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You may have noticed the glaring absence of Trevon Diggs in the fourth quarter of Dallas‘ 36-28 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
It was by design.
Head coach Mike McCarthy announced after the game that the star cornerback experienced back tightness and was held out as a precaution with the Cowboys leading 36-14 in the final frame.
Diggs, who will be reevaluated Monday, confirmed he was struck by a cleat in his back.
“Something like that,” he told reporters.
With Diggs off the field, the Panthers found it easier to attack Dallas through the air, scoring 14 fourth-quarter points by targeting replacement CB Anthony Brown. Carolina finished with 266 passing yards on 26-of-39 completions.
“Probably a little early to take your guys out at the end,” Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones joked after the game, via USA Today. “You couldn’t cut the head off. They kept coming.”
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Diggs Rewrites NFL Record Books
The NFC Defensive Player of the Month for September posted two more interceptions, pushing his NFL-high total to five. Diggs became the first player in franchise history to record four INTs across his first four games of a regular season. He’s also just the 16th player in league history to accomplish that feat.
“Since 2000, only Brian Russell of the Minnesota Vikings (2003) and Devin McCourty of the New England Patriots (2019) have accomplished this milestone which further proves how rare it is,” wrote Matthew Lenix of InsideTheStar.com.
According to NFL Network’s Bobby Belt, Diggs is the sixth player in the last 36 seasons to pick off five passes over the first four weeks of a season. The 2020 second-rounder, too, entered Sunday as the sport’s leader in pass breakups. He added two more PBUs against the Panthers, giving him eight on the year.
“I don’t want them to stop throwing (at me). Keep throwing some more,” Diggs said after the game, via 105.3 The Fan.
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Best in the Biz?
Holding court in his postgame press conference, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott emphatically dubbed Diggs the NFL’s top corner, besting the likes of Jalen Ramsey, Xavien Howard, and Jaire Alexander.
“For sure. Turn on the tape. Watch what he’s doing,” Prescott said, via the Dallas Morning News. “Watch the guys that he’s following, week in and week out, the best player. …Yes, it’s easy to see.”
Prescott is the latest in a growing sect of teammates who have showered Diggs with praise. Earlier this week, Dallas first-round rookie linebacker Micah Parsons envisioned All-Pro accolades — and then some — for No. 7.
“Tre is a ballplayer, man,” Parsons said, via NFL.com. “I told him, I’m starting my MVP, All-Pro corner [campaign] for Tre Diggs already. He’s just helping this defense so [much]. He’s really making it easier for guys like me to get to the quarterback. I’m very happy for him.
“He brings that dog every day [in practice]. I think him going against CeeDee [Lamb], Amari [Cooper]. I mean, it’s so much deeper than that. You see Ced [Wilson] out there. You see Noah [Brown]. I don’t see a weak link in that receiver corps. You’ve got [Michael Gallup], too. So Tre, every day is challenging, push up everything. I think he’s ready for the moment. He told me he’s going to be the best, so I don’t expect anything less from him.”
