National Football League

Dak Prescott was fine, but Cowboys defense reinforced dominance in win

Updated Oct. 23, 2022 10:50 p.m. ET

By David Helman
FOX Sports Dallas Cowboys Writer

Breaking in a quarterback is a lot easier when the opponent can't score — or even hang on to the ball, for that matter.

Dak Prescott did just fine. In the lens of his return from a six-week injury, the Dallas offense moved the ball and scored some points. We can get to that in a minute.

Make no mistake, though: the Cowboys walk out of AT&T Stadium as comfortable winners Sunday largely because of another incredible defensive performance, as they forced five turnovers and held the Lions without a touchdown in a 24-6 beatdown.

"That's really part of the fabric I feel like we created last year," said Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy. "Our defense was tremendous here in the second half. The ball extraction was obviously a huge factor in the game."

Approaching the midpoint of this season, it feels like you'd run out of ways to be impressed by a defense. But this unit keeps finding ways to do it. Sunday wasn't even the beginning-to-end dominance we've seen at times from the Cowboys. Detroit managed to run for 117 yards, averaging a disconcerting 4.7 yards per carry in the process. What stood out, though, was the way this group managed to capitalize on every opportunity — particularly in crunch time. Largely because of offensive miscues, the Cowboys held a mere 10-6 lead at the outset of the fourth quarter. And when the Lions pounded the ball down to their goal line, it was easy to imagine Prescott would need to manufacture some fourth-quarter magic to steal a win. That might've happened with a different defense, but not this one.

The rally began when DeMarcus Lawrence forced a Jamaal Williams fumble on the goal line, which was recovered by Anthony Barr to preserve the lead. Less than five minutes later, Jourdan Lewis picked off Jared Goff near midfield, gifting the Dallas offense with a short field and a chance to put the game out of reach. Say what you will about the offense in Prescott's return, they were able to do that.

Two of the Cowboys' three touchdown drives came on short fields provided by the defense in the final five minutes of the game, and they took advantage. The late-game efficiency offset a first half beset by bone-headed mistakes. Prescott threw high to Noah Brown on the first play of the afternoon, resulting in a drop on what could have been an explosive play. An hour later, Michael Gallup watched a first down pass sail through his hands. Brown further complicated matters at the end of the half when he fumbled and lost a 14-yard catch-and-run that would have set the Cowboys up on the Lions' 5-yard line.

But for any of those concerned that things would change drastically with Prescott replacing Cooper Rush in the lineup, this was essentially the same formula that got the Cowboys their first four wins. True, Prescott took a few more chances, throwing two risky balls in the first half. But the Cowboys were clearly determined to lean on Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard, as both backs reached the 10-carry mark in the same game for just the third time this season.

To complement that, Prescott took the plays in front of him. There were missed opportunities, but he completed 76% of his passes for 207 yards. He threw his first touchdown of the season with 1:55 remaining to ice the win. Most importantly? He didn't turn the ball over. "I thought it was going to be pretty cool to leave out of this game without a touchdown, honestly," Prescott said. "That's just kind of where my head is right now. I know how talented this team is. I know what we can be. It's not about me. It's about all of us."

That's not to say this was an offensive performance worth celebrating. The Cowboys put up 330 yards and needed all of regulation to score 24 against a Detroit defense that entered the game as the worst in the league.

But to bring it back to the original point, how much does that matter when this defense is on the field for half the game? The Cowboys' pass rushers didn't even look as dominant as they have in weeks past, and they still finished with five sacks and three takeaways. Micah Parsons continues to build his case for NFL Defensive Player of the Year, as he did sack Goff and force a fumble in this game. But the fun kicks in when you consider that the Cowboys are starting to get plays from places they weren't counting on. Sunday, it was Sam Williams' turn. The rookie defensive end had been solid enough this season, notching six tackles and two tackles for loss to this point in the season. Against Detroit, he showed why the Cowboys drafted him in the second round this year, finishing with two sacks and a strip of Goff in which he literally took the ball out of the quarterback's hand.

"I'm just so proud of our rookies and our young players," McCarthy said. "The opportunities that they've had so far, this early in the season. More importantly, how they're delivering. There were some big plays by some young guys out there today."

Added Prescott: "This is one of the best rookie classes I've seen in my seven years here." If the Cowboys can count on those types of contributions going forward, all of a sudden, defensive coordinator Dan Quinn has more pass-rush advantages than he knows what to do with.

For the first time in a long time, it's the Dallas offense that has to catch up to a special defense. And if they can, this could be quite an impressive team indeed.

David Helman covers the Dallas Cowboys for FOX Sports. He previously spent nine seasons covering the Cowboys for the team’s official website. In 2018, he won a regional Emmy for his role in producing "Dak Prescott: A Family Reunion" about the quarterback’s time at Mississippi State. Follow him on Twitter @davidhelman_.