The Cowboys played their most complete game of 2025; here's how they pulled off the big win.
For the first time year, the Dallas Cowboys were able to play a complete game. They blew out the New York Jets, 37-22 in their first of two trips to Met Life Stadium this season. The offense was excellent again, despite the absence of CeeDee Lamb, KaVontae Turpin, and 80% of their starting offensive line. Dak Prescott played like the highest-paid player in the NFL.
This time, though, the defense also delivered a quality performance as they covered well, pressured the quarterback for the first time this year, and created turnovers. A complete performance leaves a lot of takeaways to choose from, but these are the top options for the Cowboys.
The scripted play design was brilliant by Brian Schottenheimer
The Cowboys were missing six starters on offense, but Dallas made it look like business as usual all game. It started with how head coach Brian Schottenheimer designed their scripted plays. They set up screens for Hunter Luepke and Jake Ferguson to create big plays, and even targeted WR Ryan Flournoy to get him going early. Prescott and Schottenheimer started on fire, scoring a field goal and a touchdown in their first 20 plays.
The Cowboys were able to pressure Justin Fields
The most significant issue for the Cowboys so far this season has been their lack of a pass rush. The team hasn’t had great play at any level of the defense, but a lack of quick pressure on opposing quarterbacks has impacted the other areas the most.
The talent was assumed to be on the roster with multiple second-round selections and the signing of Dante Fowler Jr. They finally hit their stride, getting to Justin Fields for five sacks. James Houston and Kenny Clark added to their season totals while Sam Williams, Dante Fowler Jr., and Osa Odighizuwa notched their first sacks of the season.
Ryan Flournoy had a breakout game
Flournoy was given the first touch of the game, and while it was a successful play, it foreshadowed what was to come. He tied for the team lead in targets, second in receptions, and had 104 yards receiving in the first half. That is two more than he had his entire rookie season.
He added a run to jump-start the offense in the second half on a reverse. Flournoy was a yard after catch machine, averaging 8 per catch, breaking tackles and falling forward for extra yards consistently. This could be the performance that pushes his snaps ahead of other receiving options, such as Jalen Tolbert..
You can find Mike Crum on Twitter @cdpiglet or on YouTube at Across the Cowboys podcast
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: 3 takeaways from Cowboys victory over Jets include offense's secret
Category: Football
