Photo by Andre Odums/ossports
Arlington, TX – Lightning struck twice in the same stadium. In week two of the season, a successful onside kick led to a Zuerlein’s walk-off field goal, which gave Dallas a 40-39 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.
This time around, it would not need an onside kick. A quick strike from backup quarterback Andy Dalton to receiver Michael Gallup landed in New York’s territory and concluded after Greg Zuerlein drilled a walk-off 34-yard field goal to send the Cowboys celebrating its 37-34 victory over the Giants on Sunday night at AT&T Stadium.
Zuerlein kicked a 34-yard walk-off field goal with no time left. The Cowboys (2-3) let the clock wind down to three seconds before taking a time out. Andy Dalton threw back-to-back strikes to Gallup. The second, a 38 yarder, proved costly at the Giants 16, setting up Zuerlein’s game-winning kick.
The Cowboys received the ball on its 12-yard line and watched Dalton complete three huge passes to Amari Cooper and Gallup. Cooper grabbed a quick pass and broke free from linebacker Blake Martinez to the 27, a 15-yard pickup.
In limited action, Dak Prescott, who suffered a compound right ankle fracture in the third quarter when absorbing a tackle from defensive back Logan Ryan at the Cowboys 18 yard line, finished 14/21 with 166 yards and one interception. Ezekiel Elliott carried the ball 19 times for 91 yards and two touchdowns, and CeeDee Lamb had eight receptions for 124 yards.
Defensive back Trevon Diggs, linebacker Jaylon Smith, and safety Darian Thompson combined for three stops, which yielded 15 yards and forced the Giants to punt on its final drive with 1:00 to play.
Trailing 34-31, the Cowboys marched 75 yards in 12 plays to knot the game at 34. Fortunately, a backward pass to Pollard, which resulted in a seven-yard loss, gave Dallas new life when Lamb caught a pass at the New York 22 yard line. Right after, Zuerlein booted a 40-yard field goal, tying the game at 34.
New York (0-5) scored ten points on its first two drives of the fourth quarter and led, 34-31, with 8:46 left.
Quarterback Daniel Jones burned the Cowboys defense with a 40-yard toss to receiver Darius Slayton at the 33-yard line. Two plays later, running back Wayne Gallman, Jr. penetrated the Cowboys 14, and soon after, kicker Graham Gano netted a 25-yard field goal, drawing the Giants within 31-26 11:09 left in the fourth quarter.
Freeman finished a five-yard touchdown run to put New York up 34-31 with 8:46 remaining on its following possession.
Jones closed out his day, passing for 222 yards on 20/33 attempts, and Darius Slayton grabbed eight passes for 129 yards.
In the first half, Dallas spotted the Giants a 14 point lead and roared back to tie the game at 17. Elliott scored from a yard out, while defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence forced a fumble after sacking Jones from behind. The ball bounced into the hands of cornerback Anthony Brown, who grabbed the ball in stride, avoiding defenders and accounting for a 29-yard fumble return touchdown with five minutes left in the second quarter.
Still, Jones and New York used its time wisely. He threw a 21-yard pass to receiver Golden Tate III at the 49, and Slayton’s reception at the Cowboys 33 led to Graham Gano’s 50-yard field goal with 51 seconds left in the second quarter.
Dak Prescott and Dallas answered.
Prescott hooked up with rookie CeeDee Lamb three times for 65 yards to benefit from a helmet to helmet personal foul infraction against defensive back Adrian Colbert setting up a first down at the New York 11 yard line with 23 seconds left in the first half.
Then the trickeration. The Cowboys ran a misdirection reverse as fans watched receiver Cedrick Wilson throw an 11-yard scoring pass to Prescott. Dallas moved ahead, 24-20 for the first time since leading 3-0 on its opening drive of the game with 16 seconds remaining in the first half.
Despite the four-point difference, Jones would guide the Giants back into scoring position as Gano made good on a 54-yard field goal, to close within a point, 24-23.