It wasn’t impressive. But Cowboys get back on track, focus remains on ‘trusting the process’

It’s early in the season, but a week four divisional matchup for the Dallas Cowboys on the road against the New York Giants loomed incredibly large after how the season started.

Coming off back-to-back demoralizing home losses that saw the offense fail to sustain momentum and the defense give up 232 rushing yards per game, tensions grew high in the Cowboys’ locker room as the team leaders worked to identify what went so wrong, so fast.

Just four days later, they responded with a 20-15 victory at MetLife Stadium that saw both sides of the ball maintain a lead throughout the night and close it out in the fourth quarter. While it wasn’t the prettiest of wins – the running game still failed to generate production and the defense played a game of musical chairs at the cornerback position – the win itself is enough to inspire confidence in a team that desperately needed it.

“It’s really big,” cornerback Trevon Diggs said. “I feel like we’re starting to get things rolling. We need to clean up a lot of penalties, but I feel like everyone’s mind is in the right place. We’re heading in the right direction and we’ll be alright.”

Offensively, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb shot out of the gates with a 55-yard touchdown grab down the left sideline in the first half after a week of self-reflecting that had the team’s highest-paid receiver looking in the mirror to correct emotions that were displayed in the team’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.

“It’s more joy in here,” wide receiver CeeDee Lamb said while pointing around the locker room. “You lose two in a row, you start going through a phase where everybody is kind of uptight. You’re ready to play again and get it over with. It’s good for us to come out 1-0 this week. It’s the one we needed.”

Defensively, the Cowboys allowed 557 rushing yards in their first three games, the highest the NFL has seen since 1963. Against the Giants, the unit responded by allowing just 26 yards on the ground – the fewest allowed by any team in the NFL in a game this season.

“The biggest message to the defense was that we gotta get right,” defensive tackle Mazi Smith said. “It’s not a scheme thing at all. We just have to get out there and play as a cohesive defensive unit, and we went out there and did that.”

Already missing a starting cornerback, the defense battled injuries throughout the night, as defensive end Micah Parsons (ankle), defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence (foot), cornerback Trevon Diggs (dehydration), linebacker DeMarvion Overshown (undisclosed) and linebacker Marist Liufau (lower leg) all sustained injuries. Parsons and Lawrence were the only players that did not return.

“It was a banger today,” Diggs said. “A lot of guys got banged up, but it just shows the fight and resilience that we have in this team. Being out there for one another, going out there play-after-play and just having that dog in us.”

A rare missed field goal from Brandon Aubrey in the game’s final minute gave the Giants one final opportunity to win the game, but two straight incompletions and an interception to practice squad elevation Amani Oruwariye sealed the Cowboys’ 13th consecutive win over their divisional foes when quarterback Dak Prescott is playing.

“It was huge,” Prescott said. “Especially after losing two at home, coming on the road in a division game. Division wins are always tough. At the end of the day, even after those losses the past two weeks, it’s a process. We’re not going to get complacent or over-excited about what we’ve done tonight. We’re going to continue building.”

Prescott has always been big on living in the moment. While this moment can certainly pave the way for better future moments, there’s more room to grow for the Cowboys who now sit at 2-2 through four weeks.

“We’re trusting the process, no matter the results,” Prescott said.