The Cowboys’ offense, for the most part, has been a disaster this season.
That changed Sunday night in a 27-20 win against Philadelphia as the Cowboys remained in playoff contention.
Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 151 yards on 19 carries and Dak Prescott passed for a season-high 273 yards.
The offense totaled 410 yards, four different receivers had receptions of more than 20 yards and the Cowboys had three touchdown drives of 75 yards or more in the same game for the first time this season.
Finally, the Cowboys played like a legitimate NFL offense.
Now, the question is whether they can replicate it Sunday against Atlanta, whose defense can only be described as a dumpster fire.
If you’re searching for a reason why the offense looked so good against Philadelphia start with the addition of Amari Cooper, acquired three weeks ago from Oakland with a 2019 first-round pick.
He’s yet to record a 100-yard game and he’s only scored one touchdown, but his impact has reverberated throughout the Cowboys’ offense because he makes everybody better.
“He’s come in and played a lot of different spots for us and done a lot of different things,” Garrett said. “He’s helped our passing game and our entire offense.”
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Since Cooper arrived, the Cowboys have cut receiver Deonte Thompson and dramatically-reduced Allen Hurns playing time, while promoting Lance Lenoir from the practice squad.
Cooper, Cole Beasley and third-round pick Michael Gallup are the team’s primary receivers. They combined to play 160 snaps and catch 12 passes for 146 yards.
“We like that group because they can move around and play different spots,” Garrett said. “Amari has played on the strong side and the “Z” and inside a little bit.
“Dak is getting more and more of a comfort level with him and there’s a comfort level with Beasley working inside and that can give him the confidence to cut it loose.”
Each contributed a significant play on the Cowboys’ 75-yard scoring drive at the end of the first half that resulted in Prescott’s one-yard touchdown run and a 13-3 lead with 19 seconds left in the first half.
Hurns, Noah Brown and Lenoir combined to play 25 snaps. Hurns caught one pass for 23 yards, but it came on third-and-eight on the Cowboys’ game-winning drive.
“Hurns has been really good the last two weeks,” Garrett said. “To have a guy who can come in and play all the spots and win for you is big.”
The Cowboys used the pass to set up the run in the first half.
Elliott carried only eight times in the first half, while Prescott completed 17 of 24 passes for 176 yards. In the second half, the Cowboys unleashed Elliott who had runs of 15, 35, 13 and 17.
He has five games of 150 yards or more since 2016. No one has more.
Since Cooper’s arrival, Prescott has completed 70 percent of his passes for 256.5 yards with three touchdowns and one interception and has a passer rating of 101.2.
That’s a tiny sample size, but over the last six games, Prescott has completed 65.4 percent of his passes for 238.7 yards with nine touchdowns and three interceptions and a 98.3 passer rating.
The Cowboys can win with those numbers.
Now, Prescott has fumbled way too much, the result of trying to salvage every play, a habit that must end. At times, he’s been too tentative in the pocket because he doesn’t trust what he sees, and he’s rushed some throws because of pressure that doesn’t exist.
But he displayed some qualities against Philadelphia that reveal why Garrett loves him and Jerry Jones said last week he’s going to eventually give him a contract extension.
“He, too, is not perfect. There are some things he’d like to have back, some decisions and some throws, but he kept battling,” Garrett said. “It’s very typical of how he plays. He plays with a tremendous spirit.
“He just keeps coming back. He just keeps coming back. At no time did he ever blink, he just kept playing and doing his job and making a lot of big plays for us throughout the game.”
Now, Prescott and the Cowboys’ offense must do it again.
