How Cowboys put an end to all Kellen Moore revenge game talk

The Cowboys downed the Chargers 20-17 on Monday Night Football, a game in which Dallas' defense arguably showed up more than its offense. This proved especially important considering the Cowboys were facing former offensive coordinator Kellen Moore on the other side of the field.

Against a Chargers offense that was averaging over 27 points per game this season, the Cowboys held Justin Herbert and his team to just 17 points. Cowboys' Daron Bland made several key pass breakups and Micah Parsons and Damone Clark generated a stout pass rush; in the first game without linebacker Leighton Vander Esch, the run defense stayed strong and limited Austin Ekeler to 27 yards on the ground (and 53 team rushing yards).

Markquese Bell, who transitioned from safety to linebacker this past offseason, was arguably the standout player in the victory as he was able to make up for Vander Esch's absence with crucial tackles all over the field.

Similar to talk of Trey Lance providing 49ers intel to the Cowboys a few weeks ago, there were rumors that Kellen Moore was developing a master plan in Week 6's "revenge game" on his former team. After the 2022 season (his fifth in Dallas), Moore exited the Cowboys franchise on mostly good terms and found what he considered a more enticing coaching opportunity on the West Coast.

On Monday night, Moore would get squashed by a defense he had once known all too well.

Cowboys defense got the best of former OC Kellen Moore

A former Cowboys quarterback himself, Moore took control of a Chargers offense that had no shortage of talent. Justin Herbert remains a top-five quarterback in the league, no matter what his critics say. Austin Ekeler featured in his first game back from injury and often served as a safety net on key downs. Keenan Allen, Joshua Palmer, and Gerald Everett all pose as talented weapons in their own regard and helped contribute to drives down the field.

In the end, however, Moore couldn't scheme more than two touchdowns past his old team. He got close, but was denied by a red zone Daron Bland near interception and an overall surprisingly solid run defense against Ekeler. A Stephon Gilmore pick ended the game for the Chargers, who are now 2-3 and possibly staring down another lost season.

The good news for Moore is that his seat isn't the hot one -- third-year coach Brandon Staley needs to produce the results, or else.

Now, it's back to the drawing board for Moore and Herbert. McCarthy and Prescott aren't doing much better in the win column, but hey, they did it. They defeated their new nemesis in the first of future matchups to come.