Cowboys Keep Firm Grasp On NFC East Division

Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys celebrates after defeating the New York Giants at AT&T Stadium on October 10, 2021 in Arlington, Texas. — (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)

What a difference a year makes for the Dallas Cowboys.

In Week 5 of the 2020 NFL season, quarterback Dak Prescott left the game early due to an ankle injury after a tackle by the New York Giants’ Logan Ryan.

The Cowboys ended up winning that game, 37-34, but Prescott did not play a single snap again.

It was a big “what if” for Dallas, considering that the former Mississippi State standout had 450, 472, and 502-yard games before the season-ending mishap.

Dak Prescott: 1,690 Pass Yards in his last 4 games in 2020 before his season ending injury

Most in a 4-game span in NFL history pic.twitter.com/sSZf5fK7VV

— PFF (@PFF) March 9, 2021

Andy Dalton took over from Prescott, and the Cowboys finished their campaign at 6-10.

But even if they finished with a losing record, they still had a playoff chance because the Washington Football Team won the division at 7-9.

Roughly one year later, the Cowboys were easily the better team when they faced the injury-laden Giants.

Prescott completed 68 percent of his passes for 302 yards and three touchdowns.

His second 300-yard game of the season came at the expense of his former head coach and current Giants offensive coordinator, Jason Garrett.

Several big hugs after the game between Dak Prescott and Jason Garrett pic.twitter.com/FPZ4Ter0pl

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) October 10, 2021

Likewise, Ezekiel Elliott rediscovered his All-Pro form and finished with 112 total yards and two touchdowns.

CeeDee Lamb and Amari Cooper combined for seven catches for 144 yards and two touchdowns against their division rival.

The Cowboys are also doing well on defense as cornerback Trevon Diggs grabbed his sixth interception of the season after breaking up a deep pass from Mike Glennon to C.J. Board.

However, Dallas’ dominance against New York in this Week 5 game is not an anomaly.

We're all @_CeeDeeThree on this #VictoryMonday 😁#DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/AZQgF2OpRf

— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) October 11, 2021

Instead, they’ve established themselves as one of the top teams in the NFC East and the entire league.

Come to think of it; they were a field goal away from being 5-0.

How About Them Cowboys

Most experts predicted an easy win for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their opening weekend showdown with the Cowboys.

After all, the defending champions had the better roster, and Prescott’s condition was uncertain.

However, the Cowboys dueled with the Buccaneers every step of the way.

Dallas took over the lead, 29-28, after a 48-yard field goal by Greg Zuerlein with 1:29 left in the game.

Unfortunately, 89 seconds is an eternity for Tom Brady and the Buccaneers.

They drove to the Cowboys’ 18-yard line, and Ryan Succop converted the game-winning kick from 36 yards.

RYAN SUCCOP FOR THE WIN🙌

The Bucs (-450) win but the Cowboys (+8.5) cover🤔pic.twitter.com/rDx39MAaJi

— MaximBet (@MaximBetUSA) September 10, 2021

Prescott was impressive in that loss with 403 yards and three touchdowns.

Cooper and Lamb had 139 and 104 receiving yards, respectively.

They preserved some momentum from that game and defeated the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 2, 20-17.

The ground game got things done as Elliott, and Tony Pollard combined for 180 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Cowboys RBs vs Chargers:

Tony Pollard
💥 140 total yards
💥 1 TD

Ezekiel Elliott
💥 97 total yards
💥 1 TD pic.twitter.com/yUiWkJgPd4

— PFF Fantasy Football (@PFF_Fantasy) September 19, 2021

The Cowboys dominated another division rival, the Philadelphia Eagles, in Week 3.

Elliott had two rushing scores while Prescott completed three touchdown drives in the 41-21 win.

Two of Prescott’s scoring passes went to Dalton Schultz while the other to Cedrick Wilson.

Dallas secured their third consecutive victory via a 36-28 result against the Carolina Panthers.

"This run game. Dak Prescott, Zeke Elliott, Tony Pollard. They were just too much for this Panthers defense."@gregolsen88 and @kevinburkhardt share their thoughts on the Cowboys win today ⭐️

(Sponsored by @Verizon) pic.twitter.com/Hz4cDOgWor

— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 3, 2021

Elliott punished the Carolina defense with 143 yards and a touchdown while Prescott threw for four scores.

Diggs also took two interceptions off Sam Darnold.

Numbers Don’t Lie For Dallas

Five games into the 2021 season, and the Cowboys are exceptional on both sides of the ball.

They rank first in total yards (439.6 per game), 10th in pass offense (266.8), second in run offense (172.8), and second in scoring (34 points per game).

Dallas also has the league’s interception leader in Diggs and is fifth in run defense, allowing 79.4 yards per contest.