Here’s an instant analysis of the Cowboys’ 28-17 win over Kansas City.
WHAT IT MEANS: The Cowboys have their first three-game winning streak of the season, and their defense is playing its best football. More important, the Cowboys stacked another win with Ezekiel Elliott on the field because they have no idea, as of today, when his six-game NFL-mandated suspension will occur. After all, he didn’t get a reprieve this week until Friday. The suspension could start next week or not at all this season, so it’s important for the Cowboys to keep pace with first-place Philadelphia and win every game he’s on the field.
TURNING POINT: Leading 21-17 late in the third quarter, David Irving, playing against his former teammates, took advantage of DeMarcus Lawrence’s strong pass rush and sacked Alex Smith on third-and-five as the quarterback stepped up in the pocket. The sack forced Kansas City to punt and the Cowboys drove 87 yards in 13 plays for a touchdown and a 28-17 lead with 8:58 left in the game.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Terrance Williams, the most maligned player on the Cowboys’ offense, caught nine passes for 141 yards and played a huge role in the Cowboys’ win over Kansas City. Williams had receptions of 27 and 51 yards as he recorded the third 100-yard game of his career, and his first since catching nine for 173 yards in the final game of the 2015 season.
KEY STAT: Kareem Hunt finished the game with nine carries for 37 yards and a long of 19. He entered the game as the NFL’s leading rusher with 763 yards and a 5.2 average per carry. He also led the league in runs of 10 yards or more (21), 20 yards or more (8) and 50 yards or more (3).
WHAT'S NEXT: The Cowboys will play the underachieving Atlanta Falcons on Sunday at Mercedez-Benz Stadium. The Falcons, who blew a 28-3 lead in the Super Bowl, are 4-4 this season and have lost four of five games. Their offense can by dynamic, but it’s not going to be any more dynamic than Kansas City’s offense and the Cowboys did a solid job against them.
