Getty Images Daniel Jones of the New York Giants scrambles against Demarcus Lawrence of the Dallas Cowboys.
Things didn’t end peacefully between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants on Monday Night Football when a skirmish broke out in the center of the field after time expired.
Cowboys defensive end Demarcus Lawrence appeared to be at the center of the festivities following Dallas’ 23-16 victory, but it was apparently rookie tight end Peyton Hendershot who drew the ire of the Giants.
“So apparently [Giants defensive end Jihad] Ward and Lawrence were playing peacemaker at opposite ends of the scrum. Ward said Cowboys rookie TE Peyton Hendershot was talking ‘crazy’ after the win, so Ward grabbed his helmet,” Dan Duggan of The Athletic tweeted after hearing from Giants players in the locker room. “Ward said Hendershot was going at Xavier McKinney first.”
So apparently Ward and Lawrence were playing peacemaker at opposite ends of the scrum. Ward said Cowboys rookie TE Peyton Hendershot was talking “crazy” after the win, so Ward grabbed his helmet.
Ward appeared to have a message for Hendershot after the game.
“Guess he was excited,” Ward said, per Pat Leonard of the NY Daily News. “Laugh now, cry later.”
The Giants had a chance to drive late to tie the game, but quarterback Daniel Jones tossed an interception to Cowboys All-Pro cornerback Trevon Diggs with 1:17 left in the game to seal the victory. Dallas has now won 10 of its last 11 against New York, but the Giants are looking forward to the next one on November 24.
“We see them twice,” McKinney said. “It’ll be cool.”
Lawrence Sparks Cowboys Defense Against Giants
The Cowboys handed the Giants their first loss of the season behind a stellar defensive effort, led by Lawrence. The veteran pass rusher took down Giants QB Daniel Jones three times for the third three-sack performance of his career.
“Feels great,” Lawrence told NFL Network’s Jane Slater after the game. “Me and Micah [Parsons] got a little bet going on, I feel like I was a little behind. The energy was up, my body felt good today, so I attacked it.”
Parsons wasn’t too bad himself, despite dealing with an illness during the week that limited his practice time. Though he was held without a sack, he caused chaos up front, tossing around Giants linemen.
“I’m here to play,” Parsons said after the game. “I don’t want to be held back. I want to play. I live to play the game. I don’t really have too many things that get me up to this amount of excitement, this energy, the thrill I get from playing football.”
The second-year linebacker admitted he wasn’t at full strength, although it would have been hard to tell from watching him.
“I’m good enough to play my game and people can’t tell the difference,” Parsons said. “I think me at 60 [percent] is better than most people’s 100. I don’t care where I’m at, man. I just want to play.”
As a team, the Cowboys have 13 sacks, tops in the NFL.
Cowboys Expect Dak Prescott Back Soon
When the Giants see the Cowboys again, Dak Prescott will likely be back under center for Dallas. Prescott missed Monday’s matchup as he continues to recover from a thumb injury he suffered in the opener.
A firm return date for Prescott appears murky, but it’ll probably take place in early October. He’s not ruling out a return next week for another NFC East matchup against the Washington Commanders, but a more realistic date would be the following week when the Cowboys take on the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams.
While Prescott’s return is something the Cowboys are looking forward to, Cooper Rush has done a stellar job holding down the fort. He moved to 3-0 as a starter in his career with a win against the Giants, putting up 215 yards and a touchdown.