Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs continues to make game-changing plays.
The Cowboys corner, fast becoming a rising star, housed a pick-six to open the third quarter of Dallas' 41-21 blowout win over rival Philadelphia on Monday Night Football. The pick put the Cowboys up 20 points at the time, essentially ending the contest with almost two full quarters of play.
"A receiver faking it as a D-back," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said of Diggs, via the Dallas Morning News. "He plays that ball and makes those special plays. And obviously, he's not only got talent, but by the way, he's worked to get in position to make those plays. He's a difference-maker."
With all due respect for Mr. Jones, if Diggs is "faking it" as a defensive back, he's doing a hell of an acting job.
Diggs has an interception in each of the Cowboys' first three games –- picking off Tom Brady in Week 1 and Justin Herbert in Week 2 to go along with the swipe of Jalen Hurts on Monday. He became the first Cowboys player with an INT in three straight games since Terence Newman in Weeks 11-13, 2007, per NFL Research. In addition, he's the first Cowboys player with an INT in each of the first three weeks of a season since Everson Walls in 1985.
Diggs said he's "trying to" put the league on notice with his play. Asked after the blowout win what his message would be, the second-year corner replied: "I'm here."
Given that he plays in Dallas, everybody will know Trevon Diggs' name soon, if they don't already.
"Tre is a ballplayer, man," rookie Micah Parsons said. "I told him, I'm starting my MVP, All-Pro corner [campaign] for Tre Diggs already. He's just helping this defense so [much]. He's really making it easier for guys like me to get to the quarterback. I'm very happy for him.
"He brings that dog every day [in practice]. I think him going against CeeDee [Lamb], Amari [Cooper]. I mean, it's so much deeper than that. You see Ced [Wilson] out there. You see Noah [Brown]. I don't see a weak link in that receiver corps. You've got [Michael Gallup], too. So Tre, every day is challenging, push up everything. I think he's ready for the moment. He told me he's going to be the best, so I don't expect anything less from him."
Diggs epitomizes a Dallas defense that has made plays through three weeks, even when it's given up yards. For instance, in last week's win, he gave up six catches for 121 yards against the Chargers but also came up with a brilliant diving INT and didn't give up a TD. In the modern NFL, with QBs throwing 40 times a game, good corners won't always completely silence an opponent like Deion Sanders once did, but they'll make game-changing plays.
Diggs has done so in spades.
He leads the NFL in passes defended through three weeks with six and is tied with Bengals LB Logan Wilson for the most INTs with three.
The scary part is that Diggs is just getting started.
Aaiden Diggs, 4-year-old son of Trevon and star of HBO's Hard Knocks during training camp, had a request for dad before Monday's game.
"I know he's really excited," Diggs said. "He was at the game. He told me that he wanted me to get an interception, like, 'I want to you to get an interception and a touchdown.' So I said, 'All right, I got you.' I kept my promise."
