The Miami Dolphins faced the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 22 in Week 3 of the 2019 NFL season. Here are the highlights from the game.
The Miami Dolphins traveled to Arlington on Sunday afternoon to face the Dallas Cowboys in the 14th meeting between the two teams. Miami led the all-time series 7-6 coming into the game, but Dallas had won the last three matchups between the teams before Sunday’s game.
As predicted, the Cowboys won the match Sunday, tying the all-time series record 7-7.
Despite Miami’s efforts in the first half to step up and stay in the game against Dallas, the Cowboys came back in the second half and dominated Miami in their 31-6 victory.
The game got off to a slow start in the first half and the Dolphins were unable to convert their first possession of the game into points on board when kicker Jason Sanders missed his first field goal attempt with a wide right kick. Dallas responded in their first possession with a 37-yard connecting pass between Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper in their first play of the game and finished the possession with a 28-yard field goal kicked by Brett Maher. The Cowboys were the first on the board, leading 3-0 with 10-and-a-half minutes left in the first quarter.
Dallas put the first touchdown on the board as well when in their next possession they finished up nine plays on second and goal and Prescott connected with Cooper for five yards. Dallas extended their lead to 10-0. The Dolphins would try to respond with a touchdown on their next possession, but after they failed to convert three downs from inside the red zone, they answered with a 22-yard field goal by Sanders, closing the Dallas lead to seven points with 53 seconds left in the quarter.
Dallas started the second quarter with a pass intended for Randall Cobb that picked off by Miami safety Bobby McCain. The Dolphins didn’t produce any points in their possession following the interception, and Dallas didn’t put any more points on the board for the rest of the first half. Miami was able to convert their fourth possession into three points when Sanders kicked a 33-yard field goal with just under six minutes left in the half. The Dolphins ended the first half with a forced fumble by Dallas defensive end Demarcus Lawrence on Kenyan Drake for no yardage. The first half of the game ended with Miami trailing Dallas, 10-6.
Dallas received the ball first in the third quarter and on second-and-nine, Prescott connected with Cobb for a 74-yard touchdown that was nullified because of an offensive holding call on the Cowboys. But with 12-and-a-half minutes left in the third quarter, Prescott connected with Cooper for 19 yards and the points went on the board then, 17-6. Miami’s first possession of the second half ended after Josh Rosen was sacked on 3rd-and-12 for a loss of seven yards. Robert Quinn recorded the sack for Dallas.
The Cowboys’ next possession consisted of nine plays and lasted more than five minutes before Dak Prescott rushed eight yards for a touchdown. Dallas extended their lead by seven more points, making it 24-6 with 3:33 left in the third quarter. Miami’s final possession of the quarter didn’t yield any points in a three-and-out that saw them gain just seven yards. The Cowboys kept the lead going into the final quarter of the game.
Miami received the ball first in the fourth quarter and on their third possession Rosen was sacked, but a roughing the kicker penalty was called on Dallas cornerback Anthony Brown, keeping the possession alive with a 15-yard penalty and automatic first down. The Dolphins were unable to convert on the next third down, and the Cowboys failed to put points on the board in their next possession after Brett Maher missed a 55-yard field goal attempt with just under eight minutes left in the game.
Dallas did convert their next possession into points on the board as Tony Pollard ran for a 16-yard rushing touchdown with 3:45 left on the clock, extending the lead by 25 points. The game ended after a Miami possession of eight plays for 36 yards, running off three more minutes of the clock.
The Dolphins’ defense held strong for the first half, but Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, Amari Cooper and the rest of the Cowboys came back strong in the second half, and the Dolphins were unable to produce any points, or stop the Dallas offense. Dallas remains undefeated with three wins heading into next week’s Sunday Night Football game versus the New Orleans Saints, and Miami will head into their next game at home against the Los Angeles Rams at 0-3.
“I’m glad to see us finish the game strong."
After a slow start, the #DallasCowboys defense gets second half shutout. #MIAvsDAL
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) September 23, 2019
