After the victory on Thursday night, Dak Prescott took the lead in our stock report.
Greetings for December. After nine games this season, the Dallas Cowboys have demonstrated their effectiveness. The Cowboys, who have a 9-3 record after 12 games, have put us all to sleep more often than not in 2023. Dallas has only won nine of its first twelve games since the 1995 season four times, the other two being this year and last. People, what we are experiencing is unusual for this franchise.
However, just because something is uncommon, doesn’t mean it’s simple or guaranteed, and Thursday night was a prime illustration of that. We are all appreciative that Dallas had to work hard for their ninth victory of the year—a shout-out to Al Pacino—and we had to scrape every last bit of it.
We have an even-steven stock report with five arrows pointing up and five heading directly south as a result of the game’s back-and-forth nature.
Let’s begin.
Stock Up: Dak Prescott
Dak Prescott is playing like the MVP of the NFL. And he might actually win it, too.
On Thursday night, the Cowboys team was in disarray, but Rayne Dakota Prescott was the one constant who kept them in the game. Overall, Dak willed the team to score repeatedly and finished with three passing touchdowns and one yard shy of a spectacular 300 in the box score.
Although we will discuss his offensive allies, it was the Cowboys’ franchise quarterback who kept the team cool during a heated game and helped them win.
Stock Up: CeeDee Lamb
How will his contract extension be structured? Here we have ourselves a sort of superhuman. Once more, a 100-yard effort, a touchdown, and several amazing catches that advanced the scoreboard.
While Lamb did have a rare fourth-down drop that appeared to have the potential to seriously hurt the team, he still had 17 targets (!) and is unquestionably the driving force behind the offense’s success. He’s here now.
Stock Up: Jake Ferguson
Speaking of, I have to say that at the start of the season, I really did not think much of Jake. Give me my crow, please. It can be baked, grilled, deep-fried, or any other method.
Ferguson might be the most dependable weapon available to Dak Prescott, even though Lamb is the most dynamic. He stands out from the other pass catchers with his unwavering tenacity and refusal to back down in any situation. That he caught the game-winning touchdown was only fitting.
Stock Up: Brandin Cooks
Do you recall how desperate the Cowboys were for assistance at the receiver position opposite Lamb this time last year? It’s amazing how Brandin Cooks has filled that gap.
Cooks clearly relieves Lamb of some of the pressure, but he makes more than enough work with the shares he keeps for himself. His quickness gives opposing defenses something new to consider, which creates a lot of opportunities.
Stock Up: Osa Odighizuwa
If any defender was consistent throughout the game, it was without a doubt Osa Odighizuwa.
Odighizuwa is displaying his power as he rushes the passer and defends the run. Having Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence on the outside is creating opportunities for him, and he is taking advantage of them by giving us everything we could have asked for from the middle of the defensive line.
He might be the team’s most underappreciated player.
Stock Down: DaRon Bland
It’s difficult to criticize someone for finding it challenging to protect DK Metcalf, but DaRon Bland did not have his best performance on Thursday night. Bland deserves credit for persevering despite possibly having the worst first half of any cornerback this year, as he caught his eighth interception of the year. That speaks volumes about his character and abilities, but it doesn’t excuse his errors.
Part of what was so alarming was that Bland was obviously being targeted by Seattle. He appeared to be trapped in failure and unable to escape it. Though thankfully not enough to cost the team the game, it certainly looked like it.
Stock Down: Dan Quinn
I don’t think there are many bad things to say about Dan Quinn, but this was a terrible game on his end. And doing so is showing kindness.
Not only was Quinn’s offense, which had been mainly inert until Thursday night, exploiting them, but they were also committing silly errors like lining up offsides. We can tolerate (for the most part) more subjective penalties that come from officiating, but how are you lining up offsides before the play even starts?
Remember that Dallas lost in Philadelphia due to a 100% touchdown conversion allowed by Quinn’s defense? They are very, very, very good, but they definitely need to work on their shortcomings and the mini-bye.
Stock Down: Donovan Wilson
DaRon Bland was undoubtedly a major factor in the first Seattle touchdown (the DK Metcalf 73-yard house call), but Donovan Wilson also contributed when he fell for Geno Smith’s charms. Wilson appeared disoriented when covering, and in that way, he embodies the entire secondary. There was nothing substantial, cohesive, or well-organized. It was a catastrophe.
Stock Down: Dante Fowler
Although we have already discussed the penalties for offsides, we also need to hold the offending party specifically accountable.
Stock Down: Markquese Bell
Markquese Bell has been playing some excellent football lately, but he also appeared to be manipulated by Geno Smith. The Seahawks were able to exploit the defense throughout the game because the middle of the defense left everything open to attack. All things considered, the defense struggled mightily throughout.