Dallas Cowboys 2022 NFL round-up: Michael Gallup, Dalton Schultz, Micah Parsons…
The Cowboys pulled off an upset against the Bengals with Cooper Rush at quarterback. In Week 3, they’ll face NFC East rivals, the New York Giants.
Week 3: Cowboys face Giants
The Cowboys are heading to New York for some Monday Night Football action in Week 3, to face NFC East rivals, the Giants. The Giants are 2-0 for the first time since 2016 and have had losing seasons for five straight years now. That makes this a nice change for them, but the wins they pulled off were close calls. They beat Tennessee by just one point with a late touchdown and 2-point conversion and they beat Carolina by just three and six of those points were on Panthers turnovers.
Against the Giants, the Cowboys have won nine out of the last ten games. They may be without their starting quarterback and have a thin receiving core and o-line, but with that, they were still able to pull off an upset over the Bengals. The Giants struggle against the Dallas defense, but right now, New York is considered the favorite to win it. Cooper Rush and the Cowboys will have another challenge ahead on Monday.
Injury updates: Gallup, Schultz, Prescott
Schultz dealing with PCL issue
It was scary to watch tight end Dalton Schultz grabbing his knee and leaving the game against the Bengals on Sunday. It was reported that he is dealing with a PCL issue, but it’s unknown if he will sit out Week 3.
ESPN’s Todd Archer reported that Schultz should not miss “significant time”, which is good news considering how thin Dallas already is at receiver. Against the Bengals though, his impact was minimal - he caught just two passes for 18 yards. Still though, he’s coming off of a career-high in yards and touchdowns from last season. If he does miss time, we would see the Cowboys leaning more on the rookie tight ends Jake Ferguson and Peyton Hendershot, who don’t have experience yet, but did play well in the preseason.
Gallup could return against Giants
With that bit of possibly bad news comes some possibly good news. Receiver Michael Gallup could finally make his return this week to face the Giants.
After tearing his ACL last season, Gallup has not played a game but was not placed on the PUP list heading into the season. Since he’s been out, it’s been CeeDee Lamb who was considered to be the WR1, but it was Noah Brown who had the most impact last week in the Cowboys’ win over Cincinnati. With both available and Gallup back, the Cowboys will be in much better shape than they would be otherwise, especially now with Schultz possibly being out.
“Certainly Gallup has a chance to work back in,” said Stephen Jones. “Certainly possible for him to be up against the Giants this week. This corps I think is going to come together.”
Prescott’s return
Stephen Jones said that Dak Prescott could return within the next few weeks. “At the very best, it would be” against the Commanders (October 2) or the Rams (October 9), which is sooner than originally expected after Prescott left the season opener with a broken thumb. It seems quite optimistic, which isn’t unusual for Dallas, but who knows?
At least we have seen that the Cowboys CAN win without Prescott, and if they can pull off a second win in the NFC East this week, they’ll be in even better shape.
Jason Peters could start against Giants
Jason Peters, the former Eagles OT the Cowboys signed after losing Tyron Smith, could start against the Giants in Week 3. The nine-time Pro Bowler has been on the sidelines, getting used to the team’s gameplays and getting physically ready to perform in a regular-season game.
The o-line was in trouble even before losing Smith, but in the season opener, the Cowboys also lost Connor McGovern to a high ankle sprain. Despite that, the o-line was able to protect Cooper Rush enough to only allow one sack on Sunday’s game against the Bengals. Adding Peters would just add even more safety there. Where Peters will line up remains to be seen.
Micah Parsons on track to record sacks
Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons is one of the most diverse in the league, and he’s shown off his talents especially well as a pass rusher. He’s collecting sacks and added two per game on Tom Brady and Joe Burrow to bring his total to 17 sacks starting off his second year in the NFL. If he continues this pace, he’s set to break records, by a long shot. Two per game would bring him to a total of 34 sacks on the year, which would not just break, but obliterate Michael Strahan’s and T.J. Watt’s record of 22.5.
Parsons finished his rookie season last year with 13 sacks, 20 tackles for loss, 30 quarterback hits, and three forced fumbles, winning him Defensive Rookie of the Year and second in Defensive Player of the Year.
“Just executing my game plan, just knowing when to take my shots and when not to take my shots, understanding when to go high and when to go low,” Parsons said. “I just put a lot of work into this season.”
Even better news for the Cowboys, Parsons wasn’t the only defensive player to show out these past two games. Against the Bengals, the defense had six sacks on Burrow - the two from Parsons, two from Dorance Armstrong, one by Dante Fowler, and one by Leighton Vander Esch. Through the first two games, the defense has only allowed two total touchdowns to their opponents.
“One lion can’t do it by himself. You need a pride. It’s just like when 10 hyenas go after one lion, the lion is liable to lose,” Parsons said. “The fact that I’ve got 10 other guys that I feel that I can rely on, that’s what makes this boat go ‘round.”