Stud: Amari Cooper
It’s funny how quickly those who made fun of the Cowboys trade for Amari Cooper got silent. He came over last season from the Oakland Raiders and has been the most explosive player on this offense. On Sunday Night Football, he had another huge game, which was even more impressive considering he hardly practiced this week as he was dealing with a quad injury.
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He really stood out on the Dallas third-quarter drive that ended with him catching a touchdown. Forst, Cooper made a sensational grab for 13 yards to move the team to the Minnesota 26. He hauled it in while on the tip of his toes. He made a nearly identical catch to end the drive, pulling in a 12-yard touchdown — his seventh of the season which ties a career-high for him.
For the game, Cooper had 11 receptions on 14 targets with 147 yards and a touchdown. He’s easily been the most explosive weapon on this team as he patiently awaits a new contract.
Dud: Ezekiel Elliott
The Cowboys offseason was highlighted with headlines about Ezekiel Elliott wanting to get paid. His holdout lasted the entire preseason as he hung out in Cabo training on his own. In the end, he got roughly $15 million per year. However, when he was needed most, he was missing in action.
Anytime a player becomes the highest-paid at his position, the spotlight will shine bright — and that’s what happened with Zeke. Yet when Dallas needed two yards from him late in this game, he ended up losing three.
Trailing 28-24 at the Minnesota 11, Elliott got the ball on second-and-two and third-and-two and came up short. That was the theme in this one as he had 47 yards on 20 carries with a long of six.
This team is supposed to be winning because of Zeke, but this loss had a lot to do with his shortcomings.