The Dallas Cowboys finally got their payback for that season-opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, sneaking out a 24–21 win on Sunday. But the win didn’t come without a little drama. Midway through the action, defensive tackle Quinnen Williams took a hard shot to the ribs from Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, forcing him to step out for a bit. And now, Williams has come forward with an update on exactly how he’s feeling after that hit.

“Saquon did get me. (My ribs) are kinda banged up right now. I’m gonna do some treatment, rehab and things like that and get ready for Thursday,” the DT said after the game.

Dallas’ defense has seen fewer ups and more downs this year. So no doubt that Williams’ injury frightened the team. The injury happened during a pretty crucial first-half moment. Williams shot into the backfield with a clear line on the Eagles’ quarterback, Jalen Hurts. But before he could close the deal, Barkley lowered his shoulder and drilled him right in the ribs. Sure, there’s roughly a 70-pound gap between the two, but that didn’t matter at all.

After all, the RB’s hit folded Williams instantly. He stayed down, clearly in pain, and for a second it looked like the Cowboys might lose one of the pillars of their rebuilt defense. But Williams bounced back faster than anyone expected. He stepped out for a bit, regrouped, and then came right back in to anchor a defense that helped fuel one of the biggest comebacks in Cowboys history.

And that’s been the 27-year-old’s story ever since he arrived in Dallas. The New York Jets traded Quinnen Williams to the Cowboys earlier this month in exchange for defensive tackle Mazi Smith, a second-round pick in the 2026 NFL draft, and a conditional first-round pick in the 2027 NFL draft. And since then, Williams has suited up in a couple of games and has generated 15 pressures.

While there’s still no official word from the Cowboys on whether Williams will suit up against the Kansas City Chiefs on Thanksgiving, the big man sounds pretty optimistic, and you can tell why. After that comeback win over Philly kept Dallas firmly in the playoff hunt, Williams seems determined to be out there when it matters.

The Cowboys anchored a comeback win over the Eagles

The Cowboys sit pretty at 5-5-1 following their Sunday’s win over the Eagles. But for a tiny moment in the first half, it looked like Brian Schottenheimer’s squad had messed it up big. The Cowboys were trailing 21-0 with the game barely 18 minutes old. But the team overcame a 21-point deficit in the final 42 minutes and tied for the best comeback-win in franchise history.

“Brian has got this team with no quit in their vocabulary,” the team’s owner and general manager, Jerry Jones, said after the game. “They will not quit. They’ve obviously had a real setback from the loss of a teammate. And they’ve had a setback from not being the team that we wanted to be in the early part of the year. But I hope all of our fans agree with me that they showed a lot of grit. They showed a lot of want to. And they certainly showed they haven’t given up as far as giving us a chance to actually get in the playoffs this year.”

Late in the fourth quarter, the Cowboys’ quarterback, Dak Prescott (23-of-36 passes for 354 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception), connected with his receiver, George Pickens (9 receptions for 146 yards and one touchdown), for a 24-yard slant and set up a game-winning 42-yard field goal for Brandon Aubrey. But it was the Cowboys’ rebuilt defense that set up the overall win for Dallas.

The defense generated two turnovers, constantly built pressure on Hurts, including a late sack by Osa Odighizuwa, and gave Coach Schottenheimer’s biggest win of the season. Sure, they had an injury scare with Quinnen Williams. But at the end of the day, the 27-year-old returned to the field and kept the Cowboys’ playoff hopes still alive.