The Dallas Cowboys won the Texas State Championship on Sunday, and whether or not beating the in-state Houston Texans means anything extra to you, it stands to reason that wins in general do.
Sunday’s victory was very needed for the Cowboys to stop the bleeding that began down in Rio when they lost to the Baltimore Ravens. There is no rest for the weary though as they are back in action just a few days from now on Thursday night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Before we fully shift focus to Tampa Bay, we need to properly tie a bow on the win in Houston. Several players really shined where others left us wanting more.
Here is our stock report from Sunday’s win. Let’s begin.
Stock Up: CeeDee Lamb
What can you really say at this point? CeeDee Lamb was a true and total alpha in Houston. He did whatever he wanted, and Next Gen Stats noted that he recorded multiple receptions against six different Texans defenders. Think about how absurd that is.
Lamb was entrusted with the game on the line, and well before it, to deliver and he absolutely did. He is living up to all hype and fanfare that people have had around him, and it feels like we are seeing the best version he has ever offered throughout his Cowboys career which is really saying something.
Stock Up: Joey Porter Jr.
It took all of five seconds for everyone involved to realize/remember that JPJ is the best cornerback on the Cowboys roster.
All told it was still a wading in for Porter as he was just acquired by the Cowboys this past week, but he played 19 snaps while in coverage and did not allow a single reception against a single target. It was evident that Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud was avoiding him at all costs.
That is what the Cowboys paid for. They went out to get someone to neutralize one side of the field, and they have it now.
Stock Up: Tyler Guyton
There really was a time, not too long ago, when we doubted whether or not Tyler Guyton would actually be the left tackle on this team. Heck, head coach Brian Schottenheimer openly declared in the offseason that Nate Thomas was competing with Guyton for the job. That is the same Nate Thomas who got traded to the Texans in roster cutdowns and was inactive for this game.
Having the left side of the offensive line so stable is such a peaceful thing. It will improve even more when Tyler Smith returns to the lineup. Don’t forget about that.
Stock Up: George Pickens
Four games into this season we have yet to see George Pickens have the exact same impact that CeeDee Lamb has, but he is easily making his mark.
Consider that the Cowboys’ game-winning drive would not have happened to the extent that it did without a huge gain from Pickens. Heck, consider that his 53-yard reception early in the second half was part of what woke the offense up at large. Pickens is giving the Cowboys his all and delivering when called upon.
Stock Up: Ryan Flournoy
This was arguably Ryan Flournoy’s best game since joining the Cowboys. The sample size there isn’t exactly large, but we have long believed that he could/should exist as a proper third option in the passing game and that’s exactly what he was in Houston.
Sometimes the opposing defense is taking so many things away and wreaking havoc in a number of different directions. You have to have that person who helps keep things moving right along, and that’s what Flo was in this game.
Stock Up: Quinnen Williams
The last two games have shown the Quinnen Williams who the Cowboys traded for and extended. He is turning into the defensive game-wrecker that his reputation said he was with the New York Jets.
Maybe it was a matter of gelling across time, but it feels fair to assume that this is the player who is here to stay. Clearly we hope that. is the case. Williams kept things in check, especially as the second half wore on and the game got tight. That’s his job and he did it very well.
Static Stock: Brian Schottenheimer
It has been a while since I handed out a static stock, but I believe Brian Schottenheimer is deserving in this instance.
The first half was pretty terrible. Specifically, the sequence at the end of it. Schottenheimer gambled in letting Brandon Aubrey attempt a 65-yard field goal right after having a 62-yard one blocked, and the miss gave Houston short field position that they converted into a field goal to send everyone to their respective locker rooms.
But Schotty locked in as the game wore on. He pledged all week to not let last week, as in the Ravens loss, define him. He said he would not hold the team back the way that he believed he did against Baltimore in Rio.
Eerily, the Cowboys faced almost an identical situation as the game wore on. Their offense went three and out when they could have iced the game with a four-point lead, and they took over with around two minutes left down by three. This time, unlike last, Schotty entrusted and enabled his superstars and the Cowboys won as a result. That is legitimate growth.
So the beginning was rough, but the end was great. So long as they are in that order and lead to a win, that’s what matters.
Stock Down: DaRon Bland
This is another instance where there really isn’t a ton to say. Joey Porter Jr. is incredible, but his incredible-ness means that opposing quarterbacks are going to attack DaRon Bland early and often. C.J. Stroud did so and was highly successful as a result of it.
There is no question that Bland is among the weaker points of the Cowboys roster at the moment. That is a huge issue that they are going to have to address if they don’t want to be in similar circumstances moving forward.
Stock Down: Brandon Aubrey
You can certainly argue that his 62-yard field goal was blocked because Will Anderson Jr. is incredible, and you can similarly claim that a 65-yard field goal is difficult to pull off and that being asked to do it right after a block is not ideal.
But it feels like we move the goalposts a lot for Aubrey, no pun intended. It feels like we let his reputation tell us we are being too harsh when moments of constructive criticism come up. It can be true that those circumstances were not ideal and that as the NFL’s highest-paid kicker he should be successful nonetheless. He wasn’t and that’s a problem.
Stock Down: Nick Sorensen
At the moment the Cowboys have one of the worst and least efficient special teams operations across the NFL. Nick Sorensen has been under fire even dating back to last year, and that temperature is only rising as a result of the messes we are seeing.
We regard the Cowboys’ special teams as great because of the visible pieces in the aforementioned Aubrey, KaVontae Turpin, and even Bryan Anger. But the operation is clunky. How? How can this really be possible?
Are they missing a veteran on the field in C.J. Goodwin? Does Nick Sorensen need to do more? Whatever the answer is, they have to find it immediately.
