Cowboys Country

4 winners & 3 losers in Cowboys nail-biting Week 4 victory over Giants

The Dallas Cowboys held on for the win in Week 4 with these players standing out as winners and losers.

Randy Gurzi

Sep 26, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (88) celebrates after a a touchdown against the Giants in the first half at MetLife Stadium.
Sep 26, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (88) celebrates after a a touchdown against the Giants in the first half at MetLife Stadium. / Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images
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In Week 4, the Dallas Cowboys went on the road to take on the New York Giants. They survived a hard-fought game that was closer than they would have liked it to be. The New York Giants gave them all they could handle but, in the end, they walked away with a 20-15 victory.

Now, they get a few extra days off before taking on the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football. They'll need the rest especially after several players were injured during this one.

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With Dallas ready to turn their attention to the Steelers, we look back at the game and identify four winners and three losers from Week 4.

Winner: Hunter Luepke, FB

Dallas Cowboys running back Hunter Luepke
Aug 26, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back Hunter Luepke (43) celebrates with Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Matt Waletzko (79) after scoring a touchdown. / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

An undrafted free agent from North Dakota State in 2023, Hunter Luepke has made the most of the chances he's received this season. He had 18 yards on two receptions in Week 1 and another 41 in Week 3 on two catches. He continued to rise to the occasion with three key first-down conversions.

The first was a third-and-three in the first quarter where he hauled in an 11-yarder despite tight coverage.

Luepke's number was called again early in the second quarter when Dallas was facing a fourth-and-one. He took the hand off from Prescott and ran to his left. He was hit but kept his balance long enough to get the first down, finishing with six yards on the play.

On the very next snap, CeeDee Lamb scored on a 55-yard touchdown — a play that doesn't happen without Luepke's efforts.

He then helped them drain the clock when he gained two yards on a third-and-one with 3:10 left to play. That allowed the Cowboys to run the clock down to 32 seconds before New York got the ball back.

Loser: Donovan Wilson, S

Donovan Wilson, Malik Nabers, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giant
Sep 26, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (1) is tackled by Dallas Cowboys safety Donovan Wilson (6) during the second quarter at MetLife Stadium. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Dallas was up 14-6 with just under six minutes to play in the first half and could have made a statement on defense. New York went for it on fourth-and-one and Daniel Jones handed the ball to Devin Singletary. Donovan Wilson read the play to perfection was in the backfield immediately and had Singletary in his sights. He then whiffed on the tackle.

Wilson let Singletary get past him and he wound up gaining three yards and gave his team a fresh set of downs.

Dallas held the Giants to a field goal, but there were 12 more plays after the miss from Wilson. The Cowboys also didn't get the ball with an eight-point lead and five minutes but instead, had a 14-9 advantage with 1:06 before the half.

Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown
Sep 26, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (1) on a short gain against Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown (13) during the first half at MetLife Stadium. / Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

Winner: DeMarvion Overshown, LB

New York started the second half with the ball and had an excellent drive. They went 77 yards on 11 plays but ended up three yards shy of a touchdown. Instead, they settled for another field goal and made it a 14-12 game when Greg Joseph connected on his fourth of the night.

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It could have been worse if not for DeMarvion Overshown who made an excellent open-field tackle on Wan'Dale Robinson. Daniel Jones dropped back on third-and-goal from the eight and hit Robinson for five yards before Overshown stopped him.

That wasn't the first time he did this either as Overshown also tackled Malik Nabers after a three-yard gain on third-and-nine to force a 41-yard field goal attempt in the second quarter. The Texas product was all over the field with eight tackles and a pass defense.

Loser: Brandin Cooks, WR

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Brandin Cooks
Sep 26, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Brandin Cooks (3) runs with the ball against New York Giants linebacker Bobby Okereke (58) during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Cooks had just four catches since Week 1, and eight total on the year. Against the Giants, he had a clutch 16-yard reception on third-and-three, which set up Rico Dowdle's touchdown catch in the first quarter.

After that play, Cooks went silent. He had just one catch on four targets, finishing behind Jalen Tolbert, who had 24 yards on three catches.

Winner: Rico Dowdle, RB

Dallas Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle
Sep 26, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle (23) celebrates his touchdown against the New York Giants during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Dallas' run game has been criticized often this year, and rightfully so. On Thursday, they weren't elite by any stretch of the imagination, but it was the best performance of the year from Rico Dowdle.

He led the team with 46 yards rushing on 11 attempts. He also had the first touchdown of the game, taking a screen pass 15 yards to the house.

That was the first touchdown of the season for Dowdle, who has a firm grip on the RB1 job.

Loser: Tyler Guyton, LT

Dallas Cowboys
Sep 26, 2024; East Rutherford, NJ, US; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) passes the ball at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Julian Guadalupe-NorthJersey.com / Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

This wasn't the best outing for rookie Tyler Guyton. The first-round pick from Oklahoma was flagged three times for holding. Two of those cost the team 10 yards but didn't wipe out big plays since the pass was incomplete. One of those, however, did cost the offense.

With Kayvon Thibodeaux flagged for being offside, Guyton ended up getting hit with a hold. It wasn't fair since the defender got the jump but even so, Guyton's penalty meant the fouls offset. It also took away a 26-yard reception by Jalen Tolbert, which would have been a first-and-10 at the New York 29. Instead, they ended up punting two plays later.

Winner: CeeDee Lamb, WR

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb
Sep 26, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (88) runs the ball for a touchdown against the Giants in the first half at MetLife Stadium. / Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

During the loss to Baltimore, CeeDee Lamb was under the spotlight for a poor outing and a worse display of professionalism. Lamb apologized for his behavior and promised to be part of the solution going forward. On Thursday, he proved those words weren't just lip service.

Lamb was fed the ball early and often and responded with his best game of the season. He had four receptions for 30 yards and another 10-yard rush on their first touchdown drive. On their second scoring drive, he caught one pass, but that was all he needed as he broke free for a 55-yard touchdown reception.

Lamb just missed 100 yards through the air, finishing with 98 yards on seven catches. He was the most consistent player on offense for Dallas, which gives them some hope moving forward.

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Randy Gurzi
RANDY GURZI

Arizona State grad

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