Dallas Cowboys @ New York Jets
Final Score: Cowboys 37, Jets 22
Writer: Cesar Escajeda
This game was meant to be a struggle for Dallas on the road, missing four-fifths of its starting offensive lineman and lacking any production on defense. It quickly became anything but, as Dak Prescott and the Cowboys cruised to the win behind four passing TDs and sank the Jets to an 0-5 start.
Three Up
- Jake Ferguson — Watching him of late has been eerily reminiscent of the days when Jason Witten tore up the middle of the field for Dallas. He added seven catches for 49 yards and two scores against New York, reliably freeing himself up time and time again for the offense and adding to his stellar start to the year.
- Ryan Flournoy — I guarantee fantasy managers didn’t know his name entering Week 5, but the Jets’ secondary sure learned it quickly. He scorched them for six catches and 114 yards on the day, filling admirably in place of CeeDee Lamb and Kavontae Turpin, who both missed the Week 5 matchup. I can’t guarantee he’ll continue that production once everyone’s back and healthy, but he played well enough to put his name into the conversation for more playing time at minimum.
- Dak Prescott — You’d be hard-pressed to take anything away from the level of play Prescott has put out on the field over the past few weeks. He is the reason the Cowboys have even had a chance to win each game, and showcased it with the type of performance he put on the road here. Four passing TDs and no turnovers behind a backup O-line while lacking his WR1 — that’s a heck of a game right there.
Two Down
- Justin Fields — All week, the prediction had been that Fields would feast on the 32nd-ranked Cowboys defense but instead, it was famine until the game was well out of reach. Fantasy managers came out somewhat happy given that his final stat line was buoyed by garbage-time production (two TDs and two 2-point conversions), but it was a far cry from what it likely could have been. The talent is certainly there as an athlete, but Fields continues to struggle airing the ball out and that has contributed to the Jets’ poor start.
- Jets’ defense — Once a strength, this unit was far from it at home on Sunday afternoon. You typically expect the Jets to be bad from year to year, but the Aaron Glenn-led unit has entered historic territory, becoming the first team in NFL history to go 0-5 with zero takeaways.
Dallas Cowboys
Quarterback
Dak Prescott: 18/29, 237 Yards, 4 TDs | 7 Carries, 28 Yards
Dak Prescott dominated with yet another top performance.
Notes
- Picking up where he left off after he and the Cowboys dropped 40 points on Green Bay last week, Dak simply did not miss a beat. Twice he led the offense on scoring drives of 90-plus yards, and he was not afraid to launch it downfield — as evident by his 43-yard score (right on the money away from Jets corner Sauce Gardner) to George Pickens. He protected the ball, and more importantly, his makeshift line protected him, allowing only one sack the entire afternoon despite four starters out with injury. This offense with Dak at the helm is keeping the team afloat, though it was nice to see the defense contribute to a complete game on the road. Prescott has been great to start the year and should hopefully continue the pace regardless of who he’s matched up against.
Running Back
Javonte Williams: 16 Carries, 135 Yards, TD | 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 4 Yards, TD
Dallas hadn’t had a solid running game the past few seasons, but they certainly do now.
Notes
- Javonte Williams averaged an amazing 8.6 yards per carry against the Jets, ballooned by a monster 66-yard scamper that he nearly took to the house. His two TDs on the day (a 5-yard carry and a 4-yard catch the put the dagger into New York) helped drain the clock and cement the blowout status, and contributed greatly to the play-action aspects of this offense as the Jets had to respect Williams on the ground. With Miles Sanders out for this matchup, Williams took the lion’s share of touches and did not look back.
Jaydon Blue: 4 Carries, 7 Yards
The rookie got his first regular-season action against the Jets, but couldn’t do much with his opportunities. It may take some time before Blue can be a meaningful contributor with vets like Williams so entrenched ahead of him.
Hunter Luepke: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 10 Yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
George Pickens: 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 57 Yards, TD
George Pickens wasn’t as much of a factor as he was in last week’s offensive explosion, but he wasn’t an afterthought either. He was covered by Gardner for most of the afternoon, which likely contributed to the lower stat line, but his catch over him in the end zone in the third quarter was a thing of beauty. Some weeks may be like this, but Pickens has already matched his career high for TDs in a season — and we’re barely five games in.
Jake Ferguson: 9 Targets, 7 Receptions, 49 Yards, 2 TDs
A two-score effort for the talented TE.
Notes
- Tying for the team lead in targets, it was very evident just how much trust Jake Ferguson has from Prescott and the coaching staff. Dak looked his way early and often, and coach Brian Schottenheimer schemed a litany of plays for him — with his first score being a TE screen for 26 yards. With Lamb out, the talented young pass catcher has certainly picked up the slack down the middle of the field. Fantasy managers have been rewarded with his reliability as a result.
Ryan Flournoy: 9 Targets, 6 Receptions, 114 Yards | 2 Carries, 10 Yards
Ryan Flournoy seemingly came out of nowhere and was utilized everywhere — even getting the call to tote the ball on the ground. It was an explosive day for the former sixth-round pick, one that was a welcome sight given the number of injuries Dallas had entering the week in the WR corps. His long reception of 46 yards topped all pass catchers in this matchup.
Luke Schoonmaker: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 3 Yards
Jalen Tolbert: 1 Target
New York Jets
Quarterback
Justin Fields: 32/46, 283 Yards, 2 TDs, 2 Two-Point Conversions | 7 Carries, 26 Yards
Nicer numbers on paper than it was for most of the game.
Notes
- After marching the Jets’ offense 66 yards downfield to strike first and put three points on the board, Justin Fields and the offense failed to keep the momentum going. New York would punt on four of its next six possessions (the other two being a fumble and a turnover on downs) before finally mustering a field goal late in the third quarter. It was obviously way too little and way too late however, as Dallas had a comfortable 24-point lead by this point. It was then that Fields finally began to turn it on, using the last two Jets possessions to methodically move downfield and score 16 quick points. He was harassed to the tune of five sacks on the day, and could not push the ball downfield (averaging 6.2 yards per attempt, with his longest of the day only going for 25 yards) against a very suspect Cowboys secondary. The fantasy numbers look nice, but it’s a bit hollow for Jets fans currently looking for their first win.
Running Back
Breece Hall: 14 Carries, 113 Yards, FUM (Lost) | 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 42 Yards
Volume goes a long way at least.
Notes
- Behind Breece Hall, the Jets’ offense actually did pretty well on the ground. He managed a healthy 8.1 average rushing the ball, and with Braelon Allen out with an injury he garnered almost all of the volume without having to look over his shoulder. His involvement in the passing game was prevalent as well, finishing third on the team in targets. The one knock on him was his fumble. Hall received the carry just outside of the red zone, and he easily ripped off 10 yards before Cowboys LB Marist Liufau managed to punch the ball out from behind for the takeaway. The Jets were only down seven at this point in the game and were marching in for the score, so not only did this kill a promising drive but it was the turning point for Dallas to seize absolute control of the game going forward. To top it off Hall was hurt on the play, though he was able to re-enter the game in the second half.
Isaiah Davis: 1 Carry, 5 Yards | 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 28 Yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Garrett Wilson: 10 Targets, 6 Receptions, 71 Yards, TD
Garbage time made this a much better day for the former Ohio State Buckeye.
Notes
- Garrett Wilson finished second in targets from Fields, though it took until the final 2 minutes of the game to register his receiving TD. Once again, garbage time help to pad his numbers for fantasy purposes, but until Fields and the offense can figure out better consistency, it’ll be hard to predict his output on a weekly basis.
Mason Taylor: 12 Targets, 9 Receptions, 67 Yards, 2-Point Conversion
The rookie certainly produced.
Notes
- Mason Taylor of all players registered a team-high 12 targets and nine catches, becoming a consistent target for Fields all over the field. His talent really flashed on the screen, as evident by his six looks in the final two drives of the game. Taylor had struggled to consistently produce over the first four weeks of the season, so this may be a great sign of things to come.
Josh Reynolds: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 29 Yards, 2-Point Conversion
Jeremy Ruckert: 4 Targets, 4 Receptions, 28 Yards
Arian Smith: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 14 Yards
Allen Lazard: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 3 Yards
Andrew Beck: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 1 Yard, TD