Thrilling Victory: Dallas Cowboys Edge Out Chargers in a Heart-Pounding Game

Holding Their Ground: Dallas Cowboys’ Gritty Win Against Chargers

In the end, the Dallas Cowboys found themselves in a nail-biting showdown with the Chargers, coming out on top with a narrow victory, 20-17. It was one of those games where you’re on the edge of your seat, and in the world of NFL, a win is a win is a win. Just ask the Philadelphia Eagles, who suffered their first loss of the season, falling to the New York Jets, 20-14. Or the San Francisco 49ers, who went from being on top of the world after crushing the Cowboys 42-10 one week to being humbled by the Cleveland Browns 19-17 the next.

So, considering the rollercoaster ride, the Cowboys woke up on Tuesday morning with a 4-2 record, entering their bye week. They were just one game behind the Eagles in the NFC East and one game behind the 5-1 Niners, Lions, and Eagles for the best record in the NFC overall. This was a welcome turn of events after their humiliating loss to San Francisco just eight days ago.

Now, as we approach the seventh week of the season, the Cowboys get a well-deserved break. But make no mistake; they won’t be resting on their laurels after this Monday night victory at SoFi Stadium, which was anything but a classic.

Head coach Mike McCarthy summed it up well, saying, “We did enough to win,” and crediting his team for their “tremendous amount of grit.”

Indeed, the Cowboys displayed resilience. They had to overcome a slow start, immediately falling behind 7-0. They also had to overcome giving up a 17-10 lead with just 7:11 left in the game, due to some bizarre Keystone Cops-style play where they tried to recover a punt that wasn’t muffed, setting up the Chargers just 20 yards from the goal line.

To add to the challenge, despite facing the 31st ranked NFL defense and the 32nd ranked defense against the pass, the Cowboys managed to score just 20 points. This was just enough to secure what veteran defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence dubbed a “most crucial win.” The last thing they needed was to head into the bye week with two consecutive losses or to lose to their former offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, whom they moved on from to allow McCarthy to take over the offense and call the plays. As McCarthy put it, they didn’t want to “lean into the bye with a bad taste in your mouth.” It would have been like having a case of acid reflux.

Instead, they survived with a still-struggling offense, which, as McCarthy put it, is “getting there.” They had some late arrivals who stepped up when needed, like rookie kicker Brandon Aubrey, who nailed his 15th and 16th straight field goals to start the season. His 16th one, from 39 yards out, became the game-winner with just 2:19 left to play. Dak Prescott had high praise for Aubrey, calling him “Butter Aubrey.” This was a significant moment for the former soccer player, facing his first test for a game-winning field goal in the NFL.

Speaking of Dak, the eighth-year veteran played a pivotal role in extending the Cowboys’ impressive streak to 11-1 after losing a game since the start of the 2021 season. He accounted for two touchdowns, the first being an 18-yard scramble for the longest rushing touchdown of his career. He then broke the 10-10 fourth-quarter tie with a beautiful 2-yard TD pass to Brandin Cooks. Dak bounced back after a subpar performance the previous week, completing 21-of-30 passes for a season-high 272 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions, and a QB rating of 109.3. Not to be overlooked, his scramble and pass to Tony Pollard for 60 yards played a crucial role in setting up the go-ahead touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

The defense also stepped up, especially with Leighton Vander Esch on the injured reserve. Micah Parsons, who played both defensive end and linebacker, finally notched the team’s first sack of Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert with 1:29 left in the game. That play set up a third-and-10 at the Los Angeles 25-yard line. On the very next play, Damone Clark, filling in for LVE, pressured Herbert into throwing an interception, quelling any last-minute Chargers heroics.

Markquese Bell, primarily a safety, played 39 snaps (53 percent) at linebacker in Vander Esch’s absence, finishing with seven tackles and one pass defensed. The defense, which had been torched by the 49ers the previous week, bounced back, holding the Chargers’ No. 5 offense to just 272 yards and a meager 53 yards rushing. Even more impressive, they held Herbert and his 106.3 QB rating to just an 84.0 mark, causing him to scramble in the pocket.

Holding an NFL offense to just 17 points is a remarkable achievement, especially in the closest game of the season for the Cowboys. This game was a grind, with NFL officials calling a combined 20 penalties, 11 of which were against the Cowboys. There was also a controversial moment when there was no fair catch interference called when KaVontae Turpin was run over by Ja’Sir Taylor. Upon review, they ruled that Turpin was engaged with Jalen Tolbert, leading to a Chargers’ recovery at the Dallas 20-yard line and setting up the tying touchdown.

Dak Prescott summed it up well, saying, “That’s what the NFL is about; close games, winning the game at the end.” The win marked Dak’s 20th game-winning drive, just four behind Tony Romo’s franchise high of 24.

All in all, it was a hard-fought victory for the Cowboys, and they took a well-deserved knee – not just for the game-ending genuflection but for their perseverance and the win they ground out.

By: M Z Hossain, Editor Sky Buzz Feed