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The SoCal shooting never materialized on Sunday.
A game featuring two of the NFL’s most prolific young quarterbacks got bogged down by penalties, errors and field goals in the second half. Fittingly, it ended with a 56-yard field goal kicker Greg Zuerlein as the Dallas Cowboys outscored the Los Angeles Chargers, 20-17.
With the win, the Cowboys avoided digging a 0-2 hole to start the season as the Chargers fell to 1-1 and let a winnable game slip away at home.
Cowboys win without Dak TD
The Cowboys won without a touchdown pass from Dak Prescott, as Dallas was happy to lead their offense thanks to running backs Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard. They hit first with a 4-yard touchdown from Pollard in their first practice and opened up a 14-3 lead with a 5-yard run from Elliott at the end of the first quarter.
The Chargers found the end zone on a 12-yard pass from Justin Herbert to Mike Williams at the end of the first half and reduced their deficit to 14-11 with a successful two-point conversion. But in a game where the Chargers had to feast on a hampered Cowboys defense, they wouldn’t regain the end zone. At least on the parts that haven’t been knocked down.
Penalties, errors condemn shippers
Herbert scored two more touchdowns in the second half, but both scores were nullified by penalties. The Chargers appeared to take a 21-14 lead late in the third quarter on a 36-yard drive from Herbert to tight end Donald Parham Jr. But a limit call in the backfield canceled the score.
The Chargers rallied to advance into the red zone, but the drive ended with Herbert intercepting Damontae Kazee in the end zone. The Cowboys responded with a 64-yard command that stalled at the 16-yard line, allowing Zuerlein to take a 17-14 lead.
The Chargers appeared to take the lead again in the bottom of the fourth after hitting the first and the goal at the 2-yard line. Herbert found tight end Jared Cook for the short touchdown that would have given Los Angeles a 21-17 lead. But an illegal change also erased this landing.
After officials decided this play was Herbert’s 18-yard sack instead of an incomplete pass, the Chargers ended up settling for a field goal from Tristan Vizcaino to tie the game at 17-17.
The Cowboys recovered the ball with 3:54 to go and picked up just enough distance for Zuerlein to hit the winning basket at the end of the time limit. Neither team found the end zone after half-time.
The Cowboys took the win despite the pedestrian effort of Prescott, who completed 23 of 37 pass attempts for 237 yards without a touchdown and one interception. Pollard – not Elliott – led the offense with 109 rushing yards on 13 carries and one touchdown. Elliott ran 16 times for 71 yards and one score.
Herbert had a frustrating end to the day with 338 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions on a 31 of 41 effort. He repeatedly led the Chargers’ offense deep into Cowboys territory, but Los Angeles failed. to find the end zone only once.
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