EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – What started out as a defensive battle, got a little offensive in the second half.
But it was the Cowboys scoring most of the points as they pulled out a 23-16 win at MetLife Stadium.
Here's a quick analysis from the Cowboys' staff writers after the game:
Nick Eatman: After completing bombing the first two predictions of the season, I feel much better about this "21-16 win" over the Giants with a Trevon Diggs interception. The 23-16 victory is close enough, but this was what we all really expected. The defense would ball out the entire game, and let the offense finally find a rhythm. That's what happened tonight for sure. Cooper Rush was pretty great all game long, it just took a while for his receivers and offensive line to settle down and give him help. I think this defense is so dang aggressive and it's going to keep the Cowboys in the game more often than that. This was just one of those examples. But a great, much-needed win.
Patrik Walker: Resiliency. It's a word the Cowboys coaching staff has made its mantra for the 2022 season, and it again showed itself in their gutsy victory in Week 3 over the New York Giants - on the road. Having now earned a two-game win streak to go to 2-1 on the season, they did so by overcoming potentially backbreaking errors (e.g., a dropped pass by CeeDee Lamb that would've ended in a touchdown) with game-changing redemption plays (e.g., an unbelievable one-handed grab in the end zone by Lamb to give the Cowboys a lead they didn't relinquish). Cooper Rush played some of his best football in going to 3-0 as an NFL starter, never being rattled by errors his WRs or TEs made, rallying them all back to one singular cause over the course of an impressive second half at MetLife Stadium. And then there was the defense, a unit that saw DeMarcus Lawrence enter Maniac Mode on Daniel Jones - punishing him with three sacks in the first half - and punctuated by a game-sealing interception by Trevon Diggs. Toss in a blocked field goal by Dorance Armstrong (who also had a sack) and the Cowboys won in all three phases, a testament to their ... resiliency.
Rob Phillips: I thought this would be a "first to 20" type of game because both teams have been playing so well defensively, and the Cowboys defense just continues to fly around. Five sacks. Twelve hits on Daniel Jones, who saw a career-high number of pressures. (I lost count, but it was over 20.) And Trevon Diggs was due for an interception. Offensively, penalties got in their way again — which is partly to be expected from a lot of young players playing heavy snaps — but that was a big-time answer in the second half. Cooper Rush again showed such a comfort level with the system he's played in since 2017 and benefited from a terrific effort in the run game, and we saw a glimpse of what Jason Peters can bring to the offensive line. A really good road win.
