After two quarters, Dallas leads Jacksonville 21 – 7.
The Dallas Cowboys won the toss and elected to receive the ball first. Swirling questions about the Cowboys' offensive line were finally answered when Tyron Smith lined up at right tackle and rookie Tyler Smith took his familiar position at left tackle. According to the game announcers, this arrangement was largely Tyron Smith's idea.
1st Quarter
After 8 plays, the Cowboys found themselves in a 4th & 7 situation on the Jacksonville 41-yard line. The offense stayed on the field but only to let the game clock run out. A delay of game gave them a tad bit more space to punt, and Anger put the Jaguars on their own 9-yard line.
Jacksonville got off to a hot start. On their first offensive drive, they completed 7 plays for 32 yards, but a fumble cost them possession of the ball. When Travis Etienne ran into an offensive lineman and coughed up the football, Donovan Wilson quickly recovered it and got the Cowboys offense back onto the field.
The Cowboys took over on the Jacksonville 41 and immediately put their running backs to work. With a short reception and three runs, Tony Pollard brought the Cowboys to the 18 yard line. After the lightning plays from Pollard, it was Ezekiel Elliott's turn to bring the thunder. He ran for 8 yards to the Jacksonville 10-yard line. Then on the following play, he took it all the way to the end zone. DAL 7 – JAX 0.
That touchdown made this game Zeke's seventh straight game with a rushing touchdown, officially the longest streak in the NFL.
With that 10-yard touchdown run, Ezekiel Elliott has rushed for a touchdown in seven straight games, the longest active streak in the NFL. Elliott joins Emmitt Smith as the only players in Cowboys history with a rushing touchdown in at least seven consecutive games.
— Dallas Cowboys Public Relations (@DallasCowboysPR) December 18, 2022
The Jaguars got the ball back with 4:31 left in the 1st quarter. They ran three plays, but one ended with a sack by Micah Parsons, and another ended with a pass break up by Daron Bland. They were forced to punt. KeVontae Turpin returned the ball to the Dallas 27, but a penalty on Sam Williams for unnecessary roughness put the Cowboys on their own 14-yard line. The first quarter ended in the middle of a Cowboys drive with Dallas on the Jacksonville 45.
2nd Quarter
The Cowboys wasted no time in the 2nd quarter. Less than 2 minutes in, they scored their second touchdown of the day when Dak Prescott completed a deep right pass to Peyton Hendershot. The Cowboys offense earned praise from analysts and announcers who used words like “pretty,” “beautiful,” and “gorgeous” to describe the drive and touchdown pass. DAL 14 – JAX 0.
That's a beautiful ball from Dak, who looks really sharp so far today
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) December 18, 2022
The Jaguars started their first offensive drive of the 2nd quarter on their own 25-yard line after a touchback. They brought a lot of speed on this drive, challenging the Cowboys' defense to keep up. Nine plays, consisting mostly of runs and short passes, brought them 75 yards down the field and into the end zone. After a good extra point, the Cowboys lead was cut in half. DAL 14 – JAX 7.
On the ensuing kickoff, Turpin caught the ball in the end zone but returned it to the Dallas 34. Another run-heavy drive brought the Cowboys to the Jacksonville 13. Then, Dak himself ran 12 yards to the 1-yard line. With 1:55 left in the half, the Cowboys put their third touchdown on the board off of a short pass from Dak Prescott to Noah Brown. After Maher's extra point, the Cowboys regained their 14-point lead. DAL 21 – JAX 7.
4️⃣ ➡️ 8️⃣5️⃣ for the textbook red zone play action TD! #WPMOYChallenge @dak @Nb_Eight5
📺: @NFLonFOX | #DALvsJAX pic.twitter.com/LoysPOPjUD
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) December 18, 2022
With 1:55 left in the second quarter, the Jaguars and Cowboys took turns with short drives ending in punts. The quarter ended with Jacksonville on offense, but they only made it as far as the 50-yard line. The Cowboys took the lead into the locker room. DAL 21 – JAX 7.
Dak Prescott ended the half with 15 completions out of 16 attempts for 136 yards and 2 touchdowns. He earned a first half passer rating of 141.9. Jacksonville will receive the ball to start the second half.
