What a game!
The Cowboys somehow came away with a 40-37 overtime victory over the New York Giants on Sunday and even now, I have absolutely no idea how it came to be.
Dallas have now won 17 of the last 18 games against their divisional rivals from the Big Apple. While there has been the odd shootout in these games in recent years, Sunday’s clash was on another level.
First up, credit to the Giants.
Giants quarterback Russell Wilson rolled back the years and showed that if he has time to throw, he can still pick defenses apart in the NFL.
Russell Wilson was 7/9 for 264 yards and 3 TDs on throws over 20 yds today lmfao
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) September 14, 2025
Wide receivers Malik Nabers and Wan’Dale Robinson gave the Cowboys nightmares all afternoon as they burst free through the defensive zones repeatedly.
The Giants offensive line stood up the to the Cowboys pass rush depth and kept Wilson clean for most of the game leading to 450 explosive passing yards.
Now on to the Cowboys. first up let us talk about the main concern.
The defense had us fooled
There was a lot of optimism coming from the opening game loss against the Eagles, especially after a much-improved second-half performance from the defense.
The moment the Giants converted a 3rd-and-24 with a 50-yard deep pass, I knew this was going to be a tough day for the Cowboys’ defense.
Despite the Giants shooting themselves in the foot repeatedly with penalties from the offensive line, they were able to move the ball at will.
It seems as if the secondary is having problems with new Defensive Coordinator Matt Eberflus’ scheme.
It is extremely zone-heavy. In fact, the Cowboys have only played man coverage on two pass plays so far in two games.
For this to be effective, you need a ferocious pass rush as the zones only hold up for a brief period.
Sadly, Matt Eberflus no longer has one of the best pass rushers in the NFL at his disposal and it is a huge problem for this defense. While Micah Parsons is settling into his new home in Green Bay, opposing quarterbacks are settling into the pocket to carve up the Cowboys secondary for fun.
Jadeveon Clowney has been signed to help support the pass rush. Clowney has had some success as a gun for hire in recent seasons. We will see if he can do the business in Dallas.
Now for the positives.
George Pickens
Wide receiver Pickens’ stat lines so far this season have not stood out yet, but his contribution has been incredibly valuable.
Pickens has been brought in to be the deep threat, contested catch weapon the Cowboys have been lacking for a number of years.
So far, Pickens has complemented CeeDee Lamb perfectly, allowing Lamb to dominate those mid-range routes and thrive over the middle.
Pickens has stretched opposing defenses and drawn pass interference penalties where defenses have not been able to handle him.
That was a theme from the New York Giants defense, grab George Pickens and try and knock Dak Prescott out of the game. That is not cool guys.
The running game
I had written off running back Javonte Williams before he had taken a snap for the Cowboys. I am not ready to walk that take back completely, but Williams has made a fantastic start to life in Dallas.
Williams has three rushing touchdowns in two games so far and averaged 5.6 yards per carry against the Giants.
He is running with power, purpose and is taking advantage of the holes that the offensive line is creating.
Dak Prescott
The Cowboys quarterback absolutely loves playing against the Giants. That is 14 consecutive wins for Prescott against Big Blue. I am sure Giants fans get that sinking feeling late in close games against Dallas when the ball is in Prescott’s hands.
Prescott was clinical late in the game to put the Cowboys in a position to extend and then win the game.
The Cowboys signal caller completed 15 out of 20 passes 187 yards with one touchdown in the fourth quarter and overtime.
Prescott did not panic with only 25 seconds left on the clock after the Cowboys gave up another touchdown to a Russell Wilson bomb. Prescott hit one key pass to tight end Jake Ferguson and then a certain someone took over from there.
Brandon Aubrey
The Cowboys have been blessed with rather good kickers over the last decade or so, but Brandon Aubrey is a different beast entirely.
Aubrey combines deadly accuracy with phenomenal leg power, and he makes it look so easy.
In the highest-pressure moments, Aubrey is so dependable. And as he lined up for a 64-yard field goal attempt to tie the game and send it to overtime, a sudden wave of calmness just passed over me.
As if I knew Aubrey was going to nail this kick with ease when only three other kicks in NFL history had been made from 64 yards or further.
Brandon Aubrey became the first NFL player ever to convert a game-tying field goal with no time remaining in the fourth quarter and a game-winning field goal with no time remaining in overtime in the same game.pic.twitter.com/KPb7xeDYic
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 15, 2025
Nail it he did, and it would have been good from 70 yards. Then he stepped up again as time expired in overtime to deliver a crazy first victory for Cowboys Head Coach Brian Schottenheimer.
I could continue and wax lyrical about how impressive Schottenheimer has been, but I will save that in the hope there will be plenty more wins to write about this season.
