Even in a game where the Cowboys entered as road underdogs, Sunday afternoon’s clash with the Carolina Panthers was one that Dallas would’ve been embarrassed to lose.
From the start, Dallas handled business and left Charlotte with a 30-14 victory in a game between two NFC bottom-dwellers. The loss knocked the Panthers — who were favored to win for the first time in 34 games — out of playoff contention while keeping the Cowboys’ slim chances as just that… slim.
Bright moments emerged for Dallas on both sides of the ball despite injuries leading into the week and during the game, which helped move the Cowboys to 6-8 on the season. Here are the five main takeaways from Sunday’s win for Dallas.
Rookie linebacker Liufau steps up
It didn’t take long for rookie linebacker Marist Liufau to make his impact felt, as he started on Sunday afternoon in place of the injured DeMarvion Overshown and provided a similar game-wrecking ability as his fallen teammate.
“Any time I get on the field, it’s an opportunity for me,” Liufau said. “It’s a big blessing for me to be there. I’m keeping [Overshown] in my prayers, for sure. We miss him on defense on and off the field. Any time I go out there, I know I have to do my part and make him proud.”
As the Panthers drove down the field on their opening possession, Liufau knocked the football loose from quarterback Bryce Young as he was falling to the ground, forcing the first of four takeaways on Sunday afternoon. It ended up being the Panthers’ best scoring opportunity in the first half.
“When I saw him stumbling instead of sliding, I went for the ball,” Liufau said. “I saw the opportunity and got it out. I was surprised, I didn’t know I got it until I looked behind me and saw it was on the ground.”
Elsewhere, he accounted for a team-leading six total tackles and shined a quick pursuit to ballcarriers. With three more starts expected down the stretch for the third-round pick out of Notre Dame, the potential for growth with him in the lineup will be fun to watch.
Different season, same result for Lamb
It’s no secret that the 2024 season has been largely underwhelming for the Cowboys, as injuries to key players and lopsided defeats have dominated the narrative, but it’s hard to discount the consistency that CeeDee Lamb continues to show.
After a 20-yard reception in the second quarter, Lamb secured his fourth consecutive 1,000-yard season before capping off that same drive with his sixth touchdown of the season on a third-down grab while falling to his side.
“He’s unbeliveable,” quarterback Cooper Rush said postgame. “The throws he takes for 20 yards, screen here, screen there. The adjustment he made on the touchdown throw, just elite level instincts that guys definitely don’t have at that level. He’s pretty easy to throw to, I just throw him the ball.”
It took Lamb a bit to get going without a training camp this season, and the season-ending injury to Dak Prescott certainly didn’t help. But even in a year where everything has worked against him, Lamb has still found a way to be productive. On Sunday, he finished with nine receptions for 116 yards and one touchdown.
Better late than never
Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones laughed earlier in the week about defensive end Chauncey Golston playing his best football in the final year of his contract, as it likely means the team will have to pony up to keep him around in the future.
Well, Golston isn’t the only one.
Fellow contract year teammate Osa Odighizuwa had arguably his best game as a pro on Sunday afternoon, accounting for four tackles, one sack and a key forced fumble on Bryce Young that led to an offensive touchdown.
The same story could be written about Jourdan Lewis, as he has been arguably Dallas’ most consistent player on defense all season. On Sunday, a flying deflection he made on a pass intended for Adam Thielen landed in the hands of linebacker Eric Kendricks for an interception around midfield. Later in the game, he recorded his first sack since 2022.
“I’m just being a leader for my team, that’s it,” Lewis said. “Whatever my teammates need, if they need a play, I pride myself on doing whatever they need me to do.”
Just call him Rico Suave
Only Saquon Barkley has had a better three weeks in the NFL than Rico Dowdle, as the fifth-year running back out of South Carolina has finally found his stride in 2024.
After running for 149 yards on the worst run defense in the NFL, Dowdle now has 392 yards in his last three games on his way to becoming the first member of the Cowboys to run for over 100 yards in three consecutive contests since Ezekiel Elliott in 2019.
“Those guys up front, that’s what’s working well,” Dowdle said postgame. “Those guys have been opening it up. Three in a row, keep building.”
Getting him the ball more has done wonders for Dowdle, as he is quickly knocking on the door of a 1,000-yard season and a firm placement as the lead back going into 2025. The team can’t get away with not drafting a running back again in April, but that conversation is quickly shifting to who would best complement Dowdle rather than start over him.
Offensive line gets the job done
The young offensive line has taken a lot of heat this season for its lack of consistency. But after a third consecutive game with a 100-yard rusher and a game that saw quarterback Cooper Rush get sacked just once, credit has to be given to an improving group.
Offensive line coach Mike Solari’s group has accomplished this while seeing starters and backups get swapped in and out due to injury. In Sunday’s game, left tackle Chuma Edoga exited with an ankle issue and was replaced by Tyler Guyton, but Edoga was placed back in at right guard when T.J. Bass went down with a thigh injury.
“It’s football, dude, you got to be violent to play this game,” center Brock Hoffman said. “You have to put people in the ground, you got to move people against their will. We’re doing everything we can to fight and finish every snap.”
For a group that has Terence Steele as its most experienced player down the stretch, it’s been an impressive start to what life might look like without Zack Martin.