LOS ANGELES – The Dallas Cowboys outlasted the Los Angeles Chargers 20-17 at SoFi Stadium. Despite poor clock management by the Cowboys on the final drive, Greg Zuerlein drilled a 56-yard field goal as time expired to seal the team’s victory on the West Coast. Dallas secured their first win of the 2021 season and move to a 1-1 record.
After relying on the passing game against Tampa Bay in Week 1 facing a stacked box, the Cowboys were able to establish the run game in the first half. Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard recorded touchdowns and gashed the Chargers’ defense. The Cowboys went 78 yards in 15 plays on the opening drive to take an early lead. Tony Pollard scored on a jet sweep to give the team a 7-0 start. Pollard finished the game with 109 yards on 13 carries, an 8.4 average-per-carry, and a touchdown. Elliott amassed 16 carries for 71 yards, a 4.4 average-per-carry, and a touchdown. Most of the big runs came behind right guard Zack Martin. After missing the game last week against the Bucs in COVID protocol, Martin returned, and his presence anchored the run game. He stayed on blocks longer to create holes and paved the way for two successful scoring drives.
After Pollard’s touchdown, the Cowboys defense stepped up. Trevon Diggs intercepted a pass by Justin Herbert intended for Keenan Allen. However, L.A. then gave the Cowboys a taste of their own medicine. Asante Samuel Jr. intercepted Dak Prescott on a pass intended for CeeDee Lamb. The Chargers went on to convert the takeaway into a field goal. On their next offensive possession, Herbert connected with Mike Williams for a touchdown. L.A. made the two-point conversion to minimize the Cowboys’ lead 14-11 heading into halftime. The Chargers stopped the Cowboys response on fourth and five in the following drive. Then, Leighton Vander Esch answered with a sack on Herbert that stalled the drive. Dallas suffered a roughing the kicker call on fourth and 20 that gave the Chargers an opportunity to tie the game heading into the half, but a missed field goal attempt sealed the Cowboys lead as the first half ended.
Things stalled for the Cowboys until the end of the third quarter. With ten seconds left on the clock, Damonate Kazee intercepted a pass intended for Keenan Allen. He notched the second of the day for Dallas that led to a field goal. Then an 18-yard sack by Micah Parsons on Herbert resulted in a Chargers’ field goal to tie the ballgame. With a 17-17 tie, a 56-yard field goal by Greg Zuerlein in the final seconds gave the Cowboys a win despite the horrendous clock management. The kick marked the second-longest game-winner of Zuerlein’s career and his 10th career game-winning kick.
