ARLINGTON, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys beat the Miami Dolphins 31-6 and advanced to 3-0, the first time since 2018. Dallas finished the game with 476 yards and 31 points, marking the fourth consecutive game (dating back to week 17 of 2018) that the Cowboys have produced 400 yards and 30 points- the longest streak in the franchise’s history.
The Cowboys scored on their first two possessions with Brett Maher’s 28-yard field goal and Dak Prescott’s five-yard touchdown pass to Amari Cooper.
Dallas stalled until the second half. The second quarter went like this:
Bobby McCain intercepted Dak Prescott’s deep pass up the middle intended for Randall Cobb. 3 plays, 13 yards.
Team forced to punt. 6 plays, 18 yards.
Team forced to punt. 5 plays, 12 yards.
Half comes to an end after Prescott’s incomplete pass to the right. 5 plays, 39 yards.
The Cowboys began to find their rhythm in the third quarter. Randall Cobb and Dak Prescott connected for a combined 74-yards on the pass/catch for the touchdown. The play was called back after a holding penalty but helped shift the momentum in favor of Dallas. The next play, Devin Smith’s connection with Prescott on a 33-yard pass set up Dak’s 19-yard touchdown pass to Amari Cooper. Dallas dominated the remainder of the ballgame.
The Cowboys totaled 235 rushing yards. Ezekiel Elliott (125) and Tony Pollard (103) both accumulated over 100 rushing yards, the fourth-time in team history a pair of running backs went over 100 yards since 1998. Rookie Pollard had a more prominent role in the ground attack, scoring his first touchdown in the regular season. He had great vision throughout the ballgame in finding holes at the line of scrimmage and cut effectively off blocks with power. Pollard was explosive through tackles and is another weapon in Moore’s diversified offense.
Following the game, Ezekiel Elliott remarked on Pollard and their shared roles, “ I think it’s definitely very helpful just because we’re going to be fresh. When you’ve got two guys that can roll and that lead gets divided in two…. so I mean, it’s not me getting 30 to 35 touches anymore, we’re taking care of this together. That’s definitely going to pay off…we’re both going to be fresh and ready to go.”
On the defensive side of the ball, the defensive line played physical. Robert Quinn and DeMarcus Lawrence recorded a sack, along with Maliek Collins (0.5) and Kerry Hyder (0.5) tallying a combined sack. The interior of Dallas’ defensive line rotated to accommodate injury. Christian Covington started for Woods at nose tackle, but was taken out of the game with a calf injury (came back in the fourth). The team then brought in Kerry Hyder and Trysten Hill shifting between tackle positions. Hill came in at nose with solid pressure on Fitzpatrick. Maliek Collins played some nose and the team then brought in Hyder as the three-technique. Both had solid penetration at the line of scrimmage.
Overall, a solid performance by the Cowboys. They scored over 30 points, outscored the Dolphins by 25 points, and held Miami to only six points. The biggest concern for the Cowboys preparing for the Saints on the road-penalties. The team had 8 penalties for 100 yards against Miami and has to eliminate them against New Orleans.
