EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The Cowboys needed this badly.
It didn’t matter that it was the New York Jets, a team that made history Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium.
The Cowboys had their own problems to fix: offensive line, pass rush, pass coverage and, maybe, overall confidence.
A sleepy Sunday afternoon turned into a Cowboys 37-22 victory over the Jets. The Cowboys are now 2-2-1, and in case you were wondering, that is a .500 record.
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The Jets fell to 0-5, the first time in franchise history they have started like this under a new head coach.
It was ugly early, but a Javonte Williams 66-yard burst led to a TD reception and cost us the possibility of a 70-yard field goal try at the end of the first half.
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It didn’t matter, as the Cowboys started their two-game road swing before the difficult part of the schedule begins with a victory.
Here are five thoughts on the win:
Ryan Flournoy podium game
Wide receiver Ryan Flournoy, the Cowboys’ 2024 sixth-round pick by way of Central Missouri State, by way of Iowa Western CC, by way of Southeast Missouri State, picked up the first 100-yard game of his career. He finished with six catches for 114 yards. It’s the first 100-yard-plus game since, well, college when he caught nine passes for 112 yards and one touchdown for Southeast Missouri State in a game against UT Martin on Nov. 11, 2023.
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He probably won’t forget what occurred Sunday as the Cowboys went to him with tight coverage on George Pickens and no KaVontae Turpin (foot) on the field to help because of injury. One of his biggest catches was a 46-yarder along the Cowboys’ sideline that showed you he could play a little bit. He also gained 10 yards on an end-around. Flournoy got lost in the shuffle as the Cowboys mixed and matched their fourth and fifth receiver spots. On Sept. 13, Flournoy was signed from the practice squad to the active roster just before the second game of the season.
AdvertisementSacks, sacks and more sacks
The Cowboys entered this game with just four sacks on the season. They finished with a season-high five sacks on Sunday. James Houston led the way with a sack and a half to push his total to a team-leading 3.5 on the season. It wasn’t so much the Cowboys blitzing six defenders, it was the overall pressure against the Jets’ offensive line. Houston got one of his sacks looping around a few blockers. Sam Williams, who picked up his first sack of the season in the third quarter, just went through a single blocker to bring down Justin Fields. For a defense that’s been beaten up by the fans and media, it was a positive step to record numerous pressures on Fields, a quarterback who can escape pressure but not so much Sunday. And while we’re talking about the defense, we saw a takeaway. Linebacker Marist Liufau forced a fumble when he punched out the ball from running back Breece Hall on a carry late in the first half. The Cowboys have forced three takeaways this season, a strip sack (Houston), interception (Donovan Wilson) and the Liufau forced fumble.
Lineup changes
The Cowboys were missing four starting offensive linemen because of injury.
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Nate Thomas (left tackle for Tyler Guyton), Hakeem Adeniji (left guard for Tyler Smith), Brock Hoffman (center for Cooper Beebe) and T.J. Bass (right guard for Tyler Booker) were moved into the starting lineup. It’s the second consecutive week Bass and Hoffman started, while Adeniji (Garland native) and Thomas moved into the starting lineup for the first time. For Adeniji, it was his first start since the last game of the 2022 season, when he played for Cincinnati.
Also, Kaiir Elam sat as the Cowboys went with DaRon Bland and Trevon Diggs as the starters on the outside. It’s just the fourth time in their careers that Bland and Diggs have shared the field together as the starting outside corners. The pair have started the game together six times overall, but Bland was in the slot and Diggs played outside with another corner.
Second-half road scoring
The Cowboys scored their first points in the second half on the road this season when George Pickens caught a 43-yard touchdown reception from Dak Prescott. Pickens was in a little hand battle with corner Sauce Gardner as they ran down the field, but no matter. Pickens caught the ball as he slid in the end zone. The Cowboys hadn’t scored in the second half of a road game since Dec. 15 at Carolina, where they picked up 20 points. The Cowboys hadn’t scored in the second half of their previous three road games.
AdvertisementJavonte Williams continues to produce
Cowboys starting running back Javonte Williams will get his revenge game next week when he takes on the Carolina Panthers.
On Sunday, he produced a strong game heading into that one. Williams rushed for 135 yards on 16 carries with a touchdown. He also added a receiving touchdown.
In the first half, Williams gained 108 rushing yards. The last time a Cowboys player did that was 2014, when DeMarco Murray gained 115 at Tennessee.
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Overall, the Cowboys rushed for 180 yards. The Cowboys as a unit have rushed for over 100 yards in every game this season. The last time the Cowboys rushed for over 100 yards in the first five weeks was 2016.
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