When asked to describe his team’s performance on Monday night against the Los Angeles Chargers, just 8 days after a 32-point loss to the hated 49ers, Dallas Cowboys Quarterback Dak Prescott used one word: "Resilient". Indeed, the Cowboys (4-2) had to overcome sloppy penalties and ill-timed mistakes on their way to a 20-17 victory at Sofi Stadium in Inglewood, California. However, as much as this team struggled to take control against a determined Los Chargers (2-3) squad, their stars shined brightly when called on to make a play.
Prescott passed for 272 yards and one passing touchdown, while also leading the team in rushing with 40 yards and a 18-yard rushing touchdown, the longest of his career. Starting RB Tony Pollard struggled to find room running the ball, but had 80 yards receiving, 60 on one play, and nearly made a spectacular catch in the endzone late in the game that would have sealed the deal. CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks were a dynamic pair on the night, with Lamb catching every ball thrown his way for 117 yards and Cooks bringing in a go-ahead touchdown early in the 4th quarter.
Both offenses came out hot to start the game, with each side scoring a touchdown on their first possession. Justin Herbert, QB of the Chargers, took his team down the field to open the scoring by completing a short pass to WR Keenan Allen in the end zone to go ahead 7-0. Dallas responded quickly and confidently, with Dak Prescott leading the way both through the air and on the ground, just like the old days.
The rest of the first half saw both teams essentially exchanging punts until it was time for the teams to return to the locker room for halftime. Los Angeles began the 3rd quarter with a 13-play drive that took nearly half the quarter, but thanks to a stern goal line stand by the "bend-but-don't-break" Cowboys defense, the Chargers failed to register any points.
The Cowboys defense, led by the likes of S Markquese Bell and S Donovan Wilson, were asked to answer the call again after Prescott and Company went 3-and-out in response. This time, the unit held again, giving up only a field goal after having been on the field for 12+ minutes in the quarter. The 3rd quarter ended 10-10.
Prescott and the offense finally thanked their defensive counterparts for the excellent 3rd quarter effort by putting together an impressive drive of their own, highlighted by a breathtaking 60 yard catch-and-run by Pollard. Prescott then guided the unit past some penalties and errors by finding Brandon Cooks for a 2 yard score to put Dallas ahead 17-10. Despite holding the Chargers to a 3-and-out on their ensuing drive, the Special Teams unit of the Cowboys, who hadn’t been the source of a single turnover up to that point, surrendered the ball back to Los Angeles, thanks to a muffed recovery attempt by Dallas player Jalen Tolbert to hand the ball right back to Herbert and the Chargers. Herbert would not be denied this time, evening the score at 17 with a short touchdown pass to TE Gerald Everett.
Dallas countered with another long drive, but stalled in the redzone and settled for a 20-17 lead after Brandon Aubrey's second field goal of the evening. This left the ball and the chance to win in Herbert’s hands with 2:19 to play and a chance to win the game, something that Cowboys Nation may have actually preferred, given Herbert’s history.The Doomsday Defense rewarded the faith of their fans and once again responded, this time with a sack and interception (by Micah Parsons and Stephon Gilmore, respectively) on successive plays to seal the victory once and for all.
Prescott went on to say Monday night's victory was "something we can build off of" going into the bye, also noting that there is plenty of football to be played. Indeed there is, Dak.
And indeed, this team can and should find many things to be happy about regarding Monday night’s win, especially if this team hopes to achieve the objectives set by the the owners, the fans, the coaches, and the players themselves. 6 down, 11 to go.
Dallas, 4-2, is on a Bye for Week 7.