INGLEWOOD, Calif. — What a game.
The Cowboys fended off the Los Angeles Chargers, a 56-yard field goal from Greg Zuerlein as time expired lifting the team to a 20-17 win. Dallas is now 1-1.
Here are five takeaways from SoFi Stadium:
Trevon Diggs can lead NFL in interceptions someday
And shoot, at the rate he is on, this season is possible.
The Cowboys cornerback recorded an interception in the first quarter Sunday, diving in front of wide receiver Keenan Allen. The turnover had little impact on the game — Dak Prescott threw an interception right back — but it certainly exhibited the ball skills for which Dallas drafted Diggs in the 2020 first round.
Let’s go back to that offseason.
Cornerback Byron Jones was allowed to walk in free agency. The Cowboys did not pursue him, watching the Miami Dolphins make him the highest-paid defensive back in NFL history. They frankly weren’t a good enough defense with him and needed more turnovers.
Byron Jones managed two interceptions in 79 games across five seasons with the Cowboys.
Well, Diggs has five in 13 NFL games. On Sunday, he became the first Cowboys player since Lee Roy Jordan in 1975 to record an interception in each of his team’s first two regular-season games.
Diggs is a year better from his rookie season, seeming more comfortable and confident while having a better grasp of his technique. While that will only continue to improve, he certainly seems to enjoy lining up against top-flight competition.
Some players don’t embrace that sort of challenge.
Diggs does.
The future here is bright. Monday is Diggs’ 24th birthday.
That was the best game from Cowboys linebackers in years
Are compliments of Jaylon Smith allowed on the Internet?
Will the Internet police immediately unplug my connection?
The Cowboys’ favorite punching bag punched back Sunday, one week after playing only 16 defensive snaps against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And he was hardly alone. Micah Parsons — more on a him in a bit — Leighton Vander Esch and Keanu Neal all showed up on defense.
Vander Esch, at times, has been the forgotten man here.
He played only 14 defensive snaps in the opener.
But Wednesday’s foot injury to defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence allowed for the Cowboys to get Smith and Vander Esch on the field more. Vander Esch and the linebacker unit had a dominant sequence in the second quarter. He drew a holding on second-and-2. Neal dropped a running back for a 1-yard loss on second-and-12. Then, Vander Esch sacked quarterback Justin Herbert to set up a punt.
Vander Esch drew two penalties for the game. He seems to be the best version of himself in years. Time to tell if he can surpass his rookie production. If he can stay healthy and get consistent snaps, he certainly has a chance.
Dallas has a loaded backfield
First things first: right guard Zack Martin is incredible at what he does.
He is not talked about enough. As a future Pro Football Hall of Famer, he probably cannot be talked about enough. Before discussing the productivity of the Cowboys’ running backs, let’s emphasize a key difference between the Week 1 and 2 offensive lines: Martin was back from COVID-19. Right tackle Terence Steele also held his own in place of La’el Collins.
An important preface.
Now, for that backfield.
Tony Pollard recorded the third 100-yard game of his NFL career while Ezekiel Elliott was efficient in his own right. The Cowboys lost valuable depth during the preseason when Rico Dowdle (hip) was lost for the season. Still, this is a dynamic one-two punch, and their body blows helped control the pace of this game for the offense.
Micah Parsons makes the Cowboys go
A rookie first-round pick has to be pretty special to switch for primarily a nickel linebacker in the first game of his NFL career to work at defensive end in his second game and make more of an impact.
Parsons is special.
The Cowboys will need this sort of performance consistently, given Lawrence is scheduled to miss at least six to eight weeks with a fractured fifth metatarsal. But he was dynamic with his rushes, and moving him from linebacker allowed the Cowboys to tap into their linebacker depth.
It is early. It is early. It is early.
You want to be careful when discussing a player at this stage in his NFL career, sparing the superlatives for a time when the sample size warrants them. But it is obvious to see what the Cowboys have here in their No. 12 overall pick.
He is a difference maker.
A healthy Lawrence is the defense’s best player.
How Parsons stepped in for an injured Lawrence removed any doubt as to whether Parsons is the Cowboys’ best defender on the field now.
Zuerlein rebounded in a big way
Give credit where credit is due.
Zuerlein went through the emotional ringer in Week 1. He blamed himself for the Cowboys’ loss in Tampa, Fla., following a poor performance in which he missed one extra point, a 31-yard field goal and a 60-yarder. Dallas lost by two points.
All kickers have those types of games.
The best ones responded.
Sunday’s win ended with teammates jumping all over Zuerlein after he made the 56-yarder. He also had a 34-yarder and made both of his extra points. That bounce-back performance ended the game on a positive note for the special teams unit.
It committed quite the blunder earlier.
In the second quarter, defensive end Azur Kamara roughed the punter to extend a Chargers drive, ultimately leading to a Los Angeles field-goal attempt. The Chargers missed it, so no hard, no foul. But Zuerlein’s make further distanced that debacle from memory.
Special teams coordinator John Fassel has some work to do with his unit.
That work is more enjoyable after a win. Zuerlein secured it.
