In the early window of Sunday games, Andy Dalton threw for 209 yards and two touchdowns as Dallas Cowboys cruised to a 41-33 win against the San Francisco 49ers in Arlington, Tex.
Dalton’s favorite target in Week 15 was rookie CeeDee Lamb. The former Oklahoma Sooner had five receptions for 85 yards while also being a factor on special teams. Dallas outscored the 2019 NFC champions, 24-19, in the second half. The victory didn’t come easy for Dallas, as the 49ers battled back from being down 14-0 early in the first quarter.
Turnovers Galore
With the game tied at 24 early in the fourth quarter, 49ers quarterback Nick Mullens threw an interception to Cowboys safety Donovan Wilson, setting up Dallas’ offense in enemy territory. The turnover resulted in a Greg Zuerlein 46-yard field goal. Mullens’s turnover marked the sixth straight game in which the backup quarterback has thrown an interception. The turnover woes for Mullens continued on the next 49ers possession, this time passing the pigskin to Anthony Brown. Brown’s interception led to a 40-yard touchdown run from Tony Pollard, effectively sealing the victory for the Cowboys. Pollard’s fourth-quarter touchdown capped off the Cowboys’ total of scoring 24 points off turnovers while giving his team a 34-27 lead.
Pollard’s larger workload came courtesy of a calf injury to Ezekiel Elliott, which forced the workhorse back to be listed as inactive prior to the game. Week 15 against San Francisco was the first game the running back has missed in his career due to an injury.
Highlights
Dallas opened the game by striking for two consecutive touchdowns; one was scored by Michael Gallup and the other by Pollard. The teams traded touchdowns in the third quarter. The Cowboys found the end zone first in the second half to regain the lead. The big play of Dallas’s third-quarter spree came on third down, halfway through the frame, when Dalton hooked up with Lamb for a 45-yard completion. The catch by the rookie set up a Dalton Schultz touchdown reception on the next play.
Rook getting it done. @THE2ERA TOUCHDOWN 😏#SFvsDAL on CBS/49ers app pic.twitter.com/9pXTECjLnV
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) December 20, 2020
Dalton to Dalton. @andydalton14 | @BinghamBaller9
📺: #SFvsDAL on CBS
📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: https://t.co/EJLjYXQNy2 pic.twitter.com/8zsz5CCpnf— NFL (@NFL) December 20, 2020
.@donlwilson6 WITH THE INTERCEPTION ❕❕❕
📺 #SFvsDAL on CBS pic.twitter.com/oGoRdX53Hq
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) December 20, 2020
There goes Tony Pollard! @Tp__5 #DallasCowboys
📺: #SFvsDAL on CBS
📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: https://t.co/EJLjYXQNy2 pic.twitter.com/2eklIxh6Jk— NFL (@NFL) December 20, 2020
Prior to Week 15 against the Niners, the Cowboys had gone 21 games without consecutive wins. With Sunday’s victory at home, the team has won two in a row. They now sit just one game behind the Washington Football Team in the NFC East. The 49ers, who already had slim playoff chances, witnessed a knockout blow in Arlington. San Francisco is officially eliminated from playoff contention.
The Cowboys will play a pair of NFC East foes to wrap up the 2020 campaign. First, they battle at home against the Philadelphia Eagles, and then in East Rutherford, N.J, against the New York Giants. San Francisco’s story moving forward will be about whether or not Jimmy Garoppolo and George Kittle will be able to see the field for the final weeks of the season.
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Main Image Credit: Embed from Getty Images
