Entering Week 10 with a 5-3 record, the Dallas Cowboys welcome the New York Giants to AT&T Stadium for a divisional showdown.
New York is looking to exact some revenge of the 40-0 defeat at the hands of the Cowboys in Week 1, but will have to rely on the arm of third string quarterback Tommy DeVito.
1st Quarter
The visiting team won the coin toss, and Head Coach Brian Daboll decided to defer to the second half, and kick off to the Cowboys.
Kick returner Rico Dowdle, filling in for an injured KaVontae Turpin, let the football go over his head for the touchback.
Dak Prescott led the Cowboys right down the field on the wings of a 30 yard one-handed catch by CeeDee Lamb and a 21 yard run by Dowdle.
Dowdle’s run put the ball inside the five yard line, but four plays later, Pollard was not able to break the plane of the endzone, and the ball went over on downs.
The next two drives for the Giants started inside their own five yard line, and they were forced to avoid a safety each time.
Those two drives netted zero yards for the Giants, and a Sam Williams sack of DeVito forced a punt and setup the Cowboys with great field position.
Prescott would scramble for a first down on a 3rd & 6 to keep the drive alive, and setup a first down at the 14 yard line.
McCarthy put the Giants’ defenders in a blender with a reverse to Lamb, and he ran around the right side untouched for a 14 yard touchdown to start the scoring.
After the defense forced another punt, Dallas faced a 3rd & 5 from their own 25 yard line.
Prescott fired a pass to Jake Ferguson, but Giants’ defender Cordale Flott stepped in front of the pass for the interception as the 1st quarter ended.
2nd Quarter
Setup at the Cowboys’ 12 yard line, DeVito threw a pass into the endzone that Cowboys’ S Juanyeh Thomas nearly intercepted.
He will be thinking about that drop until his next opportunity for an interception.
Two plays later on 4th & 2 from the four yard line, the Dallas defense stuffed Barkley at the line on strong efforts by Johnathan Hankins and DeMarcus Lawrence.
The ensuing Cowboys drive started at their own four yard line, and Prescott led the offense down the field in a hurry.
Big plays of 25 yards to Brandin Cooks and 30 yards to Lamb put the Cowboys at the Giants’ 30 yard line.
Four plays later on 2nd & Goal from the one yard line, Prescott executed a hard play action fake, and found Jake Ferguson wide open in the back of the endzone.
Brandon Aubrey would knock through the extra point to give the Cowboys a 14-0 lead.
The Cowboys defense would again force a punt.
This time Neville Gallimore got in on the action, recording his first sack of the season to force the Giants offense off of the field.
Prescott would again drive the offense down the field in a hurry, arriving to the Giants 10 yard line in just four plays.
Facing a 2nd and Goal from the 10, Prescott would find Cooks for the touchdown on a corner route out of the slot for a 21-0 lead with 3:58 left in the half.
The Cowboys defense would force another 3 & out, and give the offense the ball back with 2:47 left, and one more opportunity to score.
Starting at their own 15, Prescott immediately got vertical, hitting Cooks up the seam for a 34 yard gain.
He would then float up a pass towards the sideline that first appeared to be a throw away, but Lamb ran right under it for a 17 yard gain.
Eventually facing a 3rd & 9 from the 11, Prescott would take it upon himself to run it in from 11 yards out and a 28-0 lead headed into halftime.
Dallas dominated the first half in all facets, putting up 368 yards on offense, and holding the Giants to only 28 yards.