Cowboys passing game is starting to fire on all cylinders

The argument can be made that Dak Prescott is playing as well as any quarterback in the NFL since the Dallas Cowboys lost to the San Francisco 49ers back in Week 5. Since then, Prescott has thrown for 1,354 yards with 12 touchdowns to just two interceptions, completing 72% of his passes. More importantly, the Cowboys have gone 3-1 over that stretch.

It's no secret that wide receiver CeeDee Lamb has been the biggest beneficiary of Prescott's hot streak as he's racked up 41 receptions for 617 yards and three touchdowns over the last four games. This includes three consecutive games with at least 10 receptions and 150 yards which made Lamb the only wide receiver in history to accomplish that, and his gloves and towel from the Cowboys win over the New York Giants in Week 10 was put into the Hall of Fame.

Up until last week, Brandin Cooks, who the Cowboys acquired via trade during the offseason, was struggling to be an effective part of the offense consistently. He had five games with just four targets before the Cowboys took on the Giants, including just two against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 9. However, Cooks had his coming out party in Dallas last week as he was targeted 10 times (equaling his total from the previous three games) and caught nine of them while amassing a team-leading 173 yards and a score.

This is what fans watching the Cowboys in 2023 have been waiting for. Cooks, although in Year 10, still has amazing speed and the savvy with his experience to find holes in zones and shield off cornerbacks despite his smaller frame. The ability of Cooks to stretch the field vertically and horizontally creates opportunities for Lamb and Michael Gallup to take advantage of one-on-one matchups.

Speaking of Gallup, it's been a challenging season for him with dropped passes and not getting separation. He only caught two passes last week, but he gained 70 yards and scored a touchdown. Now, Gallup still needs to take more advantage of single coverage, something he sees more than any receiver, but the Giants game was a good starting point for him confidence-wise.

Not to be left out, tight end Jake Ferguson has hauled in 36 receptions for 354 yards this season. He's scored a touchdown in three consecutive games, something that hasn't been done in Dallas at the tight end spot since Jason Witten. Against the Giants last week, the Cowboys ran quite a bit of bunch formations with Ferguson, Lamb, and Cooks on the same side, which worked very well. The threat of Ferguson down the seams and on out routes to the sidelines is just another dynamic that the Cowboys can use with the other talent around him.

The Cowboys are a passing team now, so the more they can be effective in that area it will set up the running game, much like it did last week when they ran for 168 yards as a team. It's still a work in progress, but the Cowboys' aerial assault is starting to take shape.