After the Cowboys pulled off an emotional overtime win over the Eagles in Week 8, their Week 9 trip to Cleveland had "trap game" written all over it.
Some NFL fans (and Terrelle Pryor) were even predicting a Browns upset.
Apparently, the Dallas rookies don't understand how trap games work (or maybe it was a trap game for the Browns) because the Cowboys rolled 35-10 in what might go down as their most impressive victory of the first nine weeks of the season.
The Browns got schooled by the Cowboys' rookies, who looked unstoppable in Cleveland.
Dak Prescott arguably played his best game of the year, which is actually impressive because he has had a ridiculously good season. The Cowboys rookie quarterback finished 21 of 27 for 247 yards and three touchdowns. Prescott now has 12 TD passes on the season, which moved him pass Troy Aikman for the Cowboys' rookie record.
Precott's 141.8 passer rating was also a record-setting number, breaking his own Cowboys rookie record he had set in Week 3 against the Bears. The rout of the Browns marked the sixth time this year Prescott has recorded a rating of 100 or more. That's impressive because only six other rookie quarterbacks have done that in NFL history, and it's a pretty impressive list (Russell Wilson, Robert Griffin III, Ben Roethlisberger, Dan Marino, Cam Newton, Matt Ryan).
As things stand, Tony Romo is probably going to have nine more weeks to let his back heal because there's no way Dallas can bench Prescott at this point. Prescott is putting together one of the greatest rookie seasons by any quarterback in NFL history.
The crazy thing is that he might not even be the best rookie on his own team. That honor might actually belong to Ezekiel Elliott, who bulldozed the Browns for 92 yards and two touchdowns. Elliott now has 891 yards on the season and needs 117 more yards over the final eight games to break the Cowboys rookie rushing record of 1,007 by Tony Dorsett.
The Cowboys are a franchise that has had Dorsett, Calvin Hill and Emmitt Smith, so that's a huge record that Elliott will likely break in the next week or two.
If you're trying to figure out how two rookies have helped lead this team to a 7-1 record, don't worry, you're not the only one. After the win, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was asked if he would've believed before Week 1 that Dallas would be 7-1 going into Week 10.
If Jones is intoxicated this week, it's going to be because he's celebrating the 11th 7-1 start in team history.
Cowboys fans should also be celebrating that start because for one big reason: In each of the previous 10 seasons where Dallas started 7-1, it made the playoffs.
The good news for the Cowboys is that it's not just the rookies pitching in on offense. As Jason Witten proved Sunday, the old men can still contribute. Witten's 134 receiving yards was the sixth-highest single-game total of his storied 14-year career.
The Cowboys now look like the undisputed best team in the NFC. The Vikings suddenly have no offense, the Seahawks haven't won a game since Week 6 and the Falcons defense has a few holes that are almost as big as the roof at AT&T Stadium.
Anyway, the Cowboys won't have to worry about a trap game next week because they'll be traveling to Pittsburgh, where they'll try and beat a suddenly flailing Steelers team.
Speaking of the Steelers, let's get to the grades.
Baltimore 21-14 over Pittsburgh
Steelers: F
The Steelers offense is always at its ugliest when Ben Roethlisberger is coming back from an injury, a lesson that we all learned again Sunday. Including this loss, the Steelers are now 2-7 in games where Big Ben is coming back from an injury, and this loss might've been the ugliest. Pittsburgh put up only 66 yards of TOTAL offense in the first half, the team's lowest total for a first half with Roethlisberger since 2009.
The Steelers actually had more penalty yards (70) than total yards at halftime.
The good news for the Steelers is that they get a home game next week, something they clearly need right now because they've lost their past three road games by a combined score of 85-32. Overall, the Steelers have lost three in a row, something they haven't done since starting the 2013 season 0-4.
Ravens: B+
It's almost as if the Ravens offense and special teams made a deal with the Baltimore defense before the game: You guys shut down the Steelers and we'll each contribute one big scoring play. The Ravens won this game with two back-breaking plays: a 95-yard touchdown pass from Joe Flacco to Mike Wallace, and a blocked punt that was returned for a touchdown by Chris Moore. All of a sudden, the fact that the Ravens lost four in a row this season means nothing because they're now tied for first in the AFC North at 4-4.
Dallas 35-10 over Cleveland
Cowboys: A+
Although the Cowboys' rookies have been stealing the spotlight this season, let's not forget about Dallas' defense. Despite the fact that Dallas lost two defensive starters to injury last week (Barry Church, Morris Claiborne) and despite the fact that defensive end David Irving got ejected on the first series, the Cowboys defense still put together one of its most impressive performances of the year. The Cowboys limited the Browns to 222 total yards, marking the third time since 2013 that Dallas has held an opponent under 225 total yards.
Browns: D-
The Browns are so bad they're starting to make history for how bad they are. Cleveland has now given up 25 or more points in nine consecutive games to start the season, becoming the first team since 1964 to pull off that ugly feat. The Browns actually kept this game somewhat close in the first half (21-10, that's close for the Browns), but Cleveland's offense couldn't match the firepower of the Cowboys, or the firepower of a sparkler, for that matter. The Browns totaled 28 yards in the entire second half.
Kansas City 19-14 over Jacksonville
Jaguars: C
The Jaguars outgained the Chiefs 449 to 231 and put up over 200 rushing yards for the first time since 2010, but that wasn't enough because they couldn't hold on to the ball. The Jags turned the ball over four times, which the Chiefs turned into 13 points, and that's kind of a big deal when you lose by only five. Of the four turnovers, three of them were fumbles and one was an interception that Blake Bortles threw right to a Chiefs defender (Ramik Wilson). Seriously, there wasn't a Jags receiver in sight.
It was an ugly day for Jacksonville, which Jaguars fans probably expect at this point.
Chiefs: B-
If someone ever writes a book on ugly wins, this one will definitely qualify. Kansas City's offense was abysmal against Jacksonville (231 yards; 1 for 13 on third down). However, when you're playing the Jaguars, abysmal can still win games, and that's what happened to Kansas City. Kicker Cairo Santos should probably get a game ball for hitting four huge field goals (26, 51, 24, 26).
Miami 27-23 over New York
Jets: B-
Special teams giveth, and special teams taketh away. After Dolphins punter Matt Darr fumbled a snap in the fourth quarter, the Jets pounced on it and turned it into a touchdown two plays later that gave New York a 23-20 lead in the fourth quarter. That lead lasted for only a few seconds, though, because the Jets gave it right back after surrendering a 95-yard return for a touchdown on the ensuing kickoff. The kickoff return is good news for Ryan Fitzpatrick because it means Jets fans might complain about that instead of Fitzpatrick's two interceptions. The second one came in the fourth quarter when the Jets were at the Dolphins 11-yard line. Also, the Jets were ugly in the red zone, scoring a touchdown only once in five trips.
Dolphins: B-
It looks like the Dolphins have decided to take the game out of Ryan Tannehill's hands and put them in Jay Ajayi's, which makes sense because Ajayi did hit 200 yards in each of the previous two games. The Dolphins running back didn't hit that number Sunday, but he did rush for 111 yards. The most impressive part of that total is that 44 of those yards came on Miami's final drive of the game when they were trying to run out the clock. Thanks to Ajayi, they did that.
New York edges Philadelphia 28-23
Eagles: C
If Eagles fans were frustrated with coach Doug Pederson after Philly's overtime loss to the Cowboys, they probably want to see him fired now. Pederson made several questionable calls in the game, including the decision to go for it twice on fourth down in the second quarter when the Eagles could've kicked a field goal (the attempts would've been from 41 and 24 yards). Even if going for it were the right call, Pederson made some bizarre play calls on fourth down, including a Carson Wentz boot that got stopped for a 4-yard loss on fourth-and-2. Wentz also had a rough game, throwing two interceptions that set up two short Giants touchdown drives (30 and 31 yards).
Giants: B
The next time Malcolm Jenkins wants to talk smack about Odell Beckham, he might want to wait until after the game. Before playing the Giants, Jenkins said Beckham wasn't the most dangerous receiver the Eagles will face this year.
Beckham then responded by catching two touchdown passes in the first half. The Eagles secondary couldn't keep Giants receivers out of the end zone; New York seemed to score on every other drive. Eli Manning shredded Philly's defense for four touchdown passes and 257 yards. Eli's performance moved him past Vinny Testaverde for ninth place on the NFL's all-time passing yards list (46,428). Eli is now 25,512 yards behind his brother for the No. 1 spot on the list.
Detroit 22-16 over Minnesota (OT)
Lions: B+
The Lions only stayed in this game for two reasons: Their defense played lights out and the Vikings kept shooting themselves in the foot. Those two things left the door open for Matthew Stafford and the Lions offense to pull off one of the most dramatic comebacks of the year. Stafford led a 35-yard drive in the final 23 seconds of regulation to set up a tying 58-yard field goal by Matt Prater. Then, in overtime, Stafford drove the Lions 87 yards for a touchdown. The Lions totaled 109 yards of offense on their final two possessions, which is crazy when you consider they put up only 202 offensive yards on the nine possessions before that.
Vikings: D
Mike Zimmer might finally have to cut ties with Blair Walsh after the kicker's rough day against Detroit. Not only did Walsh miss an extra point, but he also saw a field goal blocked on a kick that appeared to be Walsh's fault (he kicked it low). If Zimmer needs someone to blame for the loss besides Walsh, he can probably just blame himself. Zimmer's clock management in the final 30 seconds gave the Lions the chance to win. After running a play on second-and-goal and getting to the Lions 1-yard line, Zimmer decided to call a timeout with 27 seconds left. The Vikings would score on the next play, giving Stafford and friends 23 seconds to get in field-goal range. If Zimmer had waited to call the timeout, the Lions wouldn't have had enough time to try and tie the game.
Carolina 13-10 over Los Angeles
Panthers: B-
One week after complaining about the refs, Cam Newton took one of his worst beatings of the season, and it was all legal. Newton was sacked five times in a game where the Panthers offensive line got run over. The good news for Carolina is that Newton wasn't the only quarterback who got run over in this game. The Panthers sacked Case Keenum four times and held the Rams to 59 yards rushing. Since 2011, the Panthers are 10-2 when holding an opponent under 60 yards rushing.
Rams: C
Things got so bad for Case Keenum in this game that Rams fans started cheering for the team to put Jared Goff in -- and TIM TEBOW.
Keenum wasn't actually horrible but he did throw an interception in the third quarter that led to a Panthers field goal. The problem for the Rams is that every team has the same defensive game plan: Bottle up Todd Gurley and make Keenum win the game. As you've probably noticed, Keenum isn't very good at doing that, and the Rams have now lost four in a row.
One of the ugliest sequences for the Rams offense came in the fourth quarter when Jeff Fisher called three consecutive passes after getting a first-and-goal at the Panthers' 7-yard line. All the passes went incomplete and the Rams were forced to kick a field goal.
On the bright side, the Rams defense did sack Cam Newton five times.
New Orleans 41-23 over San Francisco
Saints: A
The 49ers learned the first rule of football Sunday: Don't get into a shootout with the Saints offense. This wasn't a normal Saints shootout, either, because it actually involved New Orleans' running game. Led by Mark Ingram's 158 yards, the Saints racked up 248 yards on the ground, the team's highest total since November 1990. Of course, if there's a shootout, and the Saints are involved, you know Drew Brees is going to put up some big numbers, and that's exactly what happened. Brees threw for 323 yards and three touchdowns.
49ers: C
Chip Kelly and the 49ers seemingly solved one problem Sunday: They probably have a quarterback they can stick with for the rest of the season. Colin Kaepernick threw for 398 yards, the second-highest total of his career. Now Kelly can start working on other problems, like how to fix the 49ers defense. San Francisco gave up 570 total yards to New Orleans, which is the most the 49ers have given up since 2005 (583) and the fourth-highest total in team history.
San Diego 43-35 over Tennessee
Titans: C-
If you want to win games in the NFL, you can't give the other team two free touchdowns, and that's what Marcus Mariota did against San Diego. In the second half, two Mariota turnovers led directly to two touchdowns for the Chargers. The first TD came on a Mariota fumble that was returned 36 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter by San Diego's Dwight Lowery. Mariota's other big mistake came in the fourth quarter, when he threw a 33-yard pick-six to Brandon Flowers. It's not completely Mariota's fault the Titans lost (the defense couldn't stop the run) but Mariota's big mistakes definitely didn't help things.
Chargers: B+
Apparently, Melvin Gordon got tired of watching the Chargers blow fourth-quarter leads because he put this game in his own hands in the fourth quarter. Gordon carried the ball five times for 58 yards on the Chargers' final possession to ice things against the Titans. Gordon's 196-yard total for the game was a big reason why the Chargers were able to hit 208 rushing yards as a team, their highest total since 2008. Two-hundred is an important number in San Diego: Since 2005, the Chargers are 14-0 in the regular season when they rush for 200 or more yards. Gordon also tacked on 65 receiving yards, giving him 261 total yards. Gordon's total is the second highest in the NFL this year, trailing only Julio Jones, who had 300 in Week 4.
Indianapolis 31-26 over Green Bay
Colts: A
Jordan Todman clearly knew the Colts were in desperate need of a victory because he started things off Sunday with a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. The biggest surprise in this game is that the Colts' defense -- ranked 29th in the NFL going into Sunday -- carried the team to the victory. The Colts D put some serious pressure on Aaron Rodgers and even sacked him three times. The Colts offense was good when it had to be: Indy converted 7 of 14 third downs and scored three touchdowns in four red-zone opportunities.
Packers: D
Playing at Lambeau Field isn't exactly home-field advantage anymore for the Packers. Dating back to November 2015, the Packers are 4-5 at home, including this loss to the Colts. Although the Packers offense put up big numbers, most of it came in garbage time after they were already trailing 31-13.
Oakland 30-20 over Denver
Broncos: C-
If you can't run the ball or stop the run, you're not going to win the NFL, and the Broncos are proof of that. The Broncos' running game got shut down in Oakland, totaling 33 yards. Since 2000, the Broncos are 1-7 when they rush for 35 yards or less. You want uglier? The Broncos got bulldozed in Oakland, surrendering 218 yards on the ground to the Raiders. Since 1990, the Broncos are 0-17 when giving up 215 or more rushing yards in a game. There you have it, other NFL teams: The secret to beating Denver is to rush for 215 or more yards.
Raiders: A+
The return of Sunday Night Football to Oakland for the first time in 11 years couldn't have gone any better for the Raiders. The Oakland offense dominated this game from start to finish by doing something the Broncos usually do: punching the other team in the mouth. The Raiders decided they were going to run the ball on Denver, and that's exactly what they did, racking up 218 yards. The Raiders became the second team since 2011 to rush for over 215 yards against the Broncos. Latavius Murray was a big reason why the Raiders were so successful on the ground. The running back had a huge night (and huge fantasy night) going with 114 yards and three touchdowns. The Raiders' defense wasn't bad, either, forcing two turnovers and holding the Broncos under 300 yards.