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But give credit to the Cowboys defense. Although aided by 12 penalties in Los Angeles, Dallas’ fold-but-not-break unit did enough to give Dak Prescott and the offense a shot at the win.
And that’s exactly what they were able to do, Greg Zuerlein splitting the uprights at 56 yards as the clock hit zeros to give the Cowboys the unlikely victory.
The Dallas defense allowed 408 offensive yards, but the Chargers reached the end zone on just one of their four trips to the red zone. Dallas also had two interceptions with two sacks and nine quarterback presses. Rookie linebacker Micah Parsons, lined up as a passer, recorded one sack and four presses on his own.
It was good enough for the Cowboys offense, who scored on two of three trips to the red zone, converted 60 percent of their third scoring chances and totaled 419 yards of attack. Prescott completed 85.2 percent of his passes for 237 yards and one interception, but he didn’t need to carry the team this week. Instead, the Cowboys racked up 198 rushing yards, led by Tony Pollard’s 109s and Ezekiel Elliott’s 71s. The two also have 31 and 26 receiving yards respectively.
The Cowboys really couldn’t have got off to a better start, as they finished the first 15 minutes of the game with a punch in a pair of touchdowns. The first came on the opening disc, which shattered a 20-game streak without doing so.
And it was a healthy mix in the 15-play, 78-yard drive with Elliott running the ball six times while Prescott completed 5 or 6 passes for 46 yards. Pollard finished with his third carry-over of the series, a sweep around the right end of the goal line.
After the two teams traded interceptions – cornerback Trevon Diggs became the first Cowboys defenseman to record any picks in the team’s first two games of the season since Lee Roy Jordan did so in 1975 – the Chargers entered the board with a field goal of 46 yards.
But Dallas responded with another impressive possession. Pollard first got the call with three consecutive touches for 34 yards. This was then followed by CeeDee Lamb who made three consecutive captures for 36 of his own. Elliott did secure the scoring honors, however, leading behind right guard Zack Martin the final 5 yards for a 14-3 lead after a period of play.
Dallas finished with 13 first downs in the first quarter, a team record that also tied the NFL score.
However, the benefit narrowed at the start of the second quarter. Although the Chargers committed four penalties on their next possession and faced a third and an 11, then a third and 13, they managed to keep the drive alive and reach the zone. goals. A touchdown pass from Justin Herbert off Mike Williams followed by a two-point conversion brought Los Angeles down to under three.
Dallas then narrowly avoided entering halftime with the game tied. First, a questionable decision to rush the kicker as the Chargers shot the ball on the fourth and -20 with just 2 minutes to go resulted in a brutal kicker penalty over the Cowboys. Given the giveaway, Herbert then placed his team in the shooting range, only to see a 44-yard attempt fail.
The Cowboys nearly scored with a bit of dazzle in the final game of the half as Prescott found Lamb over midfield, the receiver won on 34 yards, then transferred the ball to Elliott, who hit the Chargers’ 3-yard line before being pushed out of bounds.
The tie arrived quite early. In their first possession of the third quarter, the Chargers got their field goal, a 32-yard field goal that gave them 11 unanswered points. Los Angeles’ efforts were aided when the Dallas defense allowed a 42-yard pass to third and 15, unable to leave the field.
But just when it looked like the Chargers would finally take the lead, the Cowboys’ defense turned out to be huge. Los Angeles had marched from their own 9-yard line all the way to Dallas 9. That’s when safety Damontae Kazee intercepted a pass from Herbert intended for Keenan Allen in the end zone, ending the threat and giving back the momentum of the game to visitors. .
After the turnover, the Dallas offensive got under way as the clock ticked into the last quarter. Pollard started things off with three straight carries for 29 yards, the team eventually made their way to the Los Angeles 16. There, the Cowboys had to settle for a 34-yard field goal at Zuerlein for the lead.
With just under four minutes to go, the score was tied again at 17-17. The Chargers moved onto the field again, going 64 yards, but for the second time in the game, they saw a touchdown canceled by a penalty, having to settle for a 29-yard field goal.
That’s when the offense got to work, going from its own 13-yard line to the Chargers’ 38 yards. But thanks to questionable clock management, the team seemed ready to settle for a long basket. But the plan worked, as Zuerlein pulled his 56-yard try at the end of the time limit, scoring his 10th career winning kick and the second longest winner of his career.
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