It’s a memorable NFL Sunday for Gavin Escobar with the Sporting News asking if he could be “the Cowboys next big thing.”

The 23-year-old half-Puerto Rican professional football player – a second-year tight end for Dallas – logged the first two-touchdown game of his NFL career on Sunday in his team’s 31-21 over the New York Giants, including a spectacular grab between defenders on his second touchdown of the day.

Escobar’s first scoring catch came in the first quarter, when he caught a 15 year pass from Tony Romo to give the Cowboys the first points of the game.

No. 89 then followed it up with his second score of the game in the third quarter with a spectacular catch in the end zone to break a 14-14 tie.

By the end of Dallas’ win, Escobar had a more impressive stat line (3 catches, 65 yards, 21.7 average, 2 TDs) than fellow tight end Jason Witten (2 catches, 27 yards, 13.5 avg., 0 TDs). Plus, Escobar was targeted three times, one more than Witten.

After the game, tight ends coach Mike Pope, fired by the Giants’ Tom Coughlin last winter, was given the game ball.

“You know he was loving this,” Escobar told reporters.

Escobar’s improved performance comes after ESPN reported that his role in the Cowboys offense was decreasing. But it looks like the second-round draft pick is stepping up his game in the face of adversity.

In the past couple weeks, Escobar has risen to the occasion in crucial moments for Romo, and has a good chance of becoming a key component of the team’s offense moving forward. He has found the end zone three times in two weeks, and clearly has the trust of Romo.

As a result, the San Diego State University product has been rewarded with more playing time by head coach Jason Garrett, and now he’s being heralded as the Cowboys next big thing.