The Dallas Cowboys put together a complete performance in Week 11, dominating a floundering Raiders team 31-16 in front of a nationally televised Monday Night Football stage. The biggest winners of the day were Cowboys fans, who were heard boisterously cheering America’s Team on the road as they watched their beloved team play to their potential.
The losers list had become a cut and paste template for critics and writers but turned things around hopefully just in time to make one final push towards postseason play. Their convincing win hid their weaknesses yet flaws still hover around what now looks to be a dangerous team.
In this weeks episode of winners and losers, players such as cornerback DaRon Bland and lineman Terence Steele had bounce-back game while guys like defensive end Sam Williams and tight end Luke Schoonmaker continue to make those wonder why they see the field so much, weren’t enough to make the list.
Winner: George Pickens
Wideout George Pickens has gone from curious addition to the top of the receiving food chain during his short time in Dallas. The Cowboys have gone from potentially using the franchise tag to almost assuredly placing the designation on the mercurial wideout as his stock has skyrocketed to almost unattainable numbers.
Perhaps the joy that has seemingly returned to Pickens from playing with quarterback Dak Prescott and alongside receiver CeeDee Lamb will allow for a discount to be brokered during negotiations, yet either way, Pickens is headed for an extremely large payday.
Pickens ranks 2nd in receiving yards despite being 11th in receptions with 58. His seven touchdown catches are tied for third-most in the league. His 14 plays of 20 or more yards also rank third in the NFL among receivers while his 50 receiving first downs are second-most.
The 24-year-old receiver is projected by Spotrac to sign a five-year $146.7 million contract but the $29.4 million annual average now feels like a pipe-dream even though the number does surpass the projected $28 million franchise tag for receivers in 2026.
Loser: Trevon Diggs
Catching strays when not playing is dirty work, but necessary after the Cowboys held the Raiders to under 20-points, the fewest given up all season. They did so with high-priced cornerback Trevon Diggs on the sidelines.
Diggs is still on injured reserve and after a series of issues, parting ways with the $97 million defender remains a possibility moving forward. The emergence of young CB’s Caelen Carson and Shavon Revel Jr. will only help to soften the blow of what is feeling like an inevitable divorce.
Diggs is eligible to return after the Week 12 matchup against Philadelphia with what was reported as a knee injury but it was an in-home concussion that sparked controversy that led to many resigning to his pending demise. Either way, Dallas has found success without Diggs revealing that life without the corner can be successful.
Carson took every defensive snap while Revel Jr. received 32% of the action on Monday Night. CB Kaiir Elam stood and watched as the Cowboys adjusted the workload sending those to wonder what will happen when Diggs returns and Revel’s workload demands an increase of playing time.
Winner: Quinnen Williams
Adding an interior defensive lineman can often go unnoticed as the dirty work they do is often in support of the glory of others but that was not the case for newly acquired defensive tackle Quinnen Williams.
The All-Pro defender showcased a rare skillset not seen in Dallas in quite some time. Williams notched 1.5 sacks, three QB pressures and a career-high 5 QB hits en route to a 90.2 PFF weekly grade against the Raiders.
Giving up a first and a second-round pick for a defensive tackle in a perceived lost season may have been a large sum to pay but the early return on investment feels like capital well spent. It also gives Dallas a cornerstone interior defender for the foreseeable future.
The addition of Williams reshuffles the pecking order and instead of carrying the load, players such as Kenny Clark and Osa Odigizuwa can reap the benefits behind the attention Williams commands.
Loser: KaVontae Turpin
Receiver and return man KaVontae Turpin received a nice payday just before the start of the new league year and was expected to have his role in the offense increase after such a commitment.
So far, the results have been less than fruitful although his impact on special teams has not diminished. Against Las Vegas, Turpin caught 1 pass on two targets for no gain.
Turpin ranks sixth in team receptions with 16 catches on the year, fifth in receiving yards with 184, and has only one of the Cowboys 22 touchdown receptions. Touted as a big play threat, Turpin has only produced two receiving plays over 20 yards — the same total as Jalen Tolbert, Ryan Flournoy, and Jake Ferguson.
Although not credited with a drop, the second target Turpin received hit the receivers hands adding to his Monday night woes.
Winner: Ryan Flournoy
The Cowboys front office seemingly takes longer to admit their mistakes than most but wideout Ryan Flournoy has essentially erased any opportunity for fellow receiver Jonathan Mingo might have gotten.
Flournoy has continued to excel on special teams and his all out effort as a blocking receiver has become a valuable part of the Cowboys offense.
More importantly, his 2-yard touchdown catch not only put the game out of reach, it allowed Flournoy to pay homage to fallen defensive end Marshawn Kneeland. The pair were very close friends and that moment allowed for some relief — albeit for just a short while.
His 17 receptions, 25 targets, and 200 yards all rank third amongst Cowboys wide receivers. His 2 touchdown receptions are tied for second most on the team alongside CeeDee Lamb further cementing the fact that Flournoy has emerged as the teams number three receiver.
While he is still a ways from carrying the workload of a starting receiver, his ability to take advantage of inferior competition has earned him more playing time, something the other reserve receivers have yet to fully exploit.
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Week 11 Winners, Losers: Turpin, Diggs lose leverage, Cowboys’ celebrate Pickens, Williams
Reporting by Angel Torres, Cowboys Wire / Cowboys Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
