Cowboys Defense Clutches Up in Crunch Time to Shut Down the Chargers

The Cowboys returned the favor on the ensuing drive. After moving the football inside Los Angeles’s 20-yard line, the Chargers forced the Cowboys into a 4th down and 1-yard-to-go. Head Coach Mike McCarthy rolled the dice and called the perfect play. Dak Prescott ran the read option, pulled the ball, and sprinted 18 yards for the touchdown. Dallas tied the game 7-7 with 6:21 remaining in the 1st quarter.

Neither team had success on offense for the next seven possessions. Both defenses locked down each other on offense, and the game remained tied until time expired in the first half. Prescott and the Cowboys began the drive with 58 seconds remaining in the second quarter. Dak hit Ceedee Lamb, Michael Gallup, Jake Ferguson, and Tony Pollard on successive passes to put Dallas in field goal range. Cowboys rookie kicker Brandon Aubrey gave Dallas a 10-7 lead headed in at the half.

Neither team had success for most of the 3rd quarter until the Chargers tied the game with one minute remaining. Tied 10-10, Prescott led an 8-play, 75-yard drive for another touchdown and the lead. Dak hit Brandin Cooks for a 2-yard touchdown near the goal line.

Dallas’s defense forced a punt on the ensuing possession, but a fumble on the punt return gave the Chargers the football inside the Cowboys’ 20-yard line. Four plays later, Herbert hit Gerald Everett with a 1-yard, game-tying touchdown pass.

With seven minutes remaining, the Cowboys needed to get something going to not only score points but also to drain the clock. Prescott hit Lamb and Cooks for two clutch first downs on the drive to move the ball inside the Los Angeles 25-yard line. Prescott had Pollard wide open in the end zone on a 3rd and long, but the quarterback overthrew his running back. Aubrey nailed the 39-yard attempt to give the Cowboys the lead with 2:19 remaining in the 4th quarter.

The Chargers had one final drive in the final two minutes to go and win the game. After a quiet night, All-Pro Micah Parsons broke through two defenders to sack Herbert deep in the backfield. Herbert followed the sack up with an errant throw, and Stephon Gilmore made him pay. The corner picked off the pass and the Cowboys won the bloody contest in dramatic fashion, 20-17.

"We were way more physical than we were last week, Prescott said after the game. "But that's in the past now."

The Dallas Cowboys (4-2) host the Los Angeles Rams (3-3) in Arlington in two weeks on Sunday, October 29. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m.