Cowboys show why they’re the top dog in the NFC East
The Dallas Cowboys beat the Los Angeles Chargers with a last-second field goal, a win that demonstrated why they’re the class of the NFC East.
The Dallas Cowboys are off the mark following a nerve-wracking Week 2 win over the Los Angeles Chargers and, though they are tied with two of their division rivals at 1-1, there should now be no doubt they are the team to beat in the NFC East.
Dallas required a 56-yard field goal from Greg Zuerlein to seal a 20-17 win at SoFi Stadium, the Cowboys leaning more on their defense to pull this one out, a surprising turn of events given the loss of edge rusher Demarcus Lawrence to a broken foot in practice this week.
Justin Herbert was twice intercepted by the Dallas defense, the second pick occurring in the endzone with the Chargers in position to take the lead in the third quarter, as the Cowboys did an impressive job of confusing the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year.
And, while the offense was somewhat held in check, the depth of talent Dallas has on that side of the ball was still apparent as several of their stars shone.
Cowboys look like top team in the NFC East
Prescott averaged 8.8 yards per attempt in an efficient display, Tony Pollard had 109 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries and CeeDee Lamb was superb in finishing with 94 yards from scrimmage.
Those performances enabled Dallas to grind out a victory in a game many expected the Cowboys to lose. In the space of two weeks, the Cowboys have gone toe to toe with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in an opening night shootout and demonstrated surprising defensive strength to knock off a team viewed as an AFC playoff contender.
By contrast, the Washington Football Team defense – thought to be the strength of the team – has been unimpressive through two weeks and the Philadelphia Eagles’ offense found it difficult to finish drives in their Week 2 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
The Cowboys were regarded as the team with the best offense in the division going into the season. With two games in the books, they look like the most complete team in the NFC East, one that can compete in both shootouts and defensive struggles.
Next. Kyler Murray is firmly planting himself in the MVP race. dark
Dallas had some help from the officials and was fortunate to overcome some questionable time management from head coach Mike McCarthy in the final seconds, but they have the best quarterback, the best offense and a defense that can make plays when it counts. They are set up to challenge for the postseason and the early evidence suggests they should reach the playoffs as champions of the NFC East.