Finalizing stock up and stock down from Week 4 for the Cowboys

After four weeks of regular season football, the Dallas Cowboys now sit at 3-1 and have won three straight games. With back-to-back wins against division rivals, the Cowboys have taken an important step to stake their claim atop of the NFC East for a second year in a row.

However, at this very moment, the Philadelphia Eagles hold a one-game edge over the Cowboys through four weeks. The Cowboys will be facing the Eagles in week six, but do have an important week five match-up vs the reigning Super Bowl Champions, the Los Angeles Rams. Before we get there, lets put a bow on week four’s win against the Commanders.

Gallup is back, and the Cowboys have a nice trio of wide outs to work with

The Cowboys in week four had a pleasant surprise as the returning Michael Gallup scored a touchdown in his first game action since tearing his ACL last season. It was a very promising sign to see Gallup in on 64% of the offensive snaps. Although his stat sheet on the day was nothing to write home about, the mere fact that Gallup scored in his first game back and played on the majority of the snaps is exactly what the team was looking for.

With Gallup back in the fold, and CeeDee Lamb and Noah Brown playing well, this trio could be fun to watch, especially as Gallup gets settled back in. Once again, Lamb had a nice game by tallying six receptions for 97 yards and a touchdown. The numbers put up by Lamb vs the Commanders, and thus far in 2022, is what a number one wide receiver is supposed to do and he is showing the league that he is legit and isn’t going anywhere, anytime soon.

Aside from Lamb, Brown has been probably the biggest surprise to many with how he has performed through four weeks. He only caught three balls this week but did manage to tally 61 receiving yards, even with the lack of opportunities.

The Cowboys receiving corps has been more impressive than what they have been given credit for. Having Gallup back to team up with Lamb and Brown will most certainly open things up even more for quarterback Cooper Rush (and Dak Prescott when he returns to action) to do even more damage in the passing game.

The defensive continues to be elite under the direction of defensive coordinator, Dan Quinn

Another week, and another great defensive game plan that was drawn up by defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. Not only was the defensive game plan done up very nicely, the defensive unit themselves performed the game plan precisely.

And as always, it can be difficult to find one defensive player who outshined the rest because of the great play as a unit.

You could give it to a rookie named DaRon Bland for playing well in a game where Jourdan Lewis was a late-pregame scratch where Bland tallied up his first career interception. Maybe you could go with Trevon Diggs who has elevated his game. However, there is one player that was a wrecking ball all game and that player is Donovan Wilson.

Wilson was the leader in tackles this week when he had a total of nine and was just all over the field making great plays. He even got a hit on Commanders quarterback Carson Wentz. So far in 2022, Donovan Wilson has dominated and is now among the top safeties in all of the NFL. If for some reason you are still unsure of this assessment, maybe this will help you out:

Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard really need to have a bounce back game in Week 5

For all the good things that happened in week four, there was one particular area that was quite unimpressive, and that is the Cowboys running attack. Regardless of who is on the other side of the field, and yes, the Commanders have a good defensive line, but the Dallas Cowboys have two talented running backs in Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard. It certainly wasn’t for a lack of game-planning by Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. The duo simply were very unimpressive with their combined 55 yards on the ground on 27 carries.

Just over two yards a carry on average between both of these talented backs is a bit concerning, especially given the fact that the team is facing a Los Angeles Rams team who happens to have one of the greatest defensive players of all time, and a game-wrecker in Aaron Donald.

You could also say the offensive line wasn’t up to the task, and that is fair. However, Elliott and Pollard are both too talented to have posted these kind of numbers. Hopefully adjustments have been made ahead of week five so that this duo can hit the ground running once again, and play at a level that we are used to seeing from them. Their effectiveness on the ground will be key if the Cowboys want to leave SoFi stadium with the win and most importantly a 4-1 record as they head to Philly in week six.