Dallas Cowboys trio of receivers showed up in win over Falcons
The Dallas Cowboys needed — and received — some big performances on Sunday in an exciting come-from-behind victory over the Atlanta Falcons. Dak Prescott was perhaps the biggest. Throwing for 450 yards and accounting for four total touchdowns — all in the second half — was a huge factor in why the Cowboys were able […]
The Dallas Cowboys needed — and received — some big performances on Sunday in an exciting come-from-behind victory over the Atlanta Falcons.
Dak Prescott was perhaps the biggest. Throwing for 450 yards and accounting for four total touchdowns — all in the second half — was a huge factor in why the Cowboys were able to grab an unthinkable win.
As good as Prescott was on Sunday afternoon in AT&T Stadium, he did not do it all alone. The defense stepped up in the second half, and the receivers made some plays in the passing game. Despite putting the ball on the turf early, Ezekiel Elliott largely played well, too.
The trio at wide receiver stepped up in a big way for the Dallas Cowboys.
We have been excited about the potential about the trio of Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, and CeeDee Lamb all offseason long. Cooper is a bonafide top-10 receiver in the National Football, while Gallup oozed tons of potential during his second season in the league in 2019. Lamb, meanwhile, was a household name and a superstar on the college level as he torched defenses each and every fall Saturday.
Having three options like that for Dak Prescott to throw to and attack defenses with is almost unfair. We saw that play out in a big way for the Cowboys during the second half of the Falcons game. Atlanta had no answers for the Big Three at receiver.
Lamb led the way with six catches for 106, including a big 37-yard gain that helped set up the comeback and huge grab on the final drive to get the Cowboys into field goal range for the win. Cooper added six catches for 100 yards, which included a huge 58-yard gain in which the Alabama product hauled in a deep ball from Prescott with one hand.
Gallup only had two grabs on the day, but he perhaps the biggest of them all. In a critical situation with just over two minutes left in the game, Prescott looked the second-year wideout's way and Gallup came through.
As you can see, each of the talented three wideouts for the Dallas Cowboys showed up in a big way during Sunday's comeback victory. Tight end Dalton Shultz, who is filling in for Blake Jarwin, had himself a nice day as well: nine grabs, 88 yards, and a touchdown reception.
Prescott was feeling it on Sunday, especially after halftime. Rookie receiver Lamb said following the game that he was fully confident in Prescott leading the Cowboys to a big win.
“Dak is the man for the job,” Lamb said, “and right before the last drive I said, “Dak, we’re all behind you, so we got you.” I think that kind of gave him a little boost. That’s kind of where we (are), everybody needs someone to talk to. I wanted to be that person for him. I didn’t want him to feel like he was stressing pressure. Go out there and play the game that he knows how to play, and got us a win.”
Prescott himself had some encouraging things to say about the first-year playmaker out of Oklahoma:
“I’ve talked about it in training camp, and I’ll continue to talk about how much I believe in him,” he said. “He’s a player that works hard, shows up, does the right things and wants to make those plays. He wants the ball thrown to him in those critical situations. It was crazy. I was upset that I missed him. I just tried to be too pretty when I threw it to him on the goal line, but I just told him, ‘We’ll get it.’ After that big drive, we came back to him and he went and made a huge play with a big run after catch. That just shows the character he has and him just staying at it.”
Wide receiver Amari Cooper added that he was proud of Lamb when the rookie went over the 100-yard mark during the game:
“I was like, ‘Look at it,’” Cooper said. “It was a prideful moment for me, and I’m sure it was a prideful moment for him.”
The Dallas Cowboys feature one of the elite wide receiver trios in all of the National Football League. Each of the three stepped in big and different ways on Sunday, and the Atlanta Falcons had no answer for the Cowboys passing attack.
Dak Prescott was key in getting the win, but he has to be happy that he gets to toss the rock to three exceptional pass catchers. We will see if this momentum carries over to week three against the Seahawks, who have struggled to defend the pass thus far during this season.
Featured image via Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
