New York Giants Week 3: First Look at Dallas Cowboys’ Offense

Let's get to know the Cowboys offensive side of the ball.

For the first time since 2016, the New York Football Giants are 2-0 to start a season.

In Week 2, the Giants welcomed the Carolina Panthers to MetLife Stadium for Big Blue’s home opener and narrowly defeated them in an offensive struggle, 19-16, to preserve the undefeated mark. It was a contest in which the offense had just 60 total yards of production by halftime, but in the final 30 minutes, the Giants notched a couple of big field goals and a touchdown and found a way to escape the familiar jaws of defeat.

With two close victories under their belt in the Brian Daboll era, the team will now face a bigger challenge in Week 3: a primetime matchup with the Dallas Cowboys (1-1) on Monday Night Football.

Leaving the podium Sunday night, a common message among Daboll and his players was the need to find more ways to win a football game. The team addressed the need to produce better offensive drives and capitalize when they reach the red zone, something they failed twice against Carolina after the defense forced early turnovers on the opposition.

“You can win a game in various ways,” said Daboll. “You can also lose it. Again, the object of the game is to have one more point at the end and give yourself a chance in the fourth quarter. Right now, where we’re at, we’re a young team that’s still developing.”

The declaration was quite obvious from the game, but that’s because the Giants know they are facing a different beast with the Cowboys' offense. In 2021, the Cowboys rolled through the league with the No. 1 offense in both points and total yards, led by quarterback Dak Prescott who posted 410 completions for nearly 4,500 yards and 37 touchdowns.

It wasn’t just Prescott who led Dallas to an 11-5 campaign and NFC East divisional title. The Cowboys also had a top-five passing attack that ranked second in yards and third in touchdowns and helped the team finish top-10 in red zone conversation percentage.

Returning to headline the receivers group is CeeDee Lamb, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound player, and the Cowboys’ 2020 first-round pick. With his size and athleticism, Lamb has quickly become Dallas’ top receiving threat and can wreak havoc all over the field if he gets the right mismatches.

The Cowboys’ backfield hasn’t changed much since the two teams last met in Week 15 last year. Ezekiel Elliot leads the running backs in his seventh NFL rodeo and is looking to cross 1,000 rushing yards for the fourth time in the last five seasons. Tony Pollard, a four-year pro, follows him up and serves as the Cowboys’ versatile back in the pass-catching game.

Since the kickoff of the 2022 season, things have seemed to cool off a bit as the Cowboys split their first two games, falling to the Buccaneers in Week 1 and sneaking by the Bengals at home last Sunday. In those two games, Dallas was limited to 23 points (ranked 31st), logged 581 yards of total offense (ranked 26th), and was held out of the end zone all but on two drives.

The Cowboys have been without starting quarterback Dak Prescott, who injured his hand in the Week 1 opener and needed surgery. He was initially projected to miss 6-8 weeks, but word out of Frisco is that he could be back sooner.

That means Dallas will have to roll with backup quarterback Cooper Rush for the second straight week, a fifth-year gunslinger out of Central Michigan who has only appeared in nine games throughout his professional career.

Add all that to other notable departures and injuries within the Cowboys’ offense, and the favored Giants enter Monday night with a strong chance to continue their surprising start that has caught national attention.

The Cowboys have shown they will not roll over without Prescott at the helm, so it will take a much cleaner and consistent effort from both sides of the roster if the Giants want to come away with their third victory in as many weeks.

Let's dive into the Cowboys offense and the names to be aware of.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Cooper Rush (10) turns for play-action play in the third quarter of an NFL Week 2 game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The Dallas Cowboys won, 20-17 :: Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

Quarterback

A few seasons removed from the devastating ankle injury suffered against the Giants in Week 5 of the 2020 season, Dak Prescott will again be unavailable as his team travels to East Rutherford to square off with their division rival.

With Prescott out for at least another week or two, the Cowboys will have to run their offense through backup quarterback Cooper Rush when they take the field on Monday night.

Spending the entirety of his career in Dallas save for a stint on the Giants practice squad in 2020, Rush has been a staple within the Cowboys’ quarterback room but has been relegated to the backup with little chance for meaningful playing time.

Dating back to 2017, the undrafted Rush has only appeared in nine games for the Cowboys, and 2021 was the only season he saw more than two games of action.

Over that span, Rush has scratched together 57 completions for 723 passing yards, four touchdowns, and one interception. He also has accumulated minimal rushing stats, holding 12 carries for a whopping seven yards, with his longest rush going for 15 yards.

The Giants defense will likely prepare to unleash the full wrath of their blitz-heavy system against Rush, especially with his inclination to succumb to pressure in the backfield.

More often than not, Rush lacks the visual speed and athleticism of other quarterbacks in the league to pick up blitzes and escape the pocket, leading to opposing defenses blowing up the interior and the quarterback lying flat on his back.

The Cowboys’ offensive line failed to pick up a blitzing Devin White down the middle on a fourth-down play during the fourth quarter of the Buccaneers game. The Tampa Bay linebacker had a direct route to Rush, who went down like a crumbling tower to kill Dallas’s last-ditch chance at offense in what was already a decided contest.

Luckily for Rush, the Cowboys have boasted one of most solid offensive lines in football over the last few seasons. If they protect well, it will allow Rush to display the serviceable aspects of his repertoire.

Based on his film, the most notable of those is his accurate arm. Against the Bengals in Week 2, in which he totaled 19 completions for 235 yards and a touchdown for a 20-17 win, Rush took advantage of improved protection and put on an offensive clinic with the pinpoint accuracy of his throws.

He thrives at spreading the football all over the field, placing it cleanly in the chest of his intended target to limit the potential for turnovers on contested plays.

Rush can also dish the football at varying speeds based on the schemes of the Cowboys' offense. This was best exemplified Sunday when the Cowboys ran the quick screen game or flat routes out of the backfield. Taking the snap, Rush flips his hips, darts the ball laterally to his receiver or short to the open back in the flat, and allows them to make plays along the outside.

He also isn’t afraid to use any pocket space he has to move towards and sling the ball deep downfield, especially when Rush knows he can place some faith in the contested catching abilities of his receivers like CeeDee Lamb and Noah Brown.

If given the time and confidence, Rush has enough skills and weapons in his arsenal to keep the Cowboys competitive on the offensive side of the ball. He showed this against the defending AFC Champions in his first start since October 2021. If the Giants' defense were wise, they would take notice of this before they become an unsuspecting victim.

Sep 18, 2022; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard (20) runs with the ball against the Cincinnati Bengals during the first quarter at AT&T Stadium / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Running Backs

Entering his seventh NFL season, lead running back Ezekiel Elliot has been a consistent focal point for the Giants in their biannual games against the Cowboys.

Drafted fourth overall in 2016 out of Ohio State, Elliot has been one of the league’s most versatile and durable starting ball carriers. A three-time Pro Bowler and two-time NFL rushing yards leader, he has powered the Cowboys' offense on the ground with 1,675 carries for 7,491 yards and 56 touchdowns.

His impressive resume also includes four 1,000+ yard seasons, all of which saw Elliot average at least 4.2 yards per rushing attempt. Elliot has appeared in 10 games against the Giants and rarely runs into trouble pounding the football against their defense. Elliott has logged 827 yards and nine touchdowns, averaging 82.7 yards and 4.3 yards per carry against the Giants.

New York has also allowed the Cowboys’ lead running back to surpass 25 carries and 100 yards rushing in four of those games, which he accomplished in back-to-back meetings in 2016 and 2017.

Like many experts labeled him, Elliot is a “complete” three-down back with a rare combination of size and athleticism, which he also partners with abilities to catch and block in the passing game.

Whether in early downs or short yardage situations, the Cowboys love to feature their 226-pound back in 12-man personnel lineups, handing him the football and letting him push up the middle for medium chunks of yardage.

Using his own body or those of his front blockers, Elliot can either roll over defenders or drag them with him en route to a big first down or score in the endzone.

If the defense offers nothing up the middle, Elliot can fall back on his sturdy footwork and expanded vision to help him bounce outside and find the open grass down the sidelines. Once that green pasture is found beyond the hash marks, Elliot possesses a 4.4 40-speed that is sometimes enough to outrace even the fastest defensive backs towards the end zone.

Whenever Dallas decides to incorporate him in passing plays, Elliot earns reception opportunities running bubble or wheel concepts out of the backfield when the outside corner comes crashing in on the quarterback. Make a mistake near the goalline, and the Giants will find a wide-open Elliot galloping his way through the flat to an easy touchdown.

With all these assets at his disposal, the Cowboys will certainly look toward Elliot to provide higher production levels in the wake of Prescott’s injury. If he can’t do it alone, Dallas also has Tony Pollard to bring into the mix.

Pollard, a fourth-round pick in 2019 out of Memphis, is the Cowboys preferred pass-catching back. Since joining the team, Pollard has compiled 88 receptions for 705 yards (8.0 yards average) and two touchdowns, with his best seasonal output coming last fall when he secured 39 catches for 337 yards.

On medium to long yardage downs, the Cowboys like to send their second-string running back on bubble routes towards the sideline, where he can make an uncontested catch and quickly turn up field for comparable amounts of yardage.

It’s not unusual to see Pollard participate in jet sweeps and other motions in pre-snap activity either, before exiting out to the flat or coming back inside for completion up the middle.

Yet, don’t discount his ability to contribute to Dallas’ rushing efforts, as the 25-year-old has seen his overall carries and rushing yards increase significantly over the past three seasons. In 2021, he posted career highs with 130 carries for 719 yards and an average of 5.5 yards per carry.

Pollard also earned reps in the special teams unit, returning kickoffs where he took back 17 kicks for 489 yards and a touchdown last season.

Sep 18, 2022; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (88) completes a catch as Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Eli Apple (20) defends in the fourth quarter of an NFL Week 2 game at AT&T Stadium / Kareem Elgazzar-The Cincinnati Enquirer

Wide Receivers

With Amari Cooper traded away in the offseason, the Cowboys wide receivers arsenal is composed of three important players—CeeDee Lamb, Michael Gallup, and Noah Brown.

Lamb is the team’s No. 1 receiver, and his 2020 numbers back that up. In 16 games (13 starts), the Cowboys' 17th-overall pick in that year’s draft led all Dallas receivers with 79 receptions for 1102 yards (13.9 average) and six touchdowns. The only players who scored more touchdowns than Lamb were Cooper and tight end Dalton Schultz, with eight scores each.

Lamb’s biggest asset is his athleticism and playmaking ability in the deep field. The Cowboys love to deploy him on the outside, whether in two receiver packages or alone in the 12-man personnel, sending him vertically or on a deep post where the quarterback can loft a pass near the top of Lamb’s helmet and trust him to come down with a big-time catch.

Outside of his hands, Lamb also brings sneaky elusiveness and highlight-reel speed with his feet.

Watching his film from 2021, there was one instance in the season opener where the Cowboys faked a screen on the outside with Lamb, tricking the corner into biting down on the play before Lamb twitched his hips and jolted up the sideline for a fade pass along the sideline into the endzone.

The Giants must remain disciplined against Lamb to prevent him from burning their last line of defense for huge plays towards the end zone.

While Lamb is the deep man, Gallup is the Cowboys’ short route receiver. In his four seasons with the team, Gallup caught 193 receptions for 2,902 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 138 first downs. Last year, he notched 35 receptions for 445 yards and two touchdowns to finish fourth-best among his fellow pass catchers.

Gallup's biggest impact on the Cowboys’ offense is through quick, short to medium yardage routes either inside or away from the middle of the field. In 2021, Prescott connected with Gallup on sharp slants or dig routes from the outside and flood or short corner concepts from the slot position.

Gallup’s most valuable asset is his gifted awareness of where he is along the sidelines. No matter if he’s making a catch to secure a first down or scampering along the edge towards the end zone, Gallup has great peripheral vision that helps him lock in the football for the catch and transition to his feet to ensure he gets both inbounds for a successful play.

Brown rounds out the major players in the wide receivers department for Dallas, and he figures to be used in many of the same ways as his Lamb and Gallup. He is looking to create increased production this season after being hushed by the additional presence of Cooper with just 16 receptions for 184 yards.

Dallas Cowboys tight end Dalton Schultz (86) is tackled by Cincinnati Bengals safety Vonn Bell (24) and Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt (57) after completing a catch in the first quarter of an NFL Week 2 game, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas :: Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

Tight Ends

After deploying a handful of tight ends in their offense last season, including Blake Jarwin and Dalton Schultz, the Cowboys appear to be returning with Schultz as their main additional pass catcher and blocker this season.

The bad news is Schultz might not be available for Dallas on Monday night, as he is dealing with a PCL strain in his right knee that the team has said isn’t “long-term.” Schultz, at least as of early this week, was believed to be questionable for Monday night's game.

If the starting right end can play in the primetime affair, there’s no doubt his absence will make a sizable impact on the Cowboys’ offensive production. Over the past five seasons in Dallas, Schultz has appeared in 62 games for the organization, totaling 163 catches for 1,625 yards and 12 touchdowns.

The 2018 fourth-round pick out of Stanford is coming off his career-best season in 2021, notching 78 receptions for 808 yards and eight touchdowns in twelve games. His overall efforts leave him tied for fifth-best among active Cowboys scoring leaders Tony Pollard (12).

The best thing about Schultz, outside of his reliable hands, is that he can do it at different places on the field. One of his common placements is at the front line, where he flashes off the defender, heading for the middle of the short field or peeling back into the outer portion of the pocket to catch the screen ball. From there, the tight end will follow his pulling blockers in Biadasz. Martin and Steele up the sideline for dangerous chunks of yardage.

Schulz also tends to line up in the slot where the Cowboys can open up his diverse route tree and showcase him on corner and deep post routes. Dallas likes to get him running towards the numbers or the sticks; that way, he can serve as that big-body receiver who can complete contested catches along the edge for critical first downs.

There are other combinations outside of that, but if the Giants can slow down Schultz’s impact on the offense (assuming he plays, that is), it will take away a valuable weapon from the offense and force Rush to zone in on Lamb.

If Schultz is out, expect the Cowboys to feature a combination of second-year player Ian Bunting and the rookie Jake Ferguson. Both tight ends have yet to record any production on the field this season, so it remains to be seen what threats they pose to the Giants' defense.

Sep 25, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) scrambles in the second quarter as center Zach Martin (70) blocks against Chicago Bears defense Akiem Hicks (96) in the second quarter at AT&T Stadium / Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Offensive Line

Regardless of the talent, they’ve had at skill positions over the last several seasons, the success of the Cowboys offense wouldn’t have existed without the strength of their offensive line.

Going back to the 2016 season, the Cowboys have wielded one of the NFL’s elite offensive line groupings, the backbone of which has been a duo of All-Pro blockers in Tyron Smith and Zach Martin.

With those two leading the charge in 2021, the Cowboys' offensive line rebounded from an injury-ridden campaign in 2020 to post Top-5 markings in nearly every blocking metric, including yards before contact (3.3) and sack rate (5.5%).

However, the 2022 offseason brought significant change to Dallas’ front line, and with it lingering questions over whether the prized unit will remain a stronghold in the season ahead. The team allowed both former center Connor Williams and right tackle La’El Collins to depart in free agency.

During Training camp, the Cowboys also realized that Tyron Smith, their 31-year-old left tackle who gave up only 11 pressures on 460 pass-blocking snaps last season, landed on IR with an avulsion fracture.

As the Cowboys approach their third week of the regular season, they are looking to rebuild their offensive line with a new group composed partially of three young, developmental prospects.

At the left tail end of the offensive line, the Cowboys are rolling with rookie Tyler Smith from the University of Tulsa. Not to be confused with the older Smith, the 21-year-old first-round pick earned the spot after leading the FBS in big-time blocks last year and serving as one of the most powerful run blockers in all college football.

Speaking of his youngest "big man," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones described Smith as a hunter with an absolute joy for hitting. The tackle isn’t afraid to use his strength, intellect, and football aggressiveness to push things to the second level, knocking pesky defenders out of the way.

Originally, the plan was for Smith to take his talents into the left guard position to replace Williams. After beating out Connor McGovern for the position and Dallas losing Tyron Smith until at least December, it was decided that the Cowboys’ No. 24 pick would assume the neighboring role, which will be critical in protecting the edge for Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliot in the backfield.

With Smith at left tackle, McGovern will keep his spot at left guard. A third-round selection by the team back in 2019, McGovern has risen the ranks after being an apprentice to Martin and Williams in the 2020 season, the former he replaced at right guard that year when injuries began to mount for Dallas.

Last fall, McGovern was used in an unusual role, switching over to left guard while seeing a handful of snaps at fullback under offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. With three seasons and 1,113 career snaps, the Cowboys are ready for McGovern to become one of their full-time contributors and a mentor to the rookie standing to his left.

Tyler Biadasz, a Wisconsin alum and former fourth-round pick by the Cowboys, makes his 20th consecutive start at center dating back to last season. The 6-foot-4, 316-pound lineman broke onto the NFL scene as a backup for former center Joe Looney in 2020, whom he replaced in four of 12 games after Looney went down with an injury.

Biadasz has played in a total of 30 games for Dallas, long enough to develop familiarity with the offensive system and his quarterback under center. The only concern is his consistency, as Biadasz has struggled to keep his key blocking metric high year-over-year, posting a 65.1 PFF overall blocking grade in 2021.

On Monday night, the headliner of the entire Cowboys front line will be Zach Martin, who fills in his usual role at the right guard position. A five-time All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowler, Martin is regarded as the best lineman on the Cowboys offensive front. He is largely responsible for creating the running lanes for Ezekiel Elliot on the right side.

Martin has been very durable in his career, only missing a hefty number of games in 2020 when ailments ravaged the Cowboys’ offensive lineman. After that spell, he returned to help the Cowboys play in both the right guard and right tackle positions and was active for 16 games in 2021.

Lining up to the right of Martin is the tackle Terrence Steele. A former 2020 undrafted free agent out of Texas Tech, Steele has grown tremendously from the rookie the Cowboys threw into the fire for 14 starts last season.

Despite losing a more experienced Collins in the offseason, the Cowboys have expressed their confidence in playing Steele at the starting right tackle position. Concerns were abound over the player’s strength and conditioning, notably his ability to prevent power-rushing defenders from crashing down from the outside and collapsing the pocket.

Yet, Steele spent a majority of the offseason working on these things, and the hope is the young Cowboy will lock up the right side, an area of the field that will be challenged if the Giants' defense has one or both of Kayvon Thibodeaux or Azeez Ojulari for Week 3.

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