Cowboys torment Drew Lock, beat Giants for first home win of the season – Jason Owens, Yahoo! Sports
The Cowboys defense gave Giants’ QB Drew Lock a very hard time on Thursday.
The Cowboys sacked Lock six times. They forced one interception and a forced fumble. Lock finished the day completing 21 of 32 passes for 178 yards with no passing touchdowns and the pick-6.
On offense, the Cowboys controlled the game on the ground and got 112 yards and a touchdown from Dowdle. Rush completed 21 of 36 passes for 195 yards with a touchdown and no turnovers.
The win does little to improve the Cowboys’ long-shot hope of making the playoffs as they play the stretch run without injured starting quarterback Dak Prescott. But it was certainly better than the alternative, which would have been another embarrassing loss at home on Thanksgiving stage.
The Giants’ season goes from bad to worse with the loss. Lock is New York’s third quarterback to start this season after the benching and release of Daniel Jones. Tommy DeVito started last week in a blowout loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants: Thanksgiving Player of the Game – Ali Jawad, Sports Illustrated
Rico Dowdle finally broke the 100-yard rushing mark on Thanksgiving.
Before today’s Week 13 Thanksgiving matchup, the Dallas Cowboys had not had a 100-yard rusher since November 13, 2022 when running back Tony Pollard rushed for 115 yards against the Green Bay Packers.
All of that changed today thanks to running back Rico Dowdle, who earned today’s Thanksgiving Player of the Game after a 100-yard rushing performance that helped the Cowboys defeat the New York Giants 27-20.
The veteran running back had 22 carries for 112 yards, scoring his first touchdown of the season and averaging 5.1 yards per carry, helping Dallas improve to 3-0 all-time against the Giants on Thanksgiving.
DeMarvion Overshown explains emotional pick-six in Thanksgiving win over Giants – Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com
DeMarvion Overshown has been a shining star in an otherwise dim season and his pick-six on Thursday was a game-changing play that proved just that.
“I was just playing football and it’s like, man, I knew a play was coming and I’ve been told all week that play is coming,” Overshown explained. “I didn’t know when it was coming, but it was coming, and I was just playing football. I [saw] the ball, tipped it, and I was just praying the whole time that it stayed up. I was like, ‘Man, please let my speed, for once, be fast enough to get to this ball.
“Everywhere else is cool, but let me get to this ball. So the emotions? I’m just overjoyed right now. It’s a good win and I’m proud of our team.”
Simply put, Overshown is a force of nature.
“I told y’all from the beginning he was gonna be a dude,” said multi-time All-Pro linebacker Micah Parsons. “From his rookie year, before the injury, I said, ‘That will be an All-Pro, Pro Bowl type of player. I’m just happy that he’s finally showing it. I saw it from the beginning.”
And then, wearing a huge smile, Parsons gave Overshown another massive compliment.
“He reminds me of somebody,” he said of the young linebacker, hinting at the obvious. “Now, he ain’t No. 11 yet, but that’s Agent 0, and I think he has his own creative identity, and that’s what I like. He’s not trying to be like me. He’s his own special specimen. He’s gonna be felt on every play.
“He’s a wild cat out there on the field. I love playing next to him.”
5 takeaways from Cowboys-Giants: Dallas finally gets it cooking at AT&T for first home win – Calvin Watkins, Dallas Morning News
A few of the takeaways from the Cowboys win over the New York Giants.
Home in the third quarter
The Cowboys had won 16 consecutive home games before the losing streak, but some good things happened Thursday. Rico Dowdle scored his first rushing touchdown of the season, Brandin Cooks caught a receiving touchdown and the Cowboys outscored someone at home in the third quarter. Dallas won the third quarter for just the third time this season. The home crowd, quiet for the early stages of the game, erupted with boos when coach Mike McCarthy called for a run play on a third and long, but when country singer Jelly Roll took the stage at halftime the crow got loud and continued making noise for in the third quarter on some key plays. For a change, the Cowboys’ took care of business in the third quarter with a 14-0 scoring advantage.
Lamb’s drops and health
Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb had three drops and Giants receiver Malik Nabors had one. Lamb’s three drops were in the first half, and near the end of the first 30 minutes he was doing pushups on the sideline as punishment. Lamb had four dropped passes coming into the game and six in 2023. Lamb left the game briefly with a right shoulder issue. He entered the game with a sprained AC joint in his right shoulder and it appeared he took a hit to the shoulder late in the third quarter as he was getting blocked. Lamb said this is the most nicked-up he’s been during his career and it’s clear the shoulder is bothering him. Lamb was leading the NFL in catches despite the health issues. He finished with two catches for 39 yards on Thursday.
Using Turpin is working
KaVontae Turpin is the fastest man for the Cowboys. Some would say cornerback Josh Butler can match him. But Turpin needs to be used more on offense. On Thursday, Turpin caught four passes for 53 yards in the victory. The Cowboys even tried an end-around play with Turpin that gained 2 yards. But if the Cowboys want to show some versatility with their offense going forward, it would be nice to see more of Turpin.
Don’t forget these plays: Near fumble on goal line – Nick Eatman, DallasCowboys.com
These plays were crucial in securing the Cowboys victory over the Giants.
Dowdle erases second-and-long – Down 7-3 in the first quarter, the pressure was on for the Cowboys to match the Giants’ touchdown. After getting one first down, they were pushed back due to a personal foul on left tackle Chuma Edoga that put them at second-and-21. But on the next play, Rico Dowdle had his longest rush of the season with a 22-yarder for a first down. He followed that up with another 13-yard run. The Cowboys were able to get a field goal on the drive, but if they didn’t convert on second-and-long, the Giants would’ve had the chance to build on some early momentum.
Giants recover fumble on kickoff – So this play seemed to be one that would favor the Giants, but as it turned out, it proved to be a positive for the Cowboys in the long run. The Cowboys had to settle for a previous field goal and trailed 7-6, but they nearly got the break they needed on the ensuing kickoff, forcing a fumble after a long return. Instead, the Giants were able to get the ball back at their own 40-yard line. Also on the play, special teams standout Juanyeh Thomas suffered an injury and never returned.
Rush fumble overturned, leads to TD – The Cowboys nearly gave away an early second-half gift after forcing a turnover. Dallas was about to score inside the 5-yard line when Cooper Rush was hit and fumbled, which was recovered by the Giants in the end zone. But replay officials ruled Rush was barely down before fumbling. That put the ball at the Giants’ 2 on third down, setting up Rush’s TD pass to Brandin Cooks in the receiver’s first game back from injury.
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