The Dallas Cowboys have officially found a rhythm under backup quarterback Cooper Rush, as they welcomed in the New York Giants for a Thanksgiving Day matchup and won a second consecutive contest, 27-20.

The Cowboys were led offensively by Rico Dowdle, who became the first 100-yard rusher for Dallas in 26 games dating back to 2023, as he ran for 109 yards and one touchdown. Defensively, linebacker DeMarvion Overshown tipped a pass to himself and ran it into the end zone to establish momentum in the first half for a sputtering Cowboys team out of the gates.

They would never lose that momentum as the day went on.

The Cowboys are finding their stride as the calendar turns to November. What has gone right and what needs to improve to make an improbable playoff run? Here are the takeaways from the Thanksgiving Day victory.

Is it too late? With a 5-7 record and five games remaining, the playoffs remain a distant possibility but there’s a glimmer of hope.

Zimmer has weaponized the defense

It took half the season because of injuries and inconsistent play, but the pass rush has officially come to life in a big way for defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer.

After combining for 12 sacks in seven games, the Cowboys have combined for 16 sacks in the four games since Micah Parsons has returned from his high ankle sprain. On Thursday, Dallas got home on Giants quarterback Drew Lock six times.

“It’s consistent work,” defensive end Carl Lawson said. “We’ve got a hell of a group...It leads to complementary football and stopping the run. We started locking in on that and it’s all come together.”

As we’ve seen in previous seasons, when the pass rush is humming, the Cowboys defense performs at its best. As a result, Dallas has forced eight takeaways in those four games after generating just six takeaways in the previous eight games.

Ride on Rico

Just a few weeks after Mike McCarthy officially stamped Rico Dowdle as the “lead back,” the fifth-year product of South Carolina generated his first career 100-yard game in a game that saw him break into the second level of the Giants defense on a handful of occasions.

“It feels great,” Dowdle said. “We were able to make it go and it paid off well for us. It definitely feels great getting that first one.”

Dowdle has often said that he gets better as a game goes on and as he brings in more carries, and he’s proving why in the back half of the season.

“I’ve been firm on that since the beginning,” he said. “I think it speaks for itself.”

For an offense that desperately needs a run game to sustain drives without starting quarterback Dak Prescott, having Dowdle run for over five yards a carry like he did on Thursday will continue to give this offense chances to score.

Dowdle finished with 112 rushing yards on 22 carries.

Turpin Time

It took almost three seasons, but wide receiver KaVontae Turpin has finally carved out a role in the Cowboys offense. Team sources have said that Turpin has had some difficulty adjusting to the NFL from a schematic standpoint, and it’s been a big reason why he’s only been used on a limited basis early in his career.

It looks as though he is starting to stamp his placement just a bit more, though. After scoring on a 64-yard slant against the Houston Texans, Turpin has seen more snaps come his way offensively. Ahead of Thursday’s contest, general manager and owner Jerry Jones echoed that confidence.

“I know we’re going to have Turpin in there a lot on the offensive side of the ball,” Jones said. That’s exactly what happened.

Turpin tied a career-high in receptions with four on his way to producing 53 yards for Cooper Rush.

Taken to School

Coming out of the team’s week seven bye, second-year tight end Luke Schoonmaker had completely worked himself out of the rotation at tight end. In the games against the San Francisco 49ers and the Atlanta Falcons, Schoonmaker combined for just two offensive snaps. It was a culmination of penalties and missed assignments along with an emergence in run blocking from rookie Brevyn Spann-Ford that worked him out.

However, with starting tight end Jake Ferguson down with a concussion, Schoonmaker has seen a big opportunity as the featured tight end, and he’s taken full advantage. After a game in Washington last week that saw him haul in three receptions for 55 yards and one touchdown, Schoonmaker secured five receptions for 33 yards on Thursday.

“Certainly sticking to the process,” Schoonmaker said postgame. “Just having the fun that I am is the emotional side. Being able to make the most out of my opportunities and have fun with it.”

Schoonmaker might not be the point-of-attack, physical run blocker that the Cowboys expected when they drafted him in the second round in 2023, but maybe that’s just not what he is. With an opportunity to shine in the receiving game, Schoonmaker has done just that. A big-bodied, sure-handed tight end like him is worth factoring him in even when Ferguson returns.

Cowboys aren’t great, Giants are worse

The sentiment from the Cowboys’ fanbase about how the 2024 season has gone is understandable. It has fallen well below the standard of three consecutive 12-5 seasons and has been a disaster from almost the very beginning. However, if there is any solace that the “Cowboys should tank the rest of the season” contingency can take away after Thursday’s win, they should look to the opposite sideline.

The Giants are going nowhere at quarterback, let the NFL’s leading rusher in Saquon Barkley walk for nothing over the offseason, and will most likely be making changes at leadership soon after starting 2-10. The Cowboys at least have pieces to build around. The Giants have a receiver, a running back and a defensive line that are worth keeping for the future. Everything else is well below average.

As a result, it’s going to take New York a few seasons to rebuild a disastrous roster. For the Cowboys, returning to being an NFC contender immediately in 2025 is very much on the table.

It could be worse, a lot worse.