QB Cooper Rush providing big lift to Cowboys offense

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Cooper Rush and the Dallas offense seem to be rounding into form, although it is almost certainly a matter of too little, too late for the Cowboys playoff hopes.

The 31-year-old Rush threw a career-high three touchdown passes on Sunday and Rico Dowdle bested his career high in rushing for the third straight week as the Cowboys steamrolled past the favored Carolina Panthers 30-14 on Sunday.

Rush has now thrown eight touchdown passes in the past four games, which include three Dallas wins and a heartbreaking 27-20 loss to Cincinnati on Monday night following a special teams blunder that led to the Bengals winning points.

It’s the best stretch of Rush’s nine-year NFL career.

“I think I'm a better player than I was in 2022, for sure,” Rush said. “I think some fundamentals have been cleaned up. I have been around a long time, but getting starts does matter. So that's important.”

Coach Mike McCarthy praised Rush after Sunday's game in which he completed 18 of 29 passes for 214 yards and helped the offense pick up 410 yards and 24 first downs.

“A lot of poise,” McCarthy said. “He commands the huddle and keeps us in really good plays.”

The Cowboys (6-8) still trail the Washington Commanders, a 20-19 winner over New Orleans, by three games in the hunt for the final NFC wild-card spot with three games remaining in the regular season, so the chances of reaching the postseason are miniscule even if Dallas runs the table.

But the improved balance on offense gives the Cowboys something to look forward to heading into next season.

Dowdle is emerging as a talented running back, topping his career high in rushing for the third straight week after racking up 149 yards on the ground on 26 carries.

Granted, it came against the league's worst run defense, but the undrafted rookie continues to run with more confidence with each game.

“He's doing a really good job, breaks tackles and has a violent run style,” McCarthy said. “His decision-making has been excellent.”

And Lamb continues to fight through a shoulder injury, despite the fading playoff hopes.

He caught nine passes on Sunday for 116 yards and a touchdown, reaching 1,000 yards receiving for the fourth time in five seasons.

“He's just a tough, talented dynamic football player,” McCarthy said. “You can't find enough ways to get him the ball. The beauty of CeeDee is you can line him in the backfield and give him the ball 10 times. He's a natural runner with the football. We just have to continue to find ways to get him the ball.”

Lamb said he believes defenders are gunning for his shoulder, knowing that it is has been bothering him. On Sunday, Panthers safety Xavier Woods was flagged for a hit on Lamb as he was attempting to make a catch.

But he said it's important to him that he continues to play through his injury because his teammates are counting on him — even with the playoffs seemingly out of reach.

“I always have that mentality," Lamb said. “Obviously, offensively, the guys are looking for me as a spark. So with that, I’m going to continue to do that. And I look at myself as a spark as well. I feel like I can personally score from anywhere on the field no matter how deep. With that being said, I want to be a threat every time I touch it.”

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb celebrates after scoring against the Carolina Panthers during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb catches a pass against the Carolina Panthers during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)

Dallas Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle is tackled by Carolina Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)

Dallas Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle runs against the Carolina Panthers during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Rusty Jones)

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Cooper Rush passes against the Carolina Panthers during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb celebrates after scoring with quarterback Cooper Rush against the Carolina Panthers during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — New York Giants co-owner John Mara received another aerial message trashing his woeful team before Sunday's 35-14 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

A small plane circled MetLife Stadium roughly two hours before kickoff, trailing a banner that read: “Mr Mara Enough — We won't stop until you fire everyone.”

The most obvious people on the chopping block after two straight losing seasons are coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen.

It was the second straight week that a plane was hired to circle the stadium in protest of the Giants’ seventh losing season since 2017. Sunday's loss was the ninth straight for New York (2-12), a franchise record-tying skid. The Giants fell to 0-8 at MetLife Stadium.

“Just control what we can control,” Daboll said of the skid, which has upset countless fans and annoyed at least one of them to the point where they are sending planes with messages directed at Mara.

Daboll insisted he did not see either plane.

The message last week before a 14-11 loss to New Orleans asked Mara to overhaul a team that has made the playoffs twice since winning the Super Bowl in February 2012.

“Mr. Mara, enough. Please fix this dumpster fire!” read the message towed by that plane.

Mara declined to comment last week and was not immediately available for comment on the second incident.

The planes have started circling the stadium around 11 a.m. on game day, and many players are not on the field for warm-ups at that time.

Linebacker Brian Burns said Sunday he didn't see the plane and had no comment on its presence or the message it conveyed.

Veteran receiver Darius Slayton reiterated what he said last week, noting people can spend their money however they see fit. He added that the Giants have a talented roster that needs a few tweaks.

“We just we just have to do a couple of things a little bit better to get it back on the right direction,” Slayton said.

The Giants made the playoffs in 2022 with a 9-7-1 record in the first season under Schoen and Daboll.

The Giants were 16-point underdogs against the Ravens, according to BetMGM Sportsbook, an unusually high number for a home team in the NFL. Baltimore covered.

No one has come forward to claim responsibility for hiring the planes and writing the aerial messages.

In the late 1970s, a plane hired by fans flew over Giants Stadium with a trailing banner that read “15 Years of Lousy Football. ... We’ve Had Enough.” Between 1973-79, the Giants won no more than six games in a season, with the six wins coming in ’78 and ’79 when the NFL expanded from a 14-game to a 16-game regular season.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

FILE - New York Giants owner John Mara watches his team practice prior to an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday Oct. 15, 2023. (AP Photo/ Jeffrey T. Barnes, File)

A plan pulls a banner, directed at New York Giants owner John Mara, over Met Life Stadium before an NFL football game between the New York Giants and the Baltimore Ravens, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)