Darren McFadden Breaks Out in Losing Effort

In the week leading up to Sunday’s matchup with the New York Giants, word was the Dallas Cowboys were planning to unleash a new-look rushing attack that featured a lot more of Christine Michael, the third-year power back the Cowboys acquired in a trade with the Seahawks just before the regular season.

But on Sunday it was the veteran Darren McFadden, not Michael, that had himself a coming out party.

With the starter Joseph Randle dealing with a back issue that ultimately kept him out for three and a half quarters, McFadden got 29 carries worth of work for 152 yards and a touchdown--which makes him the first Cowboys back to go for 100 yards in a game since DeMarco Murray left for Philly.

For owner and general manager Jerry Jones, anyway, McFadden stood out as a bright spot on an otherwise cloudy day.

“What is good news is you see McFadden come in there and take advantage of the number of touches that he had,” Jones said, per Todd Archer of ESPN Dallas. “And McFadden is a better player today than he was coming out of training camp because he’s had more reps, he’s had time really get out there and get a lot of practices in and he’s got a confidence in this system and plus we’re utilizing his speed real well.”