Ezekiel Elliott scored on two 1-yard plunges and the Dallas defense forced five second-half turnovers as the Cowboys defeated the visiting Detroit Lions 24-6 on Sunday.
Dak Prescott, playing in his first game since suffering a broken right thumb in the season opener, passed for 207 yards while completing 19 of 25 attempts. He threw his first touchdown pass of the season with less than two minutes remaining.
Elliott gained 57 yards on 15 carries, while Tony Pollard rushed for 83 yards on 12 carries. Cee Dee Lamb caught four passes for 70 yards for Dallas (5-2).
The Lions’ Jared Goff passed for 228 yards but fumbled twice and was picked off two times. Jamaal Williams gained 79 yards on 15 carries but committed a pivotal turnover.
The Lions (1-5) led 6-3 at halftime. Michael Badgley put Detroit on the scoreboard with a 40-yard field goal with 3:58 left in the first quarter.
Brett Maher’s 22-yard field goal, which capped a 72-yard Dallas drive, tied it up early in the second. Badgley’s 53-yard field goal put Detroit back on top.
Dallas had a good chance to at least tie the game late in the half, but wide receiver Noah Brown fumbled and the Lions recovered at their own 3-yard line.
Trevon Diggs intercepted Goff to end Detroit’s first possession of the second half. The Cowboys then embarked on a seven-play, 82-yard drive, which included a 28-yard run by Pollard. Elliott capped it off with a 1-yard run.
Detroit saw a 79-yard drive flame out early in the fourth quarter. After his team reached the Dallas 1, Williams fumbled on a hit by Demarcus Lawrence and linebacker Anthony Barr recovered.
Goff was intercepted by cornerback Jourdan Lewis with 8:29 left, leading to Dallas’ clinching touchdown. Prescott hit Brown with two passes on the 54-yard drive, which was capped by Elliott’s second touchdown of the game.
Dallas regained the ball two plays after the next kickoff when Goff fumbled on a strip sack by Sam Williams. Prescott found Peyton Hendershot from 2 yards out to complete the scoring.
–Field Level Media