The Dallas Cowboys destroyed their division rival New York Giants during the late afternoon NFL window on Sunday with a lot of help from a guy who’s been around the league for a while – and on the Cowboys roster.
Until yesterday’s 49-17 thrashing of the Giants, WR Brandin Cooks, who got his start in the league catching a lot of passes from then-New Orleans Saints gunslinger and future Hall-of-Famer Drew Brees, was little more than an afterthought on the Boy’s bench.
That may change after Sunday.
“Jerry Jones sounded a bit off when he refused to order his front office to trade for a wide receiver at the deadline. It seemed so obvious how badly they needed one to take the pressure off CeeDee Lamb. He had to know his team would never be a true Super Bowl contender until they found another weapon,” Ralph Vacchiano writes at Fox Sports. “It turns out, they perhaps had one all along.”
No. 2 wideout Cooks managed a season-best nine catches for 173 yards and a touchdown in the beatdown of the Giants — more total yards in a single game than he had during the first seven games of the 2023 season (165).
“That guy deserves it more than anybody,” said Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. “He will have more of these games.”
Brandin Cooks on his touchdown reception:
“That’s just a trust throw right there. Dak trusting in me and me going up there and making the play for him.”#DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/3SnRKo87uZ
— Nick Harris (@NickHarrisDC) November 13, 2023
Vacchiano adds:
It would be great for the Cowboys if that was true, and if this explosion didn’t turn out to be nothing more than stat-padding from a blowout — the inevitable side effect of the Cowboys ripping off a stunning 640 total yards against the Giants. They need it to be a continuation of a trend they seemed to start one week earlier when they began to work tight end Jake Ferguson into the offense too.
Two weeks ago, they started to get it from Ferguson, targeting him 10 times as he caught seven passes for 91 yards and a touchdown in a 28-23 loss in Philadelphia. He had another four catches on Sunday (for 26 yards and a touchdown) and was targeted seven times.
When Cooks and even No. 3 WR Michael Gallup, who added a TD of his own on Sunday, are catching balls from Dak, it ain’t like Lamb is being left out: He still managed 11 catches for 151 and a TD against the Giants as well.
“I’m the top receiver in this game and it’s no question about it,” Lamb said after the game. “If there is, I’ll see you all again next week.”
Still, with Cooks back in the fold, the ‘Boys look to be a lot more formidable than they already were.
After the game, he said: “Don’t grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time you will reap a harvest if you don’t give up. It’s been a tough couple of years, but my faith, work ethic, and family…just continue to push me to keep going. This one is sweet for sure.”
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