The Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Chargers gave everyone a good show in Week 2 action. After going through a hard-fought battle, Mike McCarthy and his squad were able to survive by way of a 20-17 victory. It wasn't the prettiest of wins, but the Cowboys will certainly take it, especially after failing to complete a huge upset against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week. Let's look at three Cowboys takeaways from their Week 2 win over the Chargers.
Cowboys Week 2 takeaways
3. Micah Parsons successfully delivered when his number was called against the Chargers
The Cowboys suffered a huge blow when they found out that both DeMarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory were bound to be sidelined for Week 2. Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn eventually converted linebacker Micah Parsons as an edge rusher amidst the absence of their veterans in the trenches.
Though he was forced to play out of position, the Penn State talent still came up with huge contributions with seven pressures, a quarterback hit, and a sack. Yes, Parsons might have played well against a cranky Chargers offensive line, but he still deserves to get credit for the effort despite not playing in his comfort zone on the field.
Luckily for the Cowboys, their other defenders in Jaylon Smith, Leighton Vander Esch, and Jayron Kearse also did a great job of helping out Parsons and coming out with huge contributions.
2. Tony Pollard has potential to surpass Ezekiel Elliott as the team's top rusher
Cowboys fans didn't see much of the team's running game in their first tilt against the Buccaneers, especially with Dak Prescott throwing the ball all over the field. However, offensive coordinator Kellen Moore decided to flip the script and used the ground game as their main weapon against Los Angeles.
Given the situation, most would likely expect Ezekiel Elliott to lead the rushing unit for the Cowboys. However, it was the 24-year-old Tony Pollard who emerged as the more dangerous RB on the field for their Week 2 slate.
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The 2019 draftee headlined the rushing attack with 109 yards on 13 carries to go with a touchdown scored. Elliott, on the other hand, racked up fewer numbers compared to his teammate with 71 yards on 16 rushes along with a TD.
The three-time Pro Bowler did come out with a respectable outing against the Chargers and is still a major threat to this day. However, everyone can admit that Elliott might have already lost a step compared to how he played just a few years ago.
At the end of the day, it will be hard to deny that a younger back in Tony Pollard is already on the rise and has the potential to exceed Ezekiel Elliott's level of production sometime in the near future.
1. Dak Prescott is showing that he is already getting back to his pre-injury form
In Week 1, Dak Prescott came out of the gates with a strong performance against the Buccaneers, but he ultimately failed to power his team to their first win of the season. Against the Chargers, Prescott's performance wasn't as prolific, but he was still effective with 237 yards on 23-of-27 passing.
It wasn't a perfect game for Prescott given he failed to throw a touchdown pass and even tallied an interception. However, he still had a major imprint on the game and did just enough to put Greg Zuerlein in position to hit the game-winning field goal from 56 yards out.
As of this moment, Dak Prescott can still work on many things in his game, but he is showing that he has already fully recovered from his injuries and is close to finding his previous Pro Bowl form.
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