Cowboys dominate Jets 37-22 behind Prescott's 4 TD passes, two 90-yard scoring drives
— Dak Prescott had a makeshift offensive line in front of him against a team desperate for its first win and still marched the Dallas Cowboys up and down the field.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- — Dak Prescott had a makeshift offensive line in front of him against a team desperate for its first win and still marched the Dallas Cowboys up and down the field.
Prescott threw two of his four touchdown passes to Jake Ferguson, Dallas scored on two drives of 90 or more yards in the second quarter with an O-line missing four starters and the Cowboys cruised past the winless New York Jets 37-22 on Sunday.
“I think we’re spoiled,” coach Brian Schottenheimer said of Prescott. “I think he’s one of the best players in the league. He’s certainly one of the best leaders and teammates I’ve ever been around. Guys believe in him and he’s playing with a ton of confidence right now.”
Javonte Williams ran for 135 yards and a touchdown and also caught a TD pass, George Pickens also had a TD reception and the Cowboys (2-2-1) bounced back from a disappointing 40-40 tie against Green Bay last week.
“I saw this coming just on the simple fact this team knows how confident we are, what we’re capable of doing,” said Prescott, who heard “MVP!” chants from Cowboys fans in the MetLife Stadium stands after the game. “We knew it was important to get the taste of last week out of our mouth and out of our mind."
Prescott finished 18 of 29 for 237 yards behind a line that had left guard Tyler Smith (knee), left tackle Tyler Guyton (concussion), right guard Tyler Booker (ankle) and center Cooper Beebe (foot) all out. Right tackle Terence Steele was the only regular starter playing.
The Cowboys were also without wide receivers CeeDee Lamb (ankle) and KaVontae Turpin (foot).
“It’s a testament to the players and the brotherhood that they believe in,” Schottenheimer said. “Next man-up mentality. I can’t honestly say that I ever remember having to go in with four brand-new offensive linemen.”
The Cowboys gave Schottenheimer a win over the team for which he was the offensive coordinator from 2006-11. It kept the Jets (0-5) winless under Aaron Glenn, who's the first coach in franchise history to begin his tenure with five losses. It's New York's fourth 0-5 start and first since starting 0-13 in 2020 under Adam Gase.
“I’m going to embrace this challenge, all right, just like any other challenge,” Glenn said. "And we’re going to figure out as a team ... how to get out of this hole.”
The Jets also became the first team in NFL history to have no takeaways in their first five games since 1933, when turnovers were first tracked, according to ESPN Research.
Dallas’ defense, which has struggled without Micah Parsons, didn't let Justin Fields and the Jets do much until the game was well in hand. The Cowboys had five sacks of Fields, who was 32 of 46 for 283 yards and late touchdown passes to Andrew Beck and Garrett Wilson, along with 2-point conversion tosses to Mason Taylor and Josh Reynolds.
Breece Hall ran for 113 yards and caught four passes for 42 yards, but also had a momentum-shifting fumble in the second quarter.
The Jets took their only lead on Nick Folk's 25-yard field goal after a promising start to their opening drive that included three third-down conversions. But on third-and-goal from the 7, Fields' screen pass got batted into the air off the facemask of Dante Fowler — and the ball hit the SkyCam camera overhead — and fell incomplete.
After New York punted on fourth-and-5 from Dallas' 43 and the game tied at 3, the Cowboys got the ball at their 10. Prescott marched Dallas 90 yards on 13 plays, capped by a screen to Ferguson, who took it in from 26 yards out for a 10-3 lead.
Dallas got its second touchdown drive of 90 or more yards moments after Marist Liufau forced Hall to fumble and Sam Williams recovered.
“It’s unacceptable by me,” Hall said. “As one of the best players on the offense, you can’t put us in that situation.”
A 46-yard throw from Prescott to Ryan Flournoy put the ball at the Jets 16. Two plays later, Javonte Williams hit the front of the pylon for a 5-yard touchdown to put Dallas up 17-3.
The Cowboys added to their lead 42 seconds later when Javonte Williams broke free for a 66-yard run to get to the 1 and Prescott found a wide-open Ferguson for a touchdown. About the only thing that went wrong for Dallas came when Brandon Aubrey hit the right upright on the extra point — after Cowboys left tackle Nate Thomas was called for unsportsmanlike conduct on the TD.
Prescott's 43-yard touchdown pass to Pickens put Dallas up 30-3 late in the third quarter. He added a 4-yard TD toss to Javonte Williams in the closing minutes.
“There’s not many teams that put four guys who don’t start into the game,” Prescott said, “and feel confident about going and winning a game, especially on the road.”
Ferguson flourishing
With seven catches, Ferguson has 41 this season, becoming the fourth tight end with at least 40 receptions in his team’s first five games, joining Philadelphia’s Zach Ertz (41 in 2018), San Francisco’s Eric Johnson (41 in 2004) and Pro Football Hall of Famer Antonio Gates (40 with the Chargers in 2007).
Injuries
Cowboys: LB Jack Sanborn left in the first half with a concussion. ... WR Jalen Brooks injured a knee early in the fourth quarter.
Up next
Cowboys: Play at Carolina next Sunday.
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