Chargers 26-19 Cowboys, Trey Lance five interceptions, summary: score, stats, highlights | NFL Preseason Week 3

Cowboys fall to Chargers in final preseason game: Summary and thoughts

The Trey Lance experiment comes to an end

The Cowboys' final preseason game was in many ways meant to be an evaluation of QB Trey Lance, who had a disappointing first game and a pretty decent second game.

This one, however, just highlighted the inconsistencies. He had enough bright spots to stay on the 53-man roster, which was never really a question, but enough mistakes that he’ll remain behind Cooper Rush on the depth chart. Lance played the entire game against the Chargers and finished 33-of-49 for 323 yards, one touchdown pass to WR Ryan Flournoy, and one 46-yard rushing touchdown, and five picks. He also flopped on several chances to convert on third down. 

The other Cowboys position battles

For Flournoy, there is good news. The rookie is still making his case to be on the final 53-man roster next week and he finished this game with three receptions for 30 yards and one touchdown. He had a score last week against the Raiders too, so his chances are looking better, but there are a lot of others still ahead of him. The Cowboys will need to be okay keeping six WRs on the roster. 

Running backs Deuce Vaughn, Royce Freeman, and Malik Davis are battling for the RB4 spot and Vaughn led the way against the Chargers with nine carries for 53 yards. Freeman had a decent game as well, finishing with eight carries for 35 yards. Davis struggled the most, getting sacked in the first half and flagged for holding in the second, and finishing with just five carries for 28 yards.

Chargers offense finally gets going

For the Chargers, it was a nice change to finally see a win and some movement on the offense. Backup QB Easton Stick played the whole game and finished the game 12-of-29 for 170 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. They aren’t great stats, but better than they have been at least. Let’s just say, we hope Justin Herbert stays healthy.

Wide receivers Derius Davis and Simi Fehoko had the biggest plays of the offense. Davis ran 70 yards for a touchdown on the Chargers’ first play of the game, and Fehoko caught a 78-yard touchdown pass.

Chargers' electric defense

The Chargers defense did well, with safety Tony Jefferson finishing with 14 total tackles, 11 solos, one sack, one tackle for a loss, one sack, one QB hit, and two interceptions for 22 yards. The other defenders who caught Lance’s interceptions were linebacker Tre’Mon Morris-Brash, who ran it 25 yards into the end zone for the pick six, and cornerbacks Matt Hankins and Robert Kennedy.

And the final Trey Lance interception

This was the Cowboys' last chance to make a comeback, and this is what happened with 7 seconds on the clock.

This was interception 4/5

Lance did at least one good thing

This 46-yard TD is what Lance hopes we remember from the game...but...

Jefferson Interception

Tony Jefferson outdoes him with second interception of the game.

Wood Interception

Julius Wood gets second preseason interception for Dallas

END GAME - CHARGERS WIN!

Cowboys mucked up several chances at a comeback in the final quarter and Trey Lance's fifth interception of the game with 7 seconds left sealed the deal.

Chargers get their first preseason win with 26-19 victory over the Cowboys.

Lance's pass is INTERCEPTED in the end zone by Kennedy

Chargers take second timeout

Cowboys manage the spike with 7 seconds - 2nd and 10 at the 25

Lance scrambles and makes the pass to Conner but he's in bound. Cowboys are scrambling to spike it.

Cowboys take final timeout

Lance pass caught by Holler and he gets to the 34-yard line

Lance pass caught by McMath for 7 yards - 3rd and 3

Lance pass incomplete - 2nd down and 10 

Lance pass caught by Spann-Ford for 20 yards - 1st down

Lance pass caught by Johnson for 5 yards - 2nd and 5

Lance pass caught by Spann-Ford for 10 yards - 1st down

Fair catch called by Vaughn

TWO-MINUTE WARNING

That takes us to the 2-minute warning.

With two minutes left in the game, the Cowboys get one more chance to make a comeback after messing up a few other chances.

Cowboys are down 26-19 and will get the ball back on offense after the punt.

Stick pass deep to Johnson is incomplete - 4th and 12

Cowboys take second timeout

Patterson picks up nada - stopped by Wheat - 3rd and 12

Cowboys take first timeout

Stick loses 2 yards - 2nd and 12

Chargers take timeout

Lance under pressure pass is INTERCEPTED by Hankins

Lance pass to Holler for 6 yards - 3rd and 4

Lance pass caught by Spann-Ford but no gain - 2nd and 10

Lance gets out of bounds on 2nd and 2 for the first down and stops the clock

Failed 2-point conversion

The Chargers went for two but Wilson stopped Patterson before he could get over the line - no good

The Cowboys needed just one point to tie the game with four minutes and a half left and had the ball getting close to Chargers territory when Lance threw his third interception of the game, caught and run into the end zone by Tre'Mon Morris-Brash. 

Lance pass INTERCEPTED and it is a TOUCHDOWN CHARGERS by Morris- Brash

Peat picks up 6 - 3rd and 4

Lance lobs it deep on the sideline - incomplete - 2nd and 10 at the 15

Officials timeout

Holding on Chargers - automatic 1st down Cowboys

Lance picks up 2 yards - 2nd and 8

Scott punts 41 yards to the Cowboys 8, Cropper with the fair catch

Stick had a few incomplete passes, but an 11-yard run by Rice took them to the 50. But the Dallas defense stopped them at 4th and 9 and forced them to punt again.

Cowboys cut the lead to just a point. They get within field goal range and Aubrey makes the 33-yard try. Cowboys trail with 7:50 remaining in the game.

COWBOYS FIELD GOAL!

At 4th and 7, Cowboys will go for the field goal

Lance scrambles, picks up 4 - 3rd and 4

Conner takes it up 2 yards

Lance to Conner for 8 yards and Peat takes it up for the 1st down

Lance pass complete to Fant for 5 yards, just enough for the 1st down

Lance pass incomplete - 4th and 5

Cowboys going for it

Lance's pass is caught by Johnson for 15 yards, and his helmet gets stuck on the pants of Chargers defenders. They finally get the two apart - 3rd down and 5

Lance pass to Johnson caught for 5 yards, bu tCowboys' Waletzko is called for Holding, 10 yards

Lance scrambles away under pressure but he's tackled by Morris-Brash for just 1 yard - 2nd and 9

Burnett snags the pass from Lance for 11yards and another 1st down

Conner takes it up the middle 8yards - 2nd and 2

McMath leaps up to catch the pass from Lance for 19yards and the first down

END THIRD QUARTER

That will take us to the end of the third quarter. 

The Cowboys are trailing the Chargers by 10. Cowboys have the ball on 2nd and 11 at their own 19.

Conner picks up 4 yards

False Start on Cowboys' Fant - 5 yards, 1st and 15

Scott punts 56 yards and it bounces into the end zone - Touchback

Stick pass to Patterson complete for 12 yards - 4th and 9

Stick tried to run, but Harris tackled him for a loss of 3 - 3rd and 21

Stick is SACKED by Wheat for a loss of 8

Dotson picks up 13 yards

Aubrey kicks 65 yards into the end zone - Touchback to the Chargers 30

Trey Lance took off 46 YARDS into the end zone for the Cowboys touchdown, making up for throwing the interception just before. The Cowboys will go for 2 and Lance's pass to Johnson is too high, incomplete. 

Lance pass incomplete, 3rd and 2

Lance pass complete to Burnett for 9 yards - 2nd and 2

Freeman is taken back a yard by Jackson - 2nd and 11

Scott punts it 43 yards and Vaughn makes the fair catch

Stick pass caught by Heins for 11 yards - 4th and 7

Spiller stopped by Wood and Muhammad for a gain of just a yard - 3rd and 18

Stick SACKED by Muhammad for a loss of 9 yards - 2nd and 19

Lance under pressure throws it in the end zone and it is INTERCEPTED by Jefferson again, takes it up 13 yards to the Chargers 11

Davis picks up 5 yards to the Chargers 6 - 2nd and 5

Lance pass left complete to Burnett for 20 yards to the Chargers 11

Freeman picks up 2 yards

Lance pass complete to Harmon for 14yards - 1st down

Lance pass to Stephens complete for 12 yards for the first down

Illegal Contact on Chargers; Jefferson, declined

Lance pass incomplete to Johnson - 3rd and 12

Shepley FUMBLES the snap, Cowboys' Cabral recovers it at the 40

Lance runs it up to 32 huge yards, but a Holding call on Cowboys' Davis takes it all the way back - 1st and 10 at the Chargers 48

Andddd another 3 for Davis - 3rd and 4

Davis picks up 3 yards

Stick's pass is INTERCEPTED by Wood and he picks up 9 yards to the Cowboys 30

Stick's pass to Johnson is good for 30 yards.

An Offsides call on Cowboys' Muhammad is declined

False Start on Chargers' Patrick, 5 yards - 3rd and 9

Stick pass to Dotson complete for another 5 - 3rd and 4

Dotson gets just a yard - 2nd and 9

Stick pass complete to Gill for 18 yards 

Chargers' McLellan is down on the field 

Stick still in at QB for the Chargers and he gives it to Davis for 7 yards

And we're back for the second half!

Cowboys' Aubrey kicks 64 yards to the Chargers 1 and Gill takes it up 23 yards

Cowboys WR Ryan Flournoy with the TD for Dallas

Trey Lance throws interception to Tony Jefferson

Simi Fehoko 78-yard TD

Former Cowboys draft pick gets big TD run on former team

Derius Davis 70-yard TD

And now the first half highlights...

HALFTIME

Lance takes the knee and that's it for the first half.

The Chargers lead the Cowboys by 10.

Dicker kicks 65 yards to the end zone, Touchback to the Cowboys 30.

The Chargers get another score on a 48-yard field goal by Dicker with just 3 seconds left in the first half, lead the Cowboys by 10.

CHARGERS FIELD GOAL!

Stick throws the ball away - 3rd and 5

Stick to Johnson for 5 yards

Stick pass deep to Rice is nearly caught, but he can't bring it in - 2nd and 10

Chargers take final timeout

Stick pass to Johnson for 13 yards - 1st down at the Cowboys 35

Stick pass deep incomplete to Johnson - 3rd and 10

Stick pass incomplete to Rice, tipped by Cowboys' Harvey

Chargers take second timeout

Stick runs it up the middle for 11 yards

Stick pass incomplete to Rice - 2nd down

Lance pass deep is caught by Stephens but he FUMBLES, knocked out by Jefferson, it and it's recovered by CHARGERS Jean-Baptiste at the Chargers 41

Lance to Freeman for 7 yards - 2nd and 2

Scott punts 58 yards to the Cowboys 12 and Johnson takes it up 16 yards

Stick pass batted away by Mukuamu - Chargers go 3 and out and Cowboys will get it back

Stick pass dropped by Johnson - second incomplete in a row - 3rd and 10

Stick's pass incomplete to Johnson - 2nd and 10

Aubrey kicks 65 yards into the end zone, Touchback to the Chargers 30.

Lance made the 11 yard pass to Flournoy and it's caught in the end zone for the touchdown. Aubrey's PAT is good and the Cowboys are down by 7 with 1:46 still to go in the first half.

Chargers take first timeout

Lance SACKED by Collins for a loss of 3 - 2nd and goal

TWO-MINUTE WARNING

That'll bring us to the 2-minute warning in the first half. 

Dallas has the ball on 1st down at the Chargers 8

Vaughn takes off for a run of 18 yards

Personal Foul - Face Mask on Chargers' Jefferson, 9 yards

Vaughn takes it up 2 yards - 2nd and 8

Lance scrambles for a gain of 7 yards - 1st down at the Chargers 38

Freeman picks up 3 - 3rd and 5

Lance pass to Stephens for 2 yards - 2nd and 8

Lance scrambles, avoids a sack and then another defender and picks up 6 yards for the 1st down

Lance pass too high for 5'5" Vaughn - 3rd and 4

Freeman gets away, picks up 6 - 2nd and 4

Vaughn gets it again, picks up 3 for the first down

Vaughn picks up another 4 - 3rd and 1

Vaughn picks up 5 - 2nd and 5

Dicker kicks 64 yards to the Cowboys 1 and Davis takes it up 25 yards

The Chargers had good field position after safety Tony Jefferson caught and ran back an interception 13 yards. They couldn't get the ball into the end zone, but Dickers' 21-yard field goal was good to give the Chargers a 10-point lead with 7:26 left in the first half.

CHARGERS FIELD GOAL!

Stick pass batted down by Buddy Johnson - 4th and goal

Spiller brought down by Johnson for a loss of 1 - 3rd and goal

Cowboys take first timeout after a late substitution

Stick pass incomplete, broken up by Scott - 2nd and goal

Stick scrambles to pick up 10 yards all the way to the Cowboys 2

Patterson gains 5 yards, stopped by Johnson - 3rd and 4

Stick pass incomplete - 2nd down

Patterson runs it up 12 yards to the Cowboys 17

Matlock reported in as eligible and Patterson takes it again, 3 yards this time - 3rd and 1

Patrick and Barnhart reported in as eligible for Chargers. Patterson takes the ball up 6 yards - 2nd and 4

Lance pass INTERCEPTED by Jefferson! He takes it up 13 yards to the Cowboys 38

Freeman gets 3 - 3rd and 3

Flournoy gets 4

Freeman takes off, runs up the middle for a big gain of 15

Freeman picks up 2 - 3rd and 1

Lance scrambles for 7 yards 

Freeman picks up 5 yards up the middle

Holding call on Chargers' Hinton, 5 yards 

Dicker kicks 70 yards to Cowboys -5. Vaughn takes it 31 yards 

Holding call on Cowboys' Peat - 10 yards

Fehoko's revenge on the Cowboys

Stick passed to former Cowboy Simi Fehoko and he just ran it 78YARDS for the touchdown! Dicker's PAT is good and the Chargers are up by two scores to start out the second quarter.

END FIRST QUARTER

That'll take us to the end of the 1st quarter.

Chargers have the ball on 2nd and 8 on their own 22.

Matlock reported in as eligible. Patterson takes it up the middle 2 yards.

The officials officially tell us that it was officially 3rd and short!

The officials are using the virtual measurement to measure the call

Stick pass to Wooden for 3 yards - 3rd and 1

Stick pass complete to Fehoko for 7 yards

Anger punts 57 yards to the Chargers 7 and Davis takes it up 4 yards

Lance pass down the middle caught by Hendershot for 10 yards - 4th and 6 

Lance scrambles for 3 yards - 3rd and 15

Lance is SACKED by Jefferson for a loss of 8 yards

Scott punts 57 yards to the Cowboys 31 and it's caught by Billy-Johnson, but he's hit immediately by Tyron Johnson for no gain

Lawson puts the pressure on Stick, he gets away, but Booth is all over Rice and the pass is incomplete - 4th down

Spiller taken down by Wheat after just a yard - 3rd and 9

Easton Stick in at QB for the Chargers - first pass to Rice is incomplete - 2nd and 10

Anger punts 47 yards to the Chargers 10 - Fair Catch

Lance pass incomplete to Johnson - 4th and 12

Lance pass complete to Flournoy for 8yards - 3rd and 12

Lance pass nearly intercepted by Kennedy - incomplete, 2nd and 20

Davis gets the balll but he's taken back a yard by Lee.

Dallas' Waletzko called for Holdng - 10 yards, 1st and 20

Lance pass complete to Fant for 6 yards and the 1st down

Vaughn gers another 5 - 2nd and 5

Lance pass incomplete but there's a Pass Interference call on Chargers' Leonard - automatic first down

Vaughn picks up 5 yards 

Hinton gets his hand on the ball - Lance pass incomplete

Dicker kicks 65 yards into landing zone and then goes into end zone, Touchback to the Cowboys 20.

That was FAST!

Wide receiver Derius Davis ran the ball 70 YARDS all the way into the end zone, untouched to give the Chargers the edge over the Cowboys on their first drive of the game with just under 8 minutes to go in the first quarter.

Aubrey kicks 65 yards into the end zone, Touchback to the Chargers 30

Cowboys make 5 first downs to get within 9 yards of the end zone, but they're stopped short of a touchdown. Kicker Brandon Aubrey makes the 23-yard field goal to put the Cowboys up over the Chargers with 8:06 left in the first quarter.

COWBOYS FIELD GOAL!

Lance passes short to Schoonmaker - 4th and goal

Field goal unit coming on

Lance under pressure but makes a nice pass, but it's broken up by Finley - 3rd and goal

Lance FUMBLES the ball but falls on top of it quickly, recovers it for no gain

Lance pass complete to rookie Flournoy for 11 yards to the Chargers 5 - 1st and goal

Vaughn picks up another 7 yards - 2nd and 3

Lance pass deep is COMPLETE to Johnson for 25 yards - 1st down at the Chargers 22

Vaughn takes it up 4 yards - 3rd and 7

Lance tosses it to Davis, but he's taken down by Leonard for a loss of 2

Davis runs it up 12 yards to the Chargers 49 - 1st down

Lance pass left complete to Cropper, runs out of bounds for a 6-yard gain

Lance pass complete to Johnson for 8 yards and the 1st down

Davis picks up 5 yards - 2nd and 5

Trey Lance in at QB for the Cowboys and he makes a pass to Schoonmaker who gets 10 yards and the 1st down

Cowboys use the dynamic kickoff as WR Jalen Moreno-Cropper returns it, but there's already a flag. 

It's a Holding call on Dallas

Let's goooo

We're just moments away from game time here at AT&T Stadium!

Justin Herbert will sit this one out...as always

When I say as always, I literally mean always. Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert has never played a single NFL preseason game in his entire career.

He was drafted in 2020, a year when there were no preseason games. After that, former head coach Brandon Staley rested al his starters, including Herbert.

Although new coach Jim Harbaugh is more open to letting starters play in the preseason, Herbert has been dealing with an injury until this week. He was in a walking boot for two weeks due to a plantar fascia injury. He returned to practice on Monday, but he will not play against the Cowboys today.

Harbaugh announced backup QB Easton Stick as the starter for today's game against the Cowboys, opting to play it safe with Herbert so that he'll be ready to start Week 1 of the regular season when the Chargers host the Raiders on Sunday, September 8.

Stick is in a battle of the backup position with Luis Perez, and so far neither one has shown that they deserve the spot. Today is the last chance for them to prove themselves. Though Herbert is back and healthy, the backup position should not be underestimated.

Chargers player to watch: Junior Colson

Rookie linebacker Junior Colson was the Chargers' third-round pick in the draft this year. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to see much of him as he's been recovering from an appendectomy. 

He returned to the practice field last week though and immediately impressed with his speed and ability to read a screen pass. Though Denzel Perryman and Daiyan Henley have already been named the Chargers' starting linebackers, Colson could have a starting spot on the special teams unit or as a defensive backup.

Today could be his chance to show off what he can do under the bright lights. 

Trey Lance will play entire game

The Dallas Cowboys traded for Trey Lance after the preseason ended last year, so we never got a chance to see him play, as he sat on the bench throughout the whole regular season.

Now, he's played in two preseason games and it looks like Dallas is ready to keep him on the roster no matter what. In the first game, he struggled to make passes and didn't do much to impress. But he made up for it in Week 2, completing 15 of 23 passes for 151 yards and a touchdown and adding 36 rushing yards and another touchdown on the ground.

While Jerry Jones confirmed Lance will be on the 53-man roster, the question now is whether or not he'll surpass Cooper Rush for the QB2 spot behind Prescott.

Today's game against the Chargers could determine that.

Chargers players rescued from broken elevator

On Friday night, 15 Chargers players and staff went through a scary moment when they got stuck on an elevator in their hotel in Dallas. A technician attempted to get the elevator working, but was unsuccessful.

Thankfully, the Dallas Fire-Rescue showed up to help. They ended up having to crawl one-by-one through a ceiling panel to get out. They reported that the elevator got stuck in a "blind shaft" between the 3rd and 15th floors. 

After they'd made it out, Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh invited the Dallas Fire-Rescue team to eat with them. Everyone is okay and ready for the game against the Cowboys this afternoon.

COWBOYS

Is Dak Prescott playing in preseason finale vs. LA Chargers

The Cowboys are not planning to start QB Dak Prescott today against the Chargers, but he could play another role...

Read more. 

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Cowboys and Chargers - where they stand

With two preseason games under their belts, here's where the Cowboys and Chargers stand heading into the finale.

Dallas Cowboys this preseason

The Dallas Cowboys are fresh off a road win over the Las Vegas Raidersin preseason Week 2. They saw major improvements from their rookies and backups from their preseason opener, which they lost to the Los Angeles Rams. 

Quarterback Trey Lance is making the case to be the QB2 behind Dak Prescott, which will likely push Cooper Rush to the emergency QB3 spot once the 53-man roster is made final next week. Rookies O Tyler Guyton and C Cooper Beebe have both played well this preseason, giving Dallas hope that they made good decisions in this year's draft.

The Cowboys ended last season with a 12-5 record and first in the NFC East, but had a disappointing playoff exit when they lost to the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card Round. 

Los Angeles Chargers this preseason

The Los Angeles Chargers have yet to win a preseason game, losing to the Seattle Seahawks and LA Rams.They have struggled to get anything done on offense this preseason. 

With quarterback Justin Herbert recovering from an injury, they've had their backups in, one of whom (Max Duggan) they've already released. That leaves Easton Stick and Luis Perez, who have yet to throw a touchdown pass in the preseason.

The Chargers finished the regular season last year with a 5-12 record and last in the AFC West. They were eliminated from playoff contention after Week 16. They've since made some major changes, including hiring head coach Jim Harbaugh and drafting rookies OT Joe Alt and WR Ladd McConkey, two crucial positions for the Chargers.

Good afternoon, everyone and welcome to our LIVE text coverage of the final preseason game between the Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Chargers! 

It's Jen here bringing you all the live coverage, with updates, scores, highlights, and commentary from an hour before kickoff until after the game ends.

Kickoff is at 4 p.m. ET (3 p.m. local time) from AT&T Stadium!