Cowboys 20-17 Chargers, summary: score, stats, highlights | NFL Week 6
Cowboys defeat Chargers, 20-17
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Cowboys improve to 4-2 with win over Chargers
The Dallas Cowboys proved they had moved on from last week's painful loss to the Niners and fought hard to get the win over the Los Angeles Chargers this week.
Cowboys and Chargers neck-and-neck
The Cowboys and Chargers were back-and-forth nearly the whole game, with the majority of it sitting at a tie. In the end, the Cowboys won by just a field goal.
In the first quarter, the Chargers were the first to score when Herbert passed to Allen on a 1-yard TD. The Cowboys responded immediately with a TD of their own when Prescott took it in himself, 18 yards. There was no other score until just at the end of the first half, when the Cowboys' Aubrey kicked a 32-yard field goal to take a 10-7 lead.
The Chargers tied up the game again in the third quarter with a 24-yard field goal by Dicker. The Cowboys then had an impressive, 60-yard run by Pollard which led to a 2-yard touchdown pass from Prescott to Cooks to take back the lead again, 17-10. A Cowboys special teams mistake led to a turnover after a Chargers punt, giving LA perfect field position to score a TD, which they did when Herbert passed the ball to Everett for his first touchdown with the Chargers.
On the Cowboys' next drive, they had to settle for a field goal, bringing the score to 20-17 with just over 2 minutes left. It was plenty of time for the Chargers to at least get in field goal range and tie up the game, but the Dallas defense did not allow it. Parsons sacked Herbert, and Gilmore followed that up immediately by an interception. Game over.
Prescott finished with 21-of-30 for 272 yards and a touchdown, plus 40 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. Herbert finished 22-of-37 for 227 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.
Penalties need fixing on both teams
The Chargers ended up being the team whose penalties/mistakes cost them the game, but it easily could've happened to the Cowboys as well. The penalties were a problem - Dallas had 11 for a costly 85 yards while the Chargers had nine for 79.
What's next?
The Cowboys improve to 4-2 and will have their bye week this week.
The Chargers are just coming off their bye week. They fall to 2-3 and will face AFC West rivals and leaders, the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
GAME OVER - Cowboys win on the road over Chargers
Prescott takes the knee, the clock runs out and the Cowboys beat the Chargers
Herbert under pressure throws it and it is INTERCEPTED by Gilmore! He had to make up for that penalty earlier...
Herbert SACKED by Parsons for a loss of 8 - 3rd and 10 Chargers
TWO-MINUTE WARNING
The Chargers have no timeouts left, but they have two minutes left to get into the end zone or at least tie up the game with a field goal.
They're at their own 33 on 2nd and 2
Herbert slides 2 yards short of the 1st down, taken out by Lawrence - 2nd and 2
Allen got 7 yards, but a Holding call on Dallas' Parsons gives them 1st and 5
Dallas has to go for the field goal after missed TD opportunities. Aubrey makes the 39-yard try and Dallas is up by just 3 with over two minutes still left to play.
Dallas has one timeout left, the Chargers have none.
COWBOYS FIELD GOAL!
Prescott shotgun passed to Pollard in the end zone, but he didn't get to it, incomplete, 4th down
Chargers take last timeout
Prescott holds onto the ball and is SACKED by Joseph but kept the clock running
Chargers take second timeout
Pollard gets nowhere - 2nd and 10 at the Chargers 21
Late substitution nearly got the ref tackled there, but all good!
Prescott pass caught in a beautiful snag by Cooks in the air for 11yards and the 1st down
After review, the call was reversed - incomplete pass. 3rd and 9 Cowboys
Prescott baaaarely avoids a sack, gets the ball to McKeon - they're calling it a catch but it's definitely debatable...
Dowdle gets a yard, and the clock keeps moving.
Cowboys have one timeout left. Chargers have two.
At 3rd and 7, Prescott pass to Lamb is caught for 18 yards - 1st down at the Chargers 33
Prescott gets the ball to Cooks and he takes off, getting 14yards and the 1st down
Prescott scrambled away for 9 yards
Two penalties on the Chargers - Holding on Davis and IllegalContact on Taylor - 5 yards and autoatic first down for the Cowboys
Prescott SACKED by Williams for a loss of 8 - the Chargers' fourth sack of the night
Prescott pass complete to Gallup for 5 yards - 2nd and 10
Dallas gets FalseStart on Smith call right off the bat - 1st and 15
Dicker kicks 65 yards from Chargers 35 to the end zone - Touchback
Herbert faked the handoff and then tossed it 1 yard to Everett who was wide open. The Cowboys gave the Chargers great field position on the turnover after the punt return and they were able to take advantage of it. Everett got his first TD of the night and Dicker's PAT was good to tie up the game yet again with 7 minutes and 11 seconds left to play.
TOUCHDOWN CHARGERS!
Chargers take first timeout
Bell makes a critical stop on Ekeler. Herbert's pass was late, so Ekeler had to stop short of the end zone which gave Bell the opportunity to get to him and keep him from the end zone. Chargers will go for it at 4th and goal...
Herbert pass incomplete to Palmer with pressure from Parsons - 3rd and goal
Ekeler takes it up 1 yard before he's stopped by Dallas defenders - 2nd and goal
Cowboys' Gilmore gets a PassInterference call to give the Chargers an even closer chance
And the call was reversed - Ogbongbemiga recovered it for the Chargers and now they are miraculously in the red zone again with 8 and a half minutes left.
The play is now under review and it looks like it will be reversed and called Chargers ball. Turpin didn't touch the ball since he was knocked backwards but another Cowboys player did fall on it before the Chargers came away with it. TBD what the refs will say...
Turpin was hit after the punt and the loose ball was down. The Chargers tried to recover it but the officials are calling it the Cowboys' ball.
That was a big mistake for the Chargers. The next play was a Herbert pass to Palmer, blocked by Bland - they punt it away
And they have screwed themselves with penalties yet again. Ekeler got 5 yards, but Johnson was called for Holding, 3rd and 11 instead of a first down
Herbert makes a great bullet pass to Allen for 23yards and it's 3rd and inches!
Herbert made a pass to Palmer that he snagged in the air and it would have been an amazing catch and a first down, bur Slater was called for Holding - 10-yard penalty brought them to 2nd and 24
Odighizuwa is doing his best to make up for that mistake though, blocking Ekeler and taking him back 4 yards - 2nd and 12
Herbert's pass was incomplete again to Parham, but Dallas got another Holding on Kearse to give them an automatic first down
Herbert pass to Allen is incomplete - he was wide open, but Herbert just overthrew it
Aubrey punts it back 65 yards from the Cowboys 35 - Touchback
Brandin Cooksgot his first Cowboys touchdown on a 2-yard pass by Prescott right into the end zone. The drive was led by a 60-yard Pollard run to take the Cowboys into Chargers territory. Aubrey's PAT is good and the Cowboys take back the lead with 11:19 left to play.
COWBOYS TOUCHDOWN!
Pollard takes it up 1 yard - 2nd and goal
Prescott bullet pass to Lamb is CAUGHT at the 3 for 15yards - 1st and goal
At 2nd and 12, Dallas gets ANOTHER Holding penalty, this time on Steele
Chargers get a Holding call too, on Taylor
They offset, replay 2nd down and 12
Pollard was pushed out at the 4 but Lamb was called for Holding so Dallas is stuck with a 10-yard penalty
Dallas takes second timeout
What a crazy play! Prescott was all wrapped up in Chargers defenders but somehow spun away, tossed it to Pollard, who then ran 60yards to the Chargers 16!
END THIRD QUARTER
That takes us to the end of the third quarter. The game is tied up with the Chargers and Cowboys each with one TD, one FG.
The Cowboys have the ball at their own 24 at 3rd and 11 after Pollard was pushed back by Johnson.
Pollard gets 1 yard forward, 2 yards back - 3rd and 11
Dicker punts back 65 yards to the Chargers 35 - Touchback
The Chargers make it down the field after a 23-yard catch by Allen, but once they made it into the red zone, they just couldn't convert. They settled for a field goal instead and Dicker made the 24-yard try no problem. We now have a tie game with a minute, 8 seconds left in the third quarter.
CHARGERS FIELD GOAL!
Herbert's pass incomplete to Parham so the Chargers will try to kick a field goal and tie up the game instead
Herbert scrambles forward to the 6 for 3rd and goal...
The Chargers convert on 3rd down to get to 1st and Goal at the 9
Herbert throws perfect pass to Allen and it's caught for 23yards to the Cowboys 22
Dallas takes first timeout to avoid another penalty
Anger punts to the 39 and Davis takes it back 12 yards
Pollard gets 2 and at 3rd and long, Prescott gets SACKED by Fox for a loss of 4 - 4th down and Dallas punts it away again after a missed opportunity.
Prescott's pass incomplete to Gallup, and a Holding call on Martin is declined - 2nd and 10
Herbert passes to Palmer, but it's blocked by Bland in the end zone and Dallas will take over at the 7
Herbert scrambles and gets all the way down, but the officials are calling it just short. That will make it just 4th and inches though so the Chargers are going for it
Herbert escapes a sack and gets it away to Ekeler for no gain - 3rd and 10
Lawrence bats down Herbert's pass - 2nd and 10
Herbert passes deep to Allen and he takes off and it's good for 19 yards to the Cowboys 16
Herbert bullet pass to Parham for 13yards good for the 1st down and they're in Dallas territory
Palmer gets a gain of 5, taken down by Bell
Now it's the Chargers getting the flags. Slater called for IllegalShift, 5 yards puts Chargers at 1st and 15
On 2nd and 15, Herbert gets the ball away to Palmer for 17 and the 1st down
Herbert's pass to Palmer was good for 9 yards but it was erased on an Inelligible Downfield Pass by Pipkins, pushes the Chargers 5 yards back
START 3RD QUARTER
And we're back! Chargers starting us off in the second half
The Cowboys don't take the risk of going for a TD with 3 seconds left in the half and instead settle for the safe route. Aubrey makes the 32-yard field goal and Dallas takes the lead as the first half comes to an end.
COWBOYS FIELD GOAL!
Dallas calls second timeout
Prescott pass complete to Pollard for a gain of 3 to the Chargers 14
Ferguson picks up some yardage, and a PersonalFoul call on James gives the Cowboys 15 yards
Prescott tried to scramble away. Dallas gets a Holding call on Smith - 10 yards back as the clock has wound down to 21 seconds.
Prescott pass complete to Gallup this time for 11yards and another first down
Prescott pass complete to Lamb for 22yards to the Chargers 48
Prescott pass broken up by Davis - incomplete
Turpin takes the return up 15 yards to the Cowboys 29
At 3rd and 14, Herbert tries to throw deep, but Fowler gets a hand on his arm and it's incomplete - 4th and 14 and they punt it back
On 2nd down, Chargers get Holding call on Pipkins, 10 yards - 2nd and 20 at the Chargers 40
Clark stops Everett, but on the next play, Herbert gets it away to Palmer for 11 yards
TWO-MINUTE WARNING
Herbert passes deep and Palmer makes a beautiful catch for a gain of 26yards to the Chargers 39, which takes us to the 2-minute warning in the first half.
The Chargers and Cowboys are tied 7-7.
Herbert pass to Ekeler was complete but then knocked away by Bell, incomplete
Prescott tried to take it up but the Chargers defense didn't let them get through and the Chargers take over at their own 13
Prescott pass complete to Pollard but he's short of the first down and McCarthy will go for it again with just inches to the first
Prescott short pass to Pollard, he grabs it and takes off 9 yards - 3rd and 3
On the next play, Murray gets to Pollard and takes him back 2 yards, 2nd and 12
Prescott pass to Lamb complete for 11 yards and the first down
Pollard taken down after just 2 yards and it's 3rd and 8...
Prescott passes deep to Gallup and he would have caught it, but he was being pulled by his shirt...and there's no flag on the Chargers.
Prescott's pass to Luepke was incomplete, but Chargers' James got called for a Roughing the Passer call to give Dallas an automatic first down
Pollard gets just enough for the first down at the 50
Prescott and Gallup finally connect for a gain of 7 - 2nd and 2
Prescott gets the ball away to Cooks for 17 yards
Scott punts back 38 yards to the Cowboys 22 - Turpin calls fair catch
Ekeler is taken down and back by Wilson and the Chargers don't get their first down - 4th and 2
Incomplete pass turned into 5 free yards for the Chargers - Fowler called for Offsides - 3rd and 2
Ekeler taken down by Lawrence, then Bell - clean hits this time, and it's 3rd and 7
Anger re-punts, Davis makes the fair catch
Hey look, another flag! Just as the ball was snapped, Dallas got called for Illegal Formation (Wheat). They'll re-punt.
6-yard pass was caught by Cooks but he went nowhere. 3 and out, Cowboys punt it back.
And what do you know? Another Cowboys penalty. Prescott passed to Pollard but lost a yard. Then Cooks was called for Illegal Shift, declined. 3rd and 10 Cowboys.
Scott punts 30 yards to the Cowboys 12, downed by Tuipulotu
Two incomplete passes take Chargers to 4th down and 8 at the Dallas 42. They will punt it back to Dallas, despite the Cowboys' best efforts to give it away with penalties.
Herbert was SACKED for a loss of 2 by Bell, but it was erased after Williams was called for IllegalUseofHands. Cowboys are just giving it to the Chargers for free.
Unnecessary Roughness on Cowboys' Kearse - he tackled Herbert with a rough helmet-to-helmet though he tried to avoidit - 15 yards and automatic 1st down
Wilson batted the ball away from Herbert and miraculously it landed right back into his hands. Herbert took off with it 10 yards for the first down.
Herbert narrowly avoids a sack by Wilson, gets the ball away but it's incomplete
END FIRST QUARTER
The Chargers and Cowboys are tied 7-7 at the end of the first quarter. The Chargers have the ball at their own 21 on 2nd and 5.
Allen gets away from two Dallas defenders and isn't taken down by Wilson until he's got the first down
Ekeler taken down after 3 yards by Wheat
Anger punts beautifully, bounces to the 2, downed by Brooks
Incomplete pass to Gallup puts Cowboys at 4th and 6 and they'll punt it back to the Chargers
Dallas takes first timeout to avoid Delay of Game penalty
Prescott dodges one sack by Murray, but Fox gets to him and it's a SACK for a loss of 3 - 3rd and 6
Dowdle gets his first carry of the game for 7 yards
Prescott scrambles away for 11yards and another 1st down to the Cowboys 49
Lamb is getting much more targets this game and it's a good thing - 16yards and another Dallas 1st down
Herbert was nearly sacked but got the ball away but the pass was sloppy -Everett nearly caught it, but it was no good. Scott punts it back 45 yards to the Cowboys 22 and Turpin calls for the fair catch.
At 3rd and 7, Cowboys get a Too Many Men on the Field penalty to give Chargers 5 free yards - 3rd and 2
McCarthy went for it on 4th and 1 and it paid off. Prescott took off down the middle for 18 yards into the end zone to catch back up with the Chargers. The drive was led by two big CeeDee Lamb catches for 11 and 23 yards. Aubrey's PAT was good and the Cowboys are tied with the Chargers with 6:21 to go in the 1st quarter after a rough start.
COWBOYS TOUCHDOWN!
Prescott faked the throw and scrambled, but still one yard short. McCarthy will go for it on 4th down...
Prescott pass deep to Gallup right into the end zone, but he didn't get up high enough to make the catch. 3rd and 5.
Pollard picks up the first down on 3rd and 3 on a 7-yard carry, to the Chargers 27
Lamb gets two big catches in a row - an 11-yard catch and then a 23-yard catch and run to take the Cowboys to the Chargers 41
What a start for the Chargers! They started it off with a 26-yard punt return by Davis and then it took just two more big plays by Everett and Ekeler to get down into the red zone. A short pass by Herbert to Allen for 1 yard got them the touchdown. The PAT by Dicker was good and the Chargers take the early lead over the Cowboys with 10:31 still left to play in the 1st quarter.
CHARGERS TOUCHDOWN!
Ekeler takes it up 3 yards...
Kearse stops Allen getting further, but Chargers are at 2nd and goal just four minutes into the game
The Chargers get right back downfield with a 28-yard catch and run by Ekeler
Herbert passed to Palmer who escaped and ran it 27 yards into the endzone, but an Illegible Man Downfield call on Johnson called it back
Chargers pick up another 15 as Herbert throws a play-action pass to Everett
The Chargers get off to a much better start than the Cowboys just did. Anger's 53-yard punt was returned byDavis 26 yards to the Cowboys 42.
Great start for Prescott - he's SACKED for an 11-yard loss by Mack
Uh oh, looked like Pollard fumbled the ball and the Chargers took off with it, but officials say he was down (on the replay, you can see that was a good call), so it's still Cowboys ball at 3rd and 6
Just one play in and we've already got an injured player - Chargers' Joseph is limping off the field
GAME TIME!
Chargers won the toss and have chosen to defer. Cowboys will start us off on offense. Let's go!
Herbert vs Cowboys defense
The Cowboys defense has been struggling lately, and the last game was their worst of the season so far. Now they're in even worse shape after losing LB LeightonVanderEsch in addition to CB TrevonDiggs, who's out for the season. This may just be the fire LB Micah Parsons needs lit under him to get things back on track for the Dallas D,
If so, then Chargers quarterback JustinHerbert better hope he's fully well too, as he's been dealing with a bit of a finger injury. He had the bye week to recover though and should be okay to face Dallas tonight. The Chargers offense is fifth in yards per game.
Can the Cowboys bounce back?
The Cowboys' loss to the 49ers last week was brutal. Quarterback Dak Prescott, who threw three interceptions in that game, was quite humbled by the loss. He and his offensive line will need to prove themselves against the Chargers this week and it'll be a challenge going up against pass rusher Khalil Mack, who had six sacks in just one game against the Raiders in Week 4.
Ekeler returns, Bosa good to go
The Chargers will see running back Austin Ekeler take the field for the first time since Week 1, as he's been nursing an ankle injury for the last four games. Back then, he notched 16 carries for 117 yards and one rushing touchdown.
Chargers edge rusher Joey Bosa is also good to go after dealing with a toe injury and being listed as Questionable earlier this week. In the three games he's played this season, Bosa has registered six tackles (three for a loss), three sacks, and a pass deflection. When healthy, he's capable of really bolstering the Chargers defense. Injuries have been an issue with him in the last few years, but he's good to go ahead of the Cowboys tonight. Good news for the Chargers, who have given up 404 yards per game this season.
INACTIVES - Chargers vs Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys Inactives vs Los Angeles Chargers
QB Trey Lance
CB Noah Igbinoghene
S Juanyeh Thomas
CB Eric Scott
RB Deuce Vaughn
OT Asim Richards
DL Viliami Fehoko
Los Angeles Chargers Inactives vs Dallas Cowboys
S Alohi Gilman
CB Deane Leonard
RB Elijah Dotson
OL Zack Bailey
WR Simi Fehoko
DL Christopher Hinton
Kellen Moore back to face his old team
Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore was with the Cowboys for four years as the OC before moving to Los Angeles to become the Chargers' offensive playcaller. Although Moore produced high-level offenses, he struggled in situational football.
Now, it's head coach Mike McCarthy who's in charge of playcalling for the Cowboys and so far, he's not much better, despite having won Super Bowls as a playcaller in Green Bay. The Cowboys are 16th in total offense with 327 yards per game and eighth in scoring offense (26.8 points per game). The Chargers, on the other hand, are fifth in total offense (389 yards per game) and seventh in scoring offense (27.5 points per game) with Moore at the helm.
Moore not looking for revenge
Though it may seem like Moore would want to prove himself and make the Cowboys sorry for the move, he said he doesn't feel any extra motivation to beat the Cowboys and looks forward to seeing them again.
“Jerry’s awesome. I’m obviously thankful....There are a lot of relationships you love and appreciate there, people you’re close to and will be close to for a long time. It’ll be fun to see all those people.”
With Vander Esch out, Cowboys make 6 roster moves
Cowboys linebacker Leighton Vander Esch (neck) and cornerback C.J. Goodwin (pectoral injury) have been placed on Injured Reserve, while they activated CB NashonWright from IR and signed DE TyrusWheat.
They will also elevate running back Malik Davis and linebacker MalikJefferson from the practice squad It will be Jefferson's third elevation - after this, he'll have to be signed to the active roster in order to play in a game.
Cowboys and Chargers - where they stand
After shutting out the Giants 40-0 in Week 1, the Cowboys looked like they were on an upwards trajectory, but two bad losses - one to the Cardinals and last week's 42-10 loss to the 49ers - have put everything into question. They're now 3-2 and second in the NFC East behind the Eagles.
The Chargers are on a high after two straight wins against the Vikings and Raiders and a bye week. They're now 2-2 and second in the AFC West behind leaders Kansas City Chiefs.
Good evening everyone and welcome to our live text coverage of the Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Chargers!
We have a juicy matchup tonight with two teams looking to catch up with their leaders in their respective divisions. The game kicks off at 8:15 p.m. ET from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
AS USA will be here before, during, and after the game to bring you the latest updates, news, highlights, stats, and commentary.