It was a huge night for veteran Cowboys receiver Brandin Cooks in Dallas. But watch his postgame press conference from Sunday’s dominating win over the Giant and once thing that stands out is the smile he gets when he talks about his wide receiver teammate, Michael Gallup.

In the end, Gallup had only two catches, but he made them count—he tallied 70 yards receiving and a touchdown on the day, part of an enormous output from the team’s trio of top receivers, who had come under fire in recent weeks for a lack of production.

“Huge,” Cooks said of Gallup after the 49-17 win. “Like I always talk to MG about, continue to trust it, never forget who he is, and today showed it. Two catches, I believe, 70-something yards. He’s an explosive player. It was sweet to be able to see that. … MG, he is a freak of nature. I just want him to continue to keep going because I believe so much in him.”

Cowboys’ Michael Gallup Had 1st Touchdown of 2023
The Cowboys had an outstanding night in the passing game, with Dak Prescott throwing for 404 yards and Cooper Rush adding another 68 in mop-up duty. But where the Cowboys receivers had been struggling behind lead star CeeDee Lamb, on this night, they shined.

That included a 41-yard reception from Prescott to Michael Gallup in the third quarter, one that went for a touchdown to stretch the Dallas lead to 35-7.

Gallup had struggled this year, as he has for the last two seasons since he tore his ACL in 2021. The Cowboys have continued using him as a deep threat, even if he has struggled to regain his form there. At Pro Football Focus, he has a season grade of 58.3, which is 91st among 118 wide receivers. His touchdown against the Giants was his first of the season.

But Prescott has continued to try getting Gallup involved in the offense. “If anybody is a fan of MG it’s me,” Prescott said.

Dak Prescott on Michael Gallup (2-70, 1 TD), “if anybody is a fan of MG it’s me.”

— Calvin Watkins (@calvinwatkins) November 13, 2023

Big Day for Brandin Cooks, Too
In addition to Michael Gallup’s play, the Cowboys got their usual big numbers from Lamb (151 yards and a touchdown) but it was Cooks who had the big breakout.

After totaling 165 yards in seven games to start the year, Cooks came through with 173 yards on nine catches and a touchdown, the most yards he has amassed since he was playing for the Saints in 2016.

Cooks was careful not to put too much on one game, but repeated what has become a mantra for him this season. He’s maintained faith that better time are around the corner, even as he has hard a time fitting in with the Cowboys since arriving in an offseason trade.

“It just means that at the end of the day, like I always tell the other guys, trusting the process, when your number called, be able to take advantage of your opportunities,” Cooks said. “Because when the ball comes your way, and it does, just go out there, and make plays.”

And, for a Dallas team that now has two 40-point games in the past two weeks, Cooks said the momentum is just starting.

“I think it’s been great, I actually feel great,” he said. “Like we said all along, we going to continue trust the men we have in this building. Like I always said, it’s going to come. Like I said, this last handful of weeks just goes to show that we going to continue to trust our system and guys will make plays.”

Sean Deveney is a veteran sports reporter covering the NBA and NFL for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2019 and has more than two decades of experience covering the NBA, including 17 years as the lead NBA reporter for the Sporting News. Deveney is the author of 7 nonfiction books, including “Fun City,” “Before Wrigley became Wrigley,” and “Facing Michael Jordan.” More about Sean Deveney