogging up the middle – that's what Crawford and the D-line did well as a group Sunday. Crawford was flying around the ball and applying pressure to Matt Stafford. But after a 31-yard run by the Lions on the opening play of the game, Detroit couldn't find consistent running lanes and Crawford was a big reason for that.
6. Zack Martin – The bulk of the Cowboys' running game happened right in the middle of the line, where Martin continues to be an anchor for this unit. He wasn't the only one opening up holes, but he does with the most consistency.
5. Leighton Vander Esch – In his first career start, the rookie seemed to make more than the six tackles he was credited for. Vander Esch was really good in space, making some key tackles in the passing game to prevent big plays. In replace of Sean Lee, Vander Esch had some Lee-like moments with his instincts and ability to find the ball.
4. Dak Prescott – It wasn't a masterpiece by Dak, but clearly his best outing of the season. He got some help from the running game, but some of that was a product of early throws by Prescott. He had some of his best passes of the season, including a game-clinching toss to Zeke that set up the final field goal.
3. Brett Maher – Four field goals in four attempts is a good afternoon for any kicker. But when the last one wins the game, it's even a better day. Throw in the fact the Cowboys had released Dan Bailey to keep Maher, and there was added pressure on the new guy, until he made that first game-winning kick.
2. DeMarcus Lawrence – Hard to find a player with three sacks, three tackles for loss, eight total tackles and three quarterbacks hurries – and he's not the player of the game! That just shows you how great the No. 1 performance was. But let's not take anything away from D-Law, who was a one-man show in terms of pass rush. Not only were there three sacks, but at timely situations.
1. Ezekiel Elliott – Who else? One of the greatest individual performances in team history. Zeke was the first player in the NFL this year to accumulate 200 yards from scrimmage and he's the first player in franchise history to have at least 150 rushing yards and 75 yards receiving in the same game. He did all of that with a sore knee that had him limping around for most of the game, but it didn't stop him from making plays from the start to the finish.
