Cowboys overcome penalties, blunders to defeat Chargers

The Cowboys and Chargers didn’t exactly put on an offensive exhibition on Monday night in Southern California.

However, Dallas did enough to secure a 20-17 victory over Los Angeles, improving their season record to 4-2.

Both teams scored a touchdown in the first quarter. Chargers’ quarterback Justin Herbert connected with Keenan Allen for a 1-yard touchdown, giving them a 7-0 lead. In response, the Cowboys reached the end zone with quarterback Dak Prescott rushing for an 18-yard touchdown on fourth-and-1, tying the game.

Both Dallas and L.A. remained scoreless until the end of the second quarter when Brandon Aubrey successfully kicked a 32-yard field goal, putting the Cowboys ahead with a 10-7 halftime lead. However, Dallas missed an opportunity in the red zone when Prescott failed to convert a fourth-and-1 with an Eagles-style “tush push” play.

In the third quarter, the Chargers missed a chance to score when Herbert’s pass to Joshua Palmer on fourth-and-1 fell incomplete in the end zone.

But after forcing Dallas to punt, the Chargers managed to tie the game at 10-10 with a 24-yard field goal from Cameron Dicker.

A 60-yard reception by Tony Pollard at the beginning of the fourth quarter placed the Cowboys in scoring position. They capitalized on it with a 2-yard touchdown pass from Prescott to Cooks.

However, holding a 17-10 lead, the Cowboys made a poor special teams blunder that allowed L.A. to equalize. Cowboys’ receiver Jalen Tolbert mistakenly believed the ball had been touched by one of his teammates, attempting to recover it at the Dallas 20. In reality, the ball hadn’t been touched yet. His failed recovery gave the Chargers an opportunity to retrieve the muffed punt, which they successfully did.

On fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line, Herbert connected with tight end Gerald Everett for his first touchdown of the year.

Dallas kept their subsequent drive alive with a crucial third-down catch by Cooks, gaining 11 yards in L.A. territory. However, on third-and-10 from the Chargers’ 21, Prescott’s pass to Pollard in the end zone fell incomplete. Dallas settled for a go-ahead, 39-yard field goal, bringing the score to 20-17 with 2:19 remaining.

With no timeouts after the two-minute warning, the Chargers managed to secure a first down, but Micah Parsons stormed through the line to sack Herbert on second down. Under pressure, Herbert threw an interception to Stephon Gilmore on the right side, sealing the victory for Dallas.

Dallas ended the game with 11 accepted penalties for 85 yards, while L.A. incurred nine penalties for 79 yards.

Prescott completed 21 of his 30 passes for 272 yards with a touchdown. He also led the Cowboys in rushing with 40 yards and a touchdown. CeeDee Lamb stood out with an impressive performance, catching all seven of his targets for 117 yards.

Herbert completed 22 of his 37 passes for 227 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception.

Now at 3-2, the Cowboys will have a bye in Week 7.

The 2-3 Chargers will travel to Kansas City to face the 5-1 Chiefs.