There was a lot that went wrong for the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. Atop the list was poor run defense, offensive issues in the red zone and too many penalties.
The defense played so poorly during the Cowboys’ 28-16 loss to the Arizona Cardinals that defensive coordinator Dan Quinn mentioned only three players who played well: DeMarcus Lawrence, Malik Hooker and DaRon Bland.
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Offensively, there weren’t many more.
One bright spot, though, was the play of wide receiver Michael Gallup. He led all pass catchers with six receptions for 92 yards on seven targets.
“It wasn’t too bad,” Gallup said. “I got my feet wet again. But it don’t feel right because we lost.”
The six catches were the most Gallup has had in a game since suffering a torn ACL in his left knee at the end of the 2021 season. The 92 yards were also the most he’s had since the injury.
“I thought (he) was awesome,” Cowboys offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said. “I would have loved to have seen us connect on that late one. You just never know where the ball is going to go. But you see him high-pointing a ball down on the boundary, that was one of the things we wanted to do this last game, kind of attack their young corners.
“He was able to do that against both press man-to-man — he got behind the guy on our sideline — and then he showed his ability to catch a hitch and make a guy miss. He’s the type of guy that when he’s one-on-one and you get a chance to get him running vertically, more times than not, he’s going to come down with the ball.”
Gallup had a feeling he’d get more opportunities because of how the Cardinals were defending Dallas’ No. 1 WR, CeeDee Lamb, who finished with 53 receiving yards after having 220 in the Cowboys’ first two games.
The one Gallup and quarterback Dak Prescott failed to connect on that Schottenheimer was referring to looked like it was at least defensive pass interference. Cardinals cornerback Marco Wilson never attempted to make a play on the ball as Gallup leaped to make the catch in the back of the end zone. Prescott’s pass was underthrown, which put Wilson in a difficult spot to make a play, so without ever turning his head, he pushed Gallup to break up the pass. A flag was thrown, but then picked up.
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It was the kind of play that Gallup has been good at making with his size, strength and leaping ability. And he probably needs more opportunities with those types of throws in the red zone.
The Cowboys trailed 28-16 with 5:19 to play at the time. A Gallup TD there could have been game-changing. Even a pass interference call would have given the Cowboys first-and-goal from the 1-yard line.
But it at least appears to be a good sign that Gallup was more involved a week after Cowboys coach and offensive play caller Mike McCarthy said they needed to do a better job getting him the ball.
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“If we keep getting that W, it really don’t matter to me,” Gallup said last week after having only two catches for 13 yards through the first two games. “If you throw me the ball, I’m going to make him right. If he don’t, and we still win, I’m good. … I just enjoy being out there. It’s been fun for me.”
The strange part about his increased involvement was that the Cowboys didn’t play better. Dallas was 8-1 last season, including playoffs, when Gallup recorded at least three receptions.
Was Sunday a sign that similar production can be counted on? The Cowboys could certainly use it, considering all of the attention Lamb will be getting. They need at least one, if not both, of Gallup and veteran receiver Brandin Cooks to be productive every week. The expectation is that the more Lamb, Cooks and Gallup play together the better they should be in McCarthy’s offense.
If Gallup can consistently play like he did Sunday, the passing game should figure things out and the red zone issues should get solved. If not, opponents will be able to focus their attention on taking Lamb away, and that will be an issue for Dallas if no one else consistently makes them pay.
The Cowboys signed Gallup to a five-year, $57.5 million contract in March 2022. He has talked often over the last few months about finally being healthy and being in a great spot mentally overcoming the injury. They need more games like the one he played in Arizona.
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“I just love the way he’s wired,” Schottenheimer said. “It’s never been about how many catches he has, it’s about us winning. I thought he did a ton of terrific things (Sunday) that gave us a chance to win the game.”
(Photo: Michael Owens / Getty Images)
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