The Jets have done something no other team did through the first month of the season by making the Cowboys defense look good in the first half of Sunday’s game.
Dallas sacked Jets quarterback Justin Fields three times and forced a Breece Hall fumble while building a 23-3 lead at MetLife Stadium.
The Jets kicked a field goal to open the game — although they should have had a second chance at trying for a touchdown after a batted pass hit a skycam on third down — but the Cowboys tied the score on their first drive and stepped things up from there. Tight end Jake Ferguson scored on a 26-yard catch early in the second quarter and had another one just before halftime to push the lead to three scores.
A 66-yard Javonte Williams run set up Ferguson’s second score and Williams also scored a touchdown in the second quarter. His touchdown came after Marist Liufau forced Hall to fumble inside the Cowboys’ 10-yard line. Hall went to the medical tent on the sideline after losing the ball, but there’s been no official announcement about his injury.
The Cowboys lost linebacker Jack Sanborn to a head injury in the first half, but the defense seems to have a good handle on things without him.
An erroneous application of the NFL’s rule regarding Skycam interference robbed the Jets of an opportunity to score a touchdown.
Facing third and goal from the Dallas seven in the first quarter at MetLife Stadium, Jets quarterback Justin Fields threw a screen pass toward running back Breece Hall. If struck the face mask of Cowboys defensive end Dante Fowler Jr. — and then it hit the Fox Skycam.
The ruling on the field was incomplete pass. Replay assist did not get involved. The Jets did not challenge the ruling. (It is a reviewable, by replay assist and the full replay-review system.)
From the plain language of the rulebook, the proper outcome of a ball hitting the Skycam is a do-over: "[I]f a loose ball in play strikes a video board, guide wire, sky cam, or any other object, the ball will be dead immediately, and the down will be replayed at the previous spot. In the event the down is replayed, the game clock will be reset to the time remaining when the snap occurred, and the clock will start on the All penalties will be disregarded, except for personal fouls or unsportsmanlike conduct fouls, which will be administered prior to the replaying of the down.”
Per the league, there’s no exception for (as in this case) a pass striking a player and then hitting the Skycam.
There were, as a result, multiple failures. The officials should have ruled it as a do-over, not an incomplete pass. Replay assist should have fixed. And the Jets should have thrown the red challenge flag.
Obviously, the extra chance at the end zone could have resulted in a touchdown. Instead, the Jets kicked a field goal. They currently trail the Cowboys 23-3.
The Cowboys have moved into the lead in the second quarter of Sunday’s game against the Jets.
Tight end Jake Ferguson caught a short pass from quarterback Dak Prescott and turned upfield for a 26-yard touchdown. The Cowboys sent the offense out to go for two after a Jets penalty, but settled for an extra points and a 10-3 lead after a false start.
Prescott is 7-of-11 for 106 yards through the first two Cowboys possessions of the afternoon. He’s hit wide receiver Ryan Flournoy twice for 48 yards and picked up first downs on throws to Flournoy, George Pickens, and Hunter Luepke.
The Jets drove into scoring position on their opening drive, but Dante Fowler batted a third-down pass by Jets quarterback Justin Fields into the sky cam for an incompletion. As written, NFL rules suggest that the down should have been replayed but the Jets moved on to kick a field goal.
The Cowboys are making more than one change to their starting cornerback group on Sunday.
Cowboys sideline reporter Kristi Scales said on 105.3 The Fan, via multiple reporters, that Reddy Steward will be starting alongside DaRon Bland and Trevon Diggs. Diggs did not start last Sunday’s tie against the Packers.
Kaiir Elam started the first four games for Dallas, but will be on the bench to start the game against the Jets. Steward, who did not play any defensive snaps in Week 1, has 16 tackles, three tackles for loss, and one pass defensed this season.
The Cowboys have allowed the most passing yards in the league and they’ll hope the change leads to better results in New Jersey.
The Ravens ruled six players out on Friday, so they knew they’d be shorthanded for Sunday’s game against the Texans but there was a question about how many other players would be unavailable due to injuries.
Four players were listed as questionable, including safety Kyle Hamilton and left tackle Ronnie Stanley. Both of them are on the inactive list, so the Ravens are very thin on stars as they join quarterback Lamar Jackson, linebacker Roquan Smith, and cornerback Marlon Humphrey on the sideline.
Cooper Rush will get the start at quarterback and several other backups will have to shine if the Ravens are going to avoid a 1-4 start.
Texans at Ravens
Texans: WR Braxton Berrios, QB Graham Mertz, CB Zion Childress, LB Christian Harris, OL Jarrett Kingston, OL Trent Brown
Ravens: QB Lamar Jackson, S Kyle Hamilton, LB Roquan Smith, T Ronnie Stanley, CB Marlon Humphrey, CB Chidobe Awuzie, FB Patrick Ricard
Giants at Saints
Giants: LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, RB Tyrone Tracy Jr., OL Evan Neal, DL Elijah Garcia, QB Jameis Winston
Saints: RB Devin Neal, CB Isaac Yiadom, OL Cesar Ruiz, T Xavier Truss, DT Khristian Boyd, DE Chase Young
Cowboys at Jets
Cowboys: WR KaVontae Turpin, RB Miles Sanders, OL Tyler Booker, OL Tyler Guyton, WR CeeDee Lamb, DT Jay Toia, DE Marshawn Kneeland
Jets: EDGE Jermaine Johnson, CB Michael Carter II, RB Kene Nwangwu, OL Esa Pole, TE Stone Smartt, TE Jelani Woods, DT Leonard Taylor
Broncos at Eagles
Broncos: DE Sai’vion Jones, LB Que Robinson, OL Frank Crum QB Sam Ehlinger, RB Jaleel McLaughlin
Eagles: QB Sam Howell, CB Mac McWilliams, OL Drew Kendall, WR Xavier Gipson
Raiders at Colts
Raiders: TE Brock Bowers, LB Germaine Pratt, G Caleb Rogers, TE Michael Mayer, DT Leki Fotu, CB Eric Stokes
Colts: WR Alec Pierce, QB Riley Leonard, CB Kenny Moore, RB Tyler Goodson, LB Buddy Johnson, T Luke Tenuta, DT Eric Johnson
Dolphins at Panthers
Dolphins: CB Storm Duck, QB Quinn Ewers, DT Zeek Biggers, RB Jaylen Wright, WR Cedrick Wilson
Panthers: TE Ja’Tavion Sanders, CB Chau Smith-Wade, RB Chuba Hubbard, LB Claudin Cherelus, DT Jaden Crumedy, DT Tershawn Wharton
