Cowboys Report Card: Positive Grades As Dallas Downs Chiefs In Thanksgiving Classic

You hear that? That's the sound of hope.

The Dallas Cowboys have ample amounts of it after a superb 31-28 win over the Kansas City Chiefs at AT&T Stadium to move to 6-5-1 ahead of a date with the Detroit Lions at Ford Field next week.

Dak Prescott, aside from his early interception, played at an MVP-type level, going 27 of 39 for 320 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception, while CeeDee Lamb caught the [expletive] ball, going for 112 yards and a touchdown on seven catches.

George Pickens again showed up (again), going for 88 yards from six receptions.

Javonte Williams and the run game did just enough, and the defense, after a shaky start, locked in, forcing four consecutive punts between the second and third quarters, and again came up big in the fourth quarter, forcing another punt.

Prior to the game, we highlighted five things the Cowboys had to do if they were to slay Mahomes and the Chiefs.

Let's see how they did. ... in the form of our weekly Cowboys Report Card.

1 - Dallas Is Top-3? Good! Pressure Mahomes - Grade B

After scoring touchdowns on the first two drives, the Chiefs looked ominous, but the defense got its groove back, and sacked Mahomes twice in the first half, and would end up sacking him three times for the game (Jadeveon Clowney got two of them).

Countless times, the Cowboys' pass rush got close to Mahomes and laid a hand on him, forcing No. 15 off his spot regularly, but just couldn't close the deal. The constant pressure was evident all game.

Mahomes was still Mahomes in big moments, but this Dallas defense has been transformed in recent weeks and more than played its role in shutting down the future Hall of Famer.

2 - No 'shooting our own foot off' - Grade B+

Prescott's interception on the first drive of the game wasn't great, but after that? The Cowboys did a good job of limiting self-inflicted wounds.

Just three penalties in the first half, and seven overall, Dallas was far better than it was last week.

The late Pickens fumble was a heart-in-mouth moment with five minutes left, but KaVontae Turpin recovered to allow Brandon Aubrey to kick what would be the game-winner.

It was a game in which big mistakes couldn't happen. Dallas made one. So, that's progress from last week.

3 - Beat the odds, take some risks, and win on third down - Grade A

Prescott and Lamb were unstoppable in the first quarter, connecting on three third downs, all of which were converted, as the Cowboys were 3-for-4 on third down.

In total, Dallas converted nine of its 16 third-down attempts, but in the fourth quarter, it was four of five on third down to keep Mahomes on the sidelines and to record a memorable win.

The Cowboys also had one fourth-down conversion, with the offense rolling in critical situations.

4 - Offense as a whole, come to the Thanksgiving party - Grade A+

Dak threw for 320 yards and two touchdowns as he tormented the Chiefs' defense (100.4 passer rating), so too Lamb (112 yards, one touchdown), Pickens (88 yards), Jake Ferguson (36 yards), and Javonte with 59 tough rushing yards, along with a crucial touchdown in the second half.

But perhaps the most underrated aspect of the offensive performance? Despite the constant pressure from the Chiefs, Dak wasn't sacked once. Oh, and the offense only punted once.

They came to the party, alright.

5 - Win the red zone battle - Grade C

The Cowboys were 2/3 in the red zone, and the only time the offense was stopped was late in the fourth quarter at the Chiefs' eight-yard line, with Brian Schottenheimer opting for a field goal to go up two scores.

The Chiefs were 3/3 in the red zone, so they won the battle, but the Cowboys won the war at AT&T Stadium.