DeMarvion Overshown wasn’t sure he could catch the pass he tipped and turn it into an interception for a touchdown.
But he did, and now the Cowboys are looking to recover from a tough start to the season in hopes of reaching the playoffs for the fourth year in a row, this time without their starting quarterback Dak Prescott.
Overshown’s exciting 23-yard pick-6 gave Dallas the lead for good, Rico Dowdle rushed for a touchdown in his first 100-yard game, and the Cowboys held on to win 27-20 over the New York Giants on Thanksgiving Day.
Cooper Rush threw a touchdown pass, and Dowdle finished with 112 yards as the Cowboys (5-7) snapped a six-game home losing streak that started with a playoff loss to Green Bay last season.
Dallas has won two games in a row after a five-game losing streak but still faces a lot of work to get back into playoff contention. Prescott, the starting quarterback, tore a hamstring in Week 9.
“We just needed that one last week to get the ball rolling, felt that victory feeling in the locker postgame last week,” Rush said about their 34-26 win at Washington. “Everything’s kind of coming together, feeling good about it.”
Drew Lock, who started in place of the injured Tommy DeVito after Daniel Jones was benched and later released, lost a fumble following Overshown’s pick-6, adding to the Giants’ seventh straight loss (2-10).
Lock ran for 57 yards and a touchdown, but it wasn’t enough to stop New York’s eighth straight loss to the Cowboys, which also ended their playoff hopes.
“This is one of my first times to be able to come in and play a full game with these guys and show them what I can do,” Lock said. “Minus the turnovers and a few things, it was up and down. Some good. Some bad.”
The Giants had their first lead since Week 5 before Overshown turned the game around, putting the Cowboys back on top after they had led for just a short time during their six-game losing streak at AT&T Stadium.
Leading 7-6, Lock tried to throw a screen pass to Devin Singletary after the running back was pushed back by Overshown. The linebacker tipped the pass into the air, ran it down, and scored.
“I was thinking, ‘Hey, this is a good time to have those afterburners going,’” said Overshown, who missed his rookie season with a knee injury. “I was able to kick in some nitrous, and we were dancing in the end zone after that.”
Overshown also recovered Lock’s fumble on the opening play of the second half, which led to a 2-yard touchdown pass from Rush to Brandin Cooks.
He threw the ball into one of the oversized Salvation Army red kettles, a celebration made famous by Ezekiel Elliott almost ten years ago. He isn’t sure what happened to the ball, but it might go to his son.
“Before the game, I was telling myself that around this time last year, I was just waiting to show people my testimony,” Overshown said. “Just being out there on the field healthy is all I can ask for.”
Rush, now 2-2 as the starter in place of Prescott and 7-3 for his career, threw the touchdown to Cooks after a review overturned a possible fumble into the end zone.
Cooks, who was playing for the first time since Week 4, had been out with an infected knee after getting an injection in New York. He made a key diving catch to seal the win in the final two minutes.
Dowdle rushed for 46 yards in the first quarter, including a 22-yard run, his longest of the season. The Dallas offense slowed down after a strong start, but the defense stepped up and helped the Cowboys maintain the lead.
Lock had a 28-yard scramble to set up New York’s first touchdown and another 21-yard run before scoring on an 8-yard touchdown with 2:18 left. However, Lock was sacked six times.
“I don’t like the results,” Giants coach Brian Daboll said. “Nobody likes the results. But again, I have confidence in the people. Just got to do better.”
