The Dallas Cowboys have not had a pair of players to reach 1,000-yard receiving yards since 2012, when Dez Bryant had 1,382 and Jason Witten had 1,039 en route to an 8-8 season. The Cowboys have never had a running back and two wide receivers with 1,000 yards each in the same season, either. Barring anything crazy to end the season, the Cowboys should reach that feat this year.
It’s almost impossible for Ezekiel Elliott to never have 1,000 yards rushing behind a strong offensive line. But Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup are making a statement of their own, too. Cooper already has 70 receptions for 1,054 yards and eight touchdowns. Cooper’s biggest game came against the Green Bay Packers where he hauled in 11 catches for 226 yards and a touchdown.
Gallup has 55 receptions for 905 yards, including four games over 100 yards. He has a shot to reach the 1,000-yard mark as early as Dec. 15 against the Rams. Gallup has scored thrice this season.
Gallup has an inspiring story and he’s easily a fan favorite. Gallup was adopted at 10 months old and had tragedy hit close to home last season. On Nov. 18, after a three-point win over the Atlanta Falcons, he received the devastating news that his brother had committed suicide.
“That was by far the toughest thing I’ve ever had to do was to get some news like that,” Gallup said. “You don’t really know how to think. You just sit there and you cry. I just sat there and cried. I got in the car with my sister and cried the whole way home. You can’t really do anything about it.”
Gallup was selected 81st overall in the third round of the 2018 draft. He was signed for four years at $3.52 million. He will be looking for a bigger payday when this contract expires, but the Cowboys could find a way to keep him on the roster.
The Cowboys are sitting in first place in a disastrous NFC East at 6-7. They control their playoff destiny with only three games remaining. The Eagles are currently one game behind and they play the New York Giants on Monday night. Two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning, who was benched early in the season, is getting the starting job this week. Manning is feeling rejuvenated as he looks forward to an upset as the teams travels to Philadelphia.
It’s hard to believe that a team that sits at 3-9 has a chance to make the playoffs. However, if the Washington Redskins win their remaining four games and the Eagles and Cowboys both lose out, Washington would make the playoffs. The NFC East is the laughing stock of the NFL this year.
The never-ending story since mid-season remains the question of when head coach Jason Garrett will be fired and will it come midseason? Jerry Jones has see-sawed back and forth on supporting him and also stated that Garrett has to win it all to have a chance at returning. At this point, Garrett may be ready to leave once the season’s over after being the head coach now since 2010.
