EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The last time Dak Prescott and the ĂŰĚŇTV visited the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium, they left the fight with a narrow 24-22 loss. The All-Pro quarterback entered the Week 5 matchup with a 1-1 record against the unfamiliar opponent, and to say he and the Cowboys were missing firepower would be a gross understatement.
CeeDee Lamb, Tyler Booker, Cooper Beebe and Tyler Guyton were all absent due to injury, as was All-Pro returner and dynamic receiving option KaVontae Turpin, seriously raising the level of difficulty against a defense led by Aaron Glenn.
On the other side of the ball, the name of the game was trying to contain the mobility of quarterback Justin Fields and to try and slow weapons like wideout Garrett Wilson and running back Breece Hall — on the heels of another unsavory defensive outing that helped fuel a tie against the Green Bay Packers.
In the end, the Jets had no answer as the Cowboys grounded them and left no doubt who was the better team on Sunday, an impressive and dominant win led by several guys hungry to make a statement for both themselves and the team.
And here's who made my list this week:
[Note: This list is unranked.]
Ryan Flournoy, WR
It's about damn time the Cowboys took the reins off of Flournoy. I get it, injury at the position led to it finally happening, but what Flournoy did with his opportunities at MetLife Stadium was nothing short of electric. His breakout game included a career-high tally of receiving yards — hell, he had 104 yards on five targets in the first half alone — and also doing it at critical moments when Dak Prescott and the Cowboys needed a conversion to keep the chains moving. In all, Flournoy season has likely arrived in Dallas, and the second-year wideout deserves it.
The Replacements, OL
No Cooper Beebe. No Tyler Smith. No Tyler Guyton. No Tyler Booker. … no problem? Wow. Going into this contest, there were obvious concerns regarding the Cowboys' ability to protect their All-Pro quarterback to allow him to cook, but the unit was basically phenomenal despite fielding several backups, and against one of the best defensive interiors in the NFL (led by Quinnen Williams, who wasn't allowed to leave an imprint on the game for much of it).
Dak Prescott, QB
No CeeDee Lamb. No KaVontae Turpin. … also no problem? Be not mistaken, both of those players are gamebreakers, but credit Brian Schottenheimer, Klayton Adams and Dak Prescott for not simply making due as they await the return of those All-Pro guys, instead making sure others were prepared and, most importantly, put in positions to succeed — time and again. Prescott missed some throws early that he'd like back, sure, but he settled in nicely to continue his 2025 heater that had fans at MetLife Stadium chanting "MVP!" before, during and after the game.
Jake Ferguson, TE
It was more than 20 games that existed between touchdowns for the Pro Bowl tight end before he snapped the drought by grabbing one against the Packers. With that proverbial monkey off of his back, Ferguson added another two touchdowns to his 2025 tally to help Prescott and the Cowboys blow the game open before halftime. On one of those touchdowns, he took a screen pass and followed exceptional blocks from Nate Thomas, Terence Steele and Ryan Flournoy for his longest touchdown in quite some time.
Javonte Williams, RB
After sniffing around the achievement through the first four games, Williams finally delivered his first 100-yard game for the Cowboys, but here's the kicker: he had 108 rushing yards and a touchdown in the first half of the contest. He'd go on to continue punching the Jets right in their cockpit over the remainder of the game and for those who were still, for whatever reason, wondering if he's the definitive RB1 in Dallas, wonder no more.
George Pickens, WR
Get you some as well then, Mr. Pickens. Coming off of the second-best game of his NFL career in the tie against the Packers, Pickens was mostly quiet on the stat sheet through the first half against the Jets — as he deferred to a red-hot Flournoy — but he would not leave without his eats, though. In the third quarter, with All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner lined up against him in press coverage and no help over the top, Pickens torched him off of the line and pulled away down field before reeling in a 43-yard touchdown dot from Prescott.
Marist Liufau, LB
Oftentimes, life is less about the mistake and more about how you respond to it. So when Liufau wrapped the Week 4 affair with the Packers having a sour taste in his mouth from missed tackles and a critical unsportsmanlike conduct penalty late in the game, eyes were on the second-year linebacker to see how he'd respond against the Jets. All he did was be one of the best tacklers on the field at MetLife Stadium, and his forced fumble on running back Breece Hall deep into Cowboys' territory with a teeth-rattling hit. It was recovered by Sam Williams and Prescott's offense rewarded him with a touchdown immediately after — Liufau flying high going into Week 6.
James Houston + Sam Williams + Dante Fowler, DL
The defensive end group had a party at the quarterback against the Jets, and it was all Justin Fields could probably do to not simply take his helmet off, taking the football and going full Cartman by saying, "Screw you guys, I'm going home." The siege the Cowboys were waiting for finally arrived in Week 5, led by James Houston, who continues to be an absolute animal despite not yet getting reps that equate to being a starter. Houston wrecked shop with a multi-sack game, continuing his streak of gamebreaking play this season, and both Williams and Fowler ended their drought by landing sacks against Fields as well (Fowler also had a key red zone PBU in the first half that was nearly intercepted) — an amazing showing by the DE group as a whole.
Osa Odighizuwa + Solomon Thomas, DL
There's rarely a game that rolls by without Solomon Thomas making his presence felt, and the battle with the Jets was no different. His tackle for loss in the red zone on the Jets' first offensive drive helped lead to the aforementioned PBU by Fowler and an eventual field goal instead of the touchdown the Jets were threatening to hang on the scoreboard. His compatriot Odighizuwa got himself a taste of glory as well, but in the shape of a takedown of Fields for a 14-yard loss on the Jets' third offensive drive to help force a punt, Odighizuwa's first sack of the season.
Shemar James, LB
I'd be completely remiss if I didn't mention James. The rookie played in only his second NFL game on Sunday against the Jets, entering due to a concussion suffered by starting linebacker Jack Sanborn in the second quarter. It didn't look as if it was only his second outing of his career, flying all over the field like a missile to lead the Cowboys in tackles in, again, only his second NFL game. And that's not counting the two or three booms that were deleted by penalty. In the event Sanborn misses time, James is ready, raring and able to do some damage as a tackling machine.
