Trevon Diggs shines as one of the stars in the Dallas Cowboys Week 4 win. Here’s a look at how he and the rest of the studs and duds performed against Carolina.
Make it three in a row for the Dallas Cowboys as they knocked off the Carolina Panthers in Week 4 to improve to 3-1 on the season.
It was their second home game in a row and they nearly hit 40 points again, finishing with a 36-28 victory. They were also able to knock off a team that came into the weekend with an undefeated 3-0 mark.
There were several players who stood out for the Cowboys and we look at who stood out in the Week 4 studs and duds.
Dallas Cowboys Stud: Dak Prescott
He had just 14 completions on 22 passing attempts for 188 yards which doesn’t seem like much. But then you look at the fact that he had four touchdowns and no picks and you can see how well Dak Prescott played for the Cowboys.
Prescott has looked extremely comfortable this season as he returns from a broken ankle and even took off running a bit in this one, going for 35 yards on four attempts.
Dallas Cowboys Stud: Ezekiel Elliott
Ever since the Cowboys started to split carries with Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard, their running game has looked much better. Both were great in this one as well, as Dallas gained 245 yards on 34 rushes.
Elliott led the way with 143 yards and a touchdown on 20 rushes — setting the tone for Dallas as they scored their third win of the season.
Dallas Cowboys Stud: Randy Gregory
The Dallas Cowboys have been incredibly patient with Randy Gregory who has been in trouble with the league since being drafted back in 2015. This year, he finally seemed to be turning a corner and was available from Week 1 — he did miss Week 2 due to placement on the COVID list, but still, his eligibility to kick off the season was more than welcome.
Up until Week 4, he had been pretty quiet. He had just one tackle entering the game but came alive with two sacks in the first half against the Panthers.
Dallas Cowboys Dud: Leighton Vander Esch
Back in 2018, the Cowboys thought they had the best linebacker corps in the NFL when they drafted Leighton Vender Esch in the first round and had him join Jaylon Smith. And during his rookie season, they were sensational together.
Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case since then. Dallas has struggled on defense and while it’s been commonplace to bash Smith, Vander Esch has also been a liability — and that was on full display Sunday.
LVE failed to fill in the gaps and was struggling in coverage. As a rookie, he looked as though he was flying all over the field and as of late, he seems to have really slowed down. Not sure if he’s just overthinking, or maybe poured some concrete in his shoes. Whatever it is, he’s showing why the Cowboys declined his fifth-year option before the season began.
Dallas Cowboys Stud: Trevon Diggs
Trevon Diggs has been on an absolute tear. He became the first Dallas Cowboys player to record a pick in three games in a row last week when he took a Jalen Hurts pass to the house for a pick-six. This week, he made it four in a row but he wasn’t happy with just one interception as he picked off Sam Darnold twice in the win.
Both picks were huge in turning the momentum but his second one was one of the more impressive ones he had as he barely came up with the pass.
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Last season, Diggs had three interceptions but had his hands on several more. He was often just a step shy from making a huge play but now that he has more experience, he’s starting to make those plays.
There’s no way he keeps this streak going for 17 games but for now, it’s been a lot of fun seeing how many he can get in a row.
Dallas Cowboys Dud: Terence Steele, Tyler Biadasz
As good as the Cowboys offense was, there were some areas that could be cleaned up. The biggest would be their pass protection — which was a problem for center Tyler Biadasz and right tackle Terence Steele on the day.
Steele has been filling in for La’el Collins and had been good before Sunday but he wasn’t on top of his game this time. Biadasz has had his struggles throughout the season and this game was no different.