Dallas Cowboys: Studs and duds vs. Packers in Week 5
By Randy Gurzi
Stud and Dud: Amari Cooper
Looking at his stat line makes it seem weird to have Amari Cooper as a dud. According to that, he was an absolute stud, pulling in 11 receptions for 226 yards and he even had a 53-yard touchdown pass which was a thing of beauty as he was dodging tacklers en route to the score.
Still, it’s hard not to point out the huge mistake he made early in the game. With Dallas driving on their first possession, Dak Prescott hit Cooper in the hands for what should have been a huge gain and maybe a touchdown.
That ended up not happening as the ball bounced off Cooper’s hands and into the arms of Jaire Alexander. While he did make up for it with his play afterward, this mistake set the tone for Dallas as they had one screw up after another throughout the contest.
Dud: Dak Prescott
While the first pick of the game wasn’t on Dak Prescott, the other two were solely on him. Prescott was intercepted when he tried to throw a pass to Randall Cobb in the middle of the field and it was just a terrible read, throw, and play in general. He then cost the team any shot at a miraculous comeback when he made a terrible pass in the fourth quarter as he tried to force the ball to a covered Michael Gallup.
While it’s true that a penalty should have been called for illegal contact on Green Bay, the ball wasn’t going to be completed as there was simply blanket coverage on No. 13. Prescott tried forcing one there and that was a huge mistake, especially since he had time.
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He was also bailed out on another mistake as he threw a pick in the end zone earlier in the second half but it was nullified due to a penalty on the Packers. This was one of the worst games in Prescott’s career. He does deserve credit for continuing to fight but this was simply ugly.