The Dallas Cowboys are back in the win column after a convincing 37-22 win over the New York Jets. It was the first time they had beaten the Jets on the road since 2003 in Bill Parcells’ first year as the Cowboys coach. The Jets entered this game winless, but so were the Chicago Bears before Dallas came to town and laid out the red carpet for Caleb Williams and their offense, so we weren’t sure what to expect in this one. Despite being banged up all along the offensive line and in the wide receiver corps, the Cowboys came out with their engines roaring and ready to thrust themselves back into playoff contention. Here on 10 thoughts on the Cowboys’ win over the Jets on Sunday.

Considering how much heat the defense takes on a weekly basis, we have to start off by giving them huge props. The Jets ultimately finished with 22 points on the day, but 16 came in garbage time in the fourth quarter. Never were they a threat. The defense came away with some big stops on third down, and even a couple of fourth-and-short stops. Even more surprising was how they handled Justin Fields. They held this season’s leading QB rusher to just 26 yards on seven rushing attempts. And he was under pressure all day with the defense finishing with five sacks, with James Houston leading the charge with 1.5 sacks. It was such a great showing from a unit that has been struggling all season.

It’s not always exciting, but the Cowboys’ offense has turned into quite the efficient unit. They continue to beat opposing defenses in different ways. Starting with a reliable running game, the Cowboys put up 180 rushing yards. The passing game looked sharp as Dak Prescott finished with 237 passing yards and four touchdowns. It was a great balance of offense as the team finished with 29 rushes and 29 passes. The rushing attack was efficient, averaging over six yards per attempt. You couldn’t have scripted it much better, especially when you consider…

Not only did the Cowboys’ offense again look like a well-oiled machine, but they did so despite being without four starting offensive linemen. Four! The Cowboys were already without Cooper Beebe and Tyler Booker, but on Sunday, they also didn’t have Tyler Smith or Tyler Guyton. That meant they rolled with the following group:

LT Nate Thomas – 7th round draft pick
LG Hakeem Adeniji – 6th round draft pick
C Brock Hoffman – undrafted free agent
RG T.J. Bass – undrafted free agent
RT Terence Steele – undrafted free agent

That’s five offensive linemen who were drafted at picks 180 or later (or not drafted at all). Never can I remember such a low-draft pedigree offensive line come together and play so well. Besides paving the way for a stout running game, the pass protection was also fantastic. Prescott stayed upright all game. The stat sheet will show one sack when Dak gave himself up late in the game after he took off running, but he was never under any real duress. It was an amazing job of blocking by the team’s reserve offensive linemen. It cannot be overstated how valuable the coaching hires of Klayton Adams and Conor Riley were to the Cowboys this offseason. They have done a phenomenal job!

With no CeeDee Lamb or KaVontae Turpin, the Cowboys desperately needed a receiver to step up and be a target for Prescott. On Sunday, second-year receiver Ryan Flournoy was that guy. Against the Jets, Flournoy caught six passes for 114 yards. He also added 10 yards rushing on two attempts. It was great to see him show up and help the offense. Not only did this come in handy with the receiving group short-handed right now, but seeing him develop into a viable contributor would be great down the stretch. He already has a 100-yard game on his résumé, something Jalen Tolbert has yet to accomplish despite being in the last year of his rookie deal.

With a little over two minutes left in the first half, it looked like the Jets were primed to score a game-tying touchdown as they were driving down the field. But instead of points for the Jets, Cowboys’ linebacker Marist Liufau punched the ball out of Breece Hall’s hands, and Sam Williams fell on it inside the 10-yard line. It was nice to see a Cowboys takeaway, and it was especially nice to see some of that Liufau aggression turn into something positive for the team. Instead of a tie, the Cowboys went on to score two quick touchdowns, completely changing the complexity of the game.

With each new game, free agent running back Javonte Williams continues to show how he was a slam-dunk signing. Nobody could have predicted he would have this much of an impact on the rushing attack. He is such a physical bruiser who never lets up. Against the Jets, he made several key runs. He had a nice physical run early in the game, turning a tackle for a loss into a key first-down pickup. He also had a five-yard touchdown with less than a minute to go in the first half. But the backbreaking play was his 66-yard scamper near the end of a first half that set up the Cowboys’ third touchdown of the game, giving them a 23-3 lead at halftime. He added a receiving touchdown in the fourth quarter to cap off an outstanding day.

Another one to file away in the “didn’t see coming” category is how well the defense avoided being bitten by the big play. It’s something that has plagued them over the first four weeks of the season, but against the Jets, they wouldn’t have any of it. There were a few instances where Breece Hall had some nice runs, but never did they allow a play longer than 25 yards. Justin Fields’ legs were a non-factor, and it was a relatively quiet day for Jets’ receiver Garrett Wilson, who finished with respectable numbers (six catches for 71 yards and a tuddy) but did next to nothing for three quarters. And making it more surprising is that the Cowboys’ defense did this despite missing their top free safety, Malik Hooker, who was replaced by Juanyeh Thomas.

With one of the league’s top cornerbacks shadowing him all day, it was hard to envision George Pickens having a big day. Let’s be real, Sauce Gardner is a tough draw. True to form, Pickens was held in check for most of the day, finishing with only two catches; however, one of them was a biggie. In the third quarter, Prescott fired deep and connected with Pickens for a 43-yard touchdown despite being covered in Sauce. In typical Pickens form, he fought through the hand-fighting from Gardner and hauled in another great catch. It was Pickens’ fourth-straight game with a touchdown, and his fifth touchdown of the year.

All eyes were on fifth-round rookie Jaydon Blue as he made his NFL debut on Sunday. Blue ran the ball four times for seven yards. While he had an unimpressive start to his career, it was another fifth-round rookie who was showing out. Linebacker Shemar James, who was selected three picks after Blue, was all over the field in this game. He finished with a team-lead 15 tackles, including eight solo tackles. An injury to Jack Sanborn opened the door to more playing time for James, and he took full advantage. It will be interesting to see what they do with him going forward, as he showed some nice athletic ability on Sunday.

With two key receivers out of action and a makeshift offensive line, the team needed to be creative with its passing scheme. In what has been typical for the offense, they relied heavily on short passes and yards after the catch. Brian Schottenheimer continues to do a great job creating these convoy screen plays. Whether it’s Jake Ferguson, Hunter Luepke, or athletic offensive linemen, the coaches were very creative in positioning lead blockers ahead of the ball carrier, providing good space to pick up yards. On Ferguson’s 26-yard touchdown catch, both tackles, Terence Steele and Nate Thomas, did a great job leading the way as the tight end went into the endzone untouched.