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Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Commanders stock report: 10 risers as the Cowboys win number 3 in a row

The good times keep on rolling for Dallas.

NFL: Washington Commanders at Dallas Cowboys Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

The Dallas Cowboys won on Sunday. It was their third win in a row. How all of this is happening with everything encircling the team is nothing short of wild.

Pessimists will point out that Dallas has benefited from playing some poor teams in the New York Giants and Washington Commanders. Optimists will note that those are both division rivals of the Cowboys and that wins against them matter a great deal. The optimists will add that Dallas has made lemonade when nobody thought they could, and that they have a 3-1 record to show for it with all of their goals still very much in front of them.

We discussed everything that happen during Sunday’s Cowboys win over the Commanders in our Dallas Cowboys Postgame Show on the Blogging The Boys podcast network. Make sure to subscribe to our network so you don’t miss any of our shows! Apple devices can subscribe here and Spotify users can subscribe here.

Not even the most loyal Dallas Cowboys fan thought that this was possible as the dust was settling on the team’s Week 1 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. To the team’s credit, they have found a way to buckle down and take advantage of what they can while overcoming hurdles that presented themselves elsewhere.

Throughout this win streak (because that’s what it is) we have kept things positive with our Stock Report surrounding the team. We will continue that trend here and go with 10 stock ups.

Let us begin.


Stock Up: Michael Gallup

How could we start anywhere else?

Michael Gallup played on Sunday for the first time since tearing his ACL in the penultimate game of last year’s regular season. He is clearly not in middle-of-the-season shape, but he is also very clearly a very welcome addition to an offense that was in need of some help.

It was so great to see Gallup make his first catch upon his return. The second one was even better given that it was a touchdown!

This was the first game that the Cowboys played with CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup as the defined top two receivers. Lo and behold both scored.


Stock Up: CeeDee Lamb

Which brings us here! To CeeDee Lamb’s touchdown to start the fourth quarter!

This was the first play of the fourth quarter so there was still a lot yet to come, but given the way that the Cowboys defense was playing it felt like this was the ballgame in some sense.

Lamb is still growing into his WR1 role and we are seeing legitimate steps after legitimate steps.


Stock Up: Trevon Diggs

Speaking of the defense... Trevon Diggs is back, y’all.

This marks two interceptions in as many games for Diggs who has without question been playing better in 2022 than he did in 2021. The extreme volume of interceptions has not been there, but that was never going to be the case. In every sense that matters though, Diggs has grown significantly which was evidenced by how well he locked down Terry McLaurin.


Stock Up: DeMarcus Lawrence

The box score is never the best way to judge success in sports, but a lot of people tend to do that with DeMarcus Lawrence. These people feel that Tank does not get enough sacks, but watching him play shows how valuable he is. Lawrence is a force.

Carson Wentz is going to be seeing number 90 charging at him for a long time after the day that Lawrence put him through. You can make an argument that Lawrence was robbed of NFC Defensive Player of the Week last week and he rebounded it with a similarly solid effort on Sunday.


Stock Up: Neville Gallimore

We spent so much time talking about regression to the mean with turnovers, but that also existed with DeMarcus Lawrence and Neville Gallimore from a games played standpoint. We barely saw them last year.

Neville Gallimore gets forgotten because he does so much dirty work but he got the relentless party started by getting pressure on Carson Wentz early in this game.

In any other year we would likely be talking all about Gallimore after every accomplishment, but this is a loaded defense. It allows for all sorts of stars to shine.


Stock Up: Cooper Rush

If we are being fair, then Cooper had two passes that would have been interceptions if not for penalties that were fairly called, but things that ultimately bailed him out nonetheless.

But we are celebrating and Cooper Rush has now done something that no other player in franchise history ever has as he is 4-0 in his first four career starts as the Dallas Cowboys quarterback. He has steadied the ship, driven the bus, done whatever you want to say.

He has been exactly what this team needed.


Stock Up: Brett Maher

If you follow me on Twitter then you know that I was very vocal about disagreeing with the decision to bring back Brett Maher. As this was the case I will take every opportunity to give him his props because he has been one of the best kickers in the NFL since returning.

Maher “missed” an extra point in this game because it was blocked and he “missed” a field goal on Monday night when the Cowboys attempted a long one in their rushed sequence at the end of the first half. But other than that he has been perfect. He has been clutch. He has been reliable.

The process of how Dallas got to him was certainly questionable, but Brett Maher deserves all of his flowers.


Stock Up: Donovan Wilson

The fact that Dak Prescott has missed the last three games has served as the headlining data point, but Jayron Kearse has missed all of them as well. With all due respect to Kearse, who will 100% make this defense better when he returns, he hasn’t been missed much.

Donovan Wilson continues his stellar season for the Cowboys and showed that on Sunday. He was all over the place. In action. In coverage. Setting the tone. Where has this player been for the last three years?


Stock Up: DaRon Bland

If you get an interception then your stock goes up. It goes particularly up if you are a rookie doing it in your fourth game ever.

Seriously though, the preseason hype around Bland was such where other players have seen it dissipate as the regular season has come along. Bland has played very well and so much so that the Cowboys continue to leave Nahshon Wright inactive every week.


Stock Up: Mike McCarthy

There is nobody that people love to criticize more when it comes to the Cowboys than Mike McCarthy. Similarly there is nobody who people love to not give credit to when it comes to the Cowboys like Mike McCarthy.

Dan Quinn is running an elite defense, that is totally true. Kellen Moore has had moments where he doesn’t look like a terrible offensive coordinator, that is true. Cooper Rush has played well, CeeDee Lamb has grown in his role, and Micah Parsons continues to serve as the compass that the defense is centered around.

What about Mike McCarthy? What about the head coach? What about the guy who is 8-7 in games played without Dak Prescott under center? When does he get his flowers?

Since the Cowboys were bounced in the playoffs last year McCarthy has had to see his boss openly dangle his job security in the name of keeping one of his subordinates, sat by as his front office made moves that the entire NFL world questioned, and dealt with the universal agreement that this team’s season was over three weeks ago all while pointing at the shiny Sean Payton on television and practically handing him the headset.

He has buckled down and gone to work. Whether it’s smashing watermelons, applying monkey butt, or just doing the necessary things, McCarthy has prevailed.

He does not deserve all of the credit. But he deserves his fair share. Shout out to him.

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