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COWBOYS GREAT TROY AIKMAN RIPS LAZY $136 MILLION STAR, FELLOW WRS

Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb (middle)

In terms of personnel, Cowboys backers are aware of the attrition that struck in the last seven months, with the team allowing key free agents to leave and not doing all that much to replace them. Don’t mention past transactions to Jerry Jones, of course, but when it comes to Cowboys great Troy Aikman, you might get a more honest assessment of what’s going on with the messiest 3-3 team in the NFL.

Offseason moves aside, Aikman said on Thursday that the Cowboys problems are not limited to the players who are no longer on the team—there’s plenty to worry about with the players who are still around.

Speaking on Dallas sports radio, 96.7 The Ticket, Aikman laid into one of the units that is not supposed to be all that bad for the Cowboys: the receivers.

And he started with star playmaker CeeDee Lamb, who was given a four-year, $136 million contract after missing training camp and most of the preseason, but has not been up to snuff yet this season.

“I think the routes are terrible. I think they run terrible routes,” Aikman said (via Jon Machota of The Athletic). “And I’ve thought that beyond this year. I think CeeDee (Lamb) has got to improve in his route running. As a quarterback, if you’re not certain where guys are going to be consistently, it’s hard to play the position. That’s what I see”

CeeDee Lamb Not the Only WR at Fault

The criticism was not limited to Lamb, either. The Cowboys’ No. 2 receiver, Brandin Cooks, has been out with an infection in his knee that will cause him to miss four games (he has missed two). Not having his veteran leadership has hurt, but the problems go beyond Cooks.

Said Aikman: “I see guys lazy coming off the line of scrimmage. Sometimes they run, usually if they do, it’s because they’re anticipating they’re going to get the football on that play, but if they’re not, they don’t. And it all ties together. I’m not impressed with that part of it.”

Lamb is the most obvious target, though, because he is coming off a year in which he led the league and set a franchise record with 135 receptions, for 1,749 yards.  His yards per game have dropped from 102.9 last year to 77.8 this year, and he is catching just 58.2% of the balls thrown his way.

The team’s No. 3 receiver, Jalen Tolbert, has played well, with 24 catches and 290 yards, and a 70.6% catch rate. But he is inexperienced, as are the Cowboys’ other options, Kavontae Turpin and Jalen Brooks.

Cowboys’ Dak Prescott Putting up Subpar Numbers

Aikman offered his view of what’s happening with the Cowboys receivers as a defense of quarterback Dak Prescott, who is also collecting a major new contract, having landed a $240 million, four-year deal just before the start of the season.

But Prescott has been under pressure thanks to the Cowboys putting out two rookies on the offensive line, and combined with the lack of execution from the receivers, Prescott has been able to put up only eight touchdowns and six interceptions.

His 85.5 quarterback rating is the worst of his career.

“It’s hard to play the (quarterback) position if you’re not certain how guys are going to run routes or where they’re going to be,” Aikman said. “And I’m not speaking for Dak (Prescott). Dak may say, ‘Hey, I think (their routes) are amazing.’ But as a former quarterback watching it, it’s gotta get a lot better.”

- Sean Deveney

COWBOYS HOLDS OFF NFC EAST RIVAL GIANTS IN DEFENSIVE BATTLE

Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Entering Thursday night's game, the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys shared last place in the NFC East at 1-2, a game behind the 2-1 Washington Commanders and Philadelphia Eagles.

The Cowboys scored two first-half touchdowns and limited the Giants to three field goals to lead 14-9 at the half. It was a defensive battle the rest of the way, as neither team scored a touchdown in the second half.

Dallas picked up their second win of the season with a final score of 20-15, but star edge rusher Micah Parsons was carted off the field late in the game to get an X-ray.

Here are the most important things to know from Thursday night for both teams:

Dallas Cowboys

Dak Prescott did not speak to the media prior to Thursday's game against the New York Giants. He said he would speak "post win." The Cowboys got the win, but it wasn't an artistic beauty. However, after the Cowboys were embarrassed in back-to-back home losses to the New Orleans Saints and Baltimore Ravens, the only thing that mattered was getting a win on a short week.

Being 2-2 is so much better than 1-3. Had the Cowboys lost, it would have marked the first time they lost three September games since 2001, and they would have been in last place in the NFC East.

Prescott was sharp, especially in the first half with touchdown passes to CeeDee Lamb (55 yards) and Rico Dowdle (15 yards). The defense finally stopped the run and stiffened in the red zone, holding the Giants to five field goals.

Prescott has now won 13 straight against the Giants. His last loss came in 2016 as a rookie. He tied the second-longest win streak by a quarterback against a single opponent since quarterback stats were first tracked in 1950. Tom Brady beat the Buffalo Bills 13 straight times from 2003 to 2010, and Steve Young beat the Rams 13 straight from 1987 to 98. He will get a chance for No. 14 on Thanksgiving.

Promising trend: When Lamb has some sideline issues, the best seems to come out of him. During last year's loss at San Francisco, Lamb kept to himself on the sideline and then followed with six games with at least 11 catches and seven games with more than 100 yards. In last week's loss to New Orleans, Lamb had a spat with Prescott and did not speak to the media after the game. On Tuesday, Lamb was apologetic and said he would be better. In the first half alone, he had six catches for 94 yards (both season highs) and a touchdown.

Eye-popping stat: Brandon Aubrey has played 21 games for the Cowboys. He has three field goals of 60 yards in his career, including a 60-yarder in the third quarter against the Giants. That's one off the NFL record held by Brett Maher, who made four with the Cowboys over two different stints. Aubrey made a 60-yarder last week against the Ravens. He is 2-for-2 from 60 yards this season. The rest of the league is 0-for-2, according to ESPN Research.

Silver lining: The Cowboys will have 10 days to get ready for the presently undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers. The time will help because there is still a lot that needs to be corrected, even with the win. In the past three games, opposing quarterbacks have missed on only 19 passes. Against the Saints and Ravens, that was understandable because both teams were so dominant on the run. Giants quarterback Daniel Jones had too much time to throw for much of the game after previously being tormented by the Cowboys, who sacked him 24 times in eight games prior to Thursday. Oh, and they were penalized nine times in the first half alone. --Todd Archer

Next game: at Pittsburgh Steelers (8:20 p.m. ET, Sunday, Oct. 6.)

Luke Hales/Getty Images

New York Giants

The Giants kept it close against the Cowboys, but they still didn't come away with a win. After last season, when the Giants were outscored 89-17 in their two meetings with the Cowboys, this has to be viewed as progress, right?

Sure there are no moral victories in the NFL, but this was the third straight step in the right direction for the Giants (1-3) after an ugly opener.

The gap, at least to some degree, has narrowed between the division rivals. Dallas still owns the Giants. It has won 14 of the past 15 matchups, and Prescott has beaten them 13 straight times. New York still isn't quite there yet, but this proved its at least improving.

QB breakdown: Jones was efficient, completing 29 of 40 passes (73% completion) for 281 yards with an interception on a Hail Mary in the finals seconds. But the Giants were kept out of the end zone and Jones was short on most of his deep throws. It's especially notable considering this was a problem early in training camp. There was a lot of good for Jones, but it was not quite enough. Jones is clearly playing better since the opener. Having rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers (12 catches for 115 yards) certainly helps.

Eye-popping stat: Nabers keeps adding to his records. He became the first player in NFL history with at least 25 receptions and three touchdowns in his first four career games when he caught a 3-yard pass early in the second quarter. He now has 35 receptions for 386 yards and three touchdowns in four games.

Troubling trend: Giants top cornerback Deonte Banks has been the nearest defender on four touchdown passes already this season, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Banks was beat again on Thursday night, this time by Lamb for a 55-yard score in the second quarter. The Giants were hoping Banks would step into the CB1 role this season. Instead, it has been a struggle so far.

Biggest hole in the game plan: The Giants weren't able to get anything going in the running game against the league's worst run defense. Dallas came into the contest allowing 185.7 yards on the ground per contest. The Giants came into the game thinking they would have success, but had only 29 yards rushing in the first half -- and they finished with 26 yards on 24 carries. -- Jordan Raanan

Next game: at Seattle Seahawks (4:25 p.m. ET, Sunday, Oct. 6)

- Todd Archer and Jordan Raanan

DOLPHINS TOP COWBOYS, SECURE PLAYOFF SPOT ON-LAST SECOND FIELD GOAL

AP

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- Jason Sanders kicked his fifth field goal of the game, a 29-yarder as time expired, and the Miami Dolphins secured a playoff berth with a 22-20 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

Tua Tagovailoa threw for 293 yards and a touchdown for the AFC East-leading Dolphins (11-4), who beat a team with a winning record for the first time this season. He connected with Tyreek Hill twice on the decisive drive, which covered 64 yards and took the final 3:27 off the clock.

Hill, who leads the NFL in receiving yards, had nine catches for 99 yards after missing last week's victory over the New York Jets with an ankle injury.

Dak Prescott went 20-of-32 for 253 yards and two touchdowns for the Cowboys (10-5), who have already clinched a playoff spot but fell a half-game behind Philadelphia in the NFC East.

Prescott put Dallas in front 20-19 with an 8-yard touchdown pass to a leaping Brandin Cooks in the corner of the end zone. But the Cowboys were haunted by their red zone struggles earlier in the game, including a fumble by Prescott on first-and-goal from inside the 1 on Dallas' first possession.

Sanders' first field goal was a career-long 57-yarder in the first quarter. He added kicks of 52, 54 and 35 yards to help the Dolphins take a 19-10 lead late in the third.

DAK PRESCOTT APOLOGIES AFTER COMMENTS HE MADE TO OFFICIALS

 

DAK PRESCOTT MAKES COWBOYS HISTORY | MOST PASS TD IN A SEASON