ARLINGTON — The Dallas Cowboys were down. Their offense was stalling as they trailed in the second quarter. One of their most beloved players, safety Juanyeh Thomas, had been carted off just moments before with an injury.

Things were looking bleak for a team that was hoping to win its first home game of the season.

Meanwhile, over on the bench, Cowboys offensive line coach Mike Solari had a message for his offensive line.

“‘Stay the course,'” Cowboys lineman Brock Hoffman recalled Solari saying. “‘We’re about to get a turnover.’ And sure as s–t, two plays later, we get a turnover, and he takes it to the house.”

Solari could sense the inevitable. And for this Cowboys defense, one player has emerged as the inevitability.

Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown has made some highlight-reel plays in his first healthy season in the NFL. None have been bigger and more important, however, then the one he made in Thursday’s 27-20 win over the New York Giants.

Overshown came off the edge and ruined Devin Singletary’s block attempt. He then read Drew Lock’s eyes, tipped the pass to Singletary and sprinted to catch it. He returned it for a touchdown, giving the Cowboys a lead they would never give back up.

“I don’t know if I’ve seen a play that encompassed all the skills that he showed out there,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said after the game.

Overshown finished with nine tackles, an interception, and a fumble recovery, which also set up a touchdown for the Cowboys. He now has 84 tackles on the season, five sacks and eight tackles for loss in his only NFL season.

Overshown’s quick emergence into one of the Cowboys’ best players has drawn a consistent stream of compliments from those around him.

Fellow linebacker Eric Kendricks, who has played on some great defenses during his decade in the league: “D-Mo is a great player, man. He’s one of the best I’ve ever been around.”

Already.

Hoffman added: “He’s a dog. Ain’t much you can say, but he’s a f–ing dog. He’s a hell of a player.”

And if you ask those around the Cowboys, he has been — ever since he first reported to training camp last year.

“I told y’all from the beginning that he was going to be a dude,” Cowboys pass rusher Micah Parsons said. “From his rookie year before his injury, I told you he would be an All-Pro type player.”

Overshown is showing it now. This time last year, however, he couldn’t.

Overshown suffered a torn ACL right before the start of last season. He had played well in training camp, earning plenty of hype before his rookie year. That was shutdown when his season was.

It forced Overshown to be a spectactor during his first year in the NFL — and for the first time in his football life. That vantage point gave Overshown perspective that he still carries today.

Before the game, Overshown said he thought back to where he was a year ago.

“I was just waiting to show people my testimony,” Overshown said. “Of, you know, what God has truly put into me: to go out there and inspire and play like I do.”

His play has been inspiring others, too.

Kendricks said after the game that Overshown has a “pure” attitude. He said Overshown’s love for playing the game is evident.

Justin Wells of Inside Texas has been covering Overshown since he was a high schooler from Arp, Texas. He re-posted this tweet from 2017 after the game.

Seven years later, Overshown still is after the same things — much to the appreciation of his teammates.

“He loves the game,” Kendricks said. “I love to see it. And it motivates me, being in my 10th year.”

Kendricks then reminded reporters of something about Overshown, who’s only 24. He looked around as if he was spilling a state secret.

“He’s getting better every game,” Kendricks said. “You know what I mean? He knows he has things to work on. He’s taking it seriously. The sky’s the limit.”

Especially because Overshown is beginning to pair his speed with experience. Overshown said that he was told in the week leading up to Thursday’s game that the Giants would run a screen like they did.

“I didn’t know when it was coming, but it was coming,” Overshown said.

It was inevitable, in his mind.

Twelve games into his NFL career, his playmaking is becoming inevitable, too.