Dak Prescott Struggles, Trevon Diggs Hurt: Cowboys Trail Texans at Half
The "Battle of Texas" has been exactly that on Sunday inside AT&T Stadium, as the Dallas Cowboys trail the Houston Texans 20-17 at the end of the first half.
Entering as heavy favorites, Dallas announced its presence early, as the running game spearheaded by Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard led a nine-play, 76-yard touchdown drive to start the game. Elliott took three carries for 33 yards while Pollard had two for 22, capping off the series with an 11-yard score.
The Cowboys defense started in similarly dominant fashion, forcing a three-and-out and appearing to get the ball rolling on a Dallas blowout ... but returner KaVontae Turpin took that a bit too literally, muffing the ensuing punt and setting up the Texans inside the 25 yard line.
Houston capitalized, converting a pair of third downs, the second of which was a one-yard rushing touchdown from rookie running back Dameon Pierce to draw the visitors even. The six-play, 24-yard series featured Jeff Driskel at quarterback for the Texans, a pre-planned change from starter Davis Mills, giving Houston an added element of athleticism under center.
Dallas' offense failed to recreate its first possession magic, as two runs by Pollard lost three yards and a nine-yard catch-and-run from Noah Brown came up well short of the yard to gain.
The same couldn't be said for the Texans offense, as Mills hit receiver Chris Moore for a 36-yard gain that led to a Ka'imi Fairbairn field goal, giving Houston a surprising 10-7 lead as the first quarter came to a close.
The Cowboys, suddenly without any momentum, needed some life - and received it from Brown, who came back to an underthrown ball from Prescott to make a diving catch on 3rd and 12 for a gain of 51 yards.
Pollard took over from there, gaining 18 yards on one carry and following it up with a 10-yard touchdown reception from Prescott, putting Dallas on top 14-10.
But the Texans refused to go away.
Between a balanced combination of Mills, Driskel and Pierce, Houston converted three third downs and moved into Dallas territory ... but the Cowboys defense stood tall on 4th and 3, stopping Pierce just shy of the marker.
However, Prescott and company couldn't do much with the opportunity, going three-and-out in just over 90 seconds. The Texans had the same fate, punting it away after three plays and taking under a minute off the clock.
With the contest once more out of rhythm, Dallas' offense was seeking to put together an efficient four-minute drive to close out the first half ... but two plays in, Prescott's pass to Brown through traffic was tipped high into the air and intercepted by Houston cornerback Tremon Smith.
As they did earlier in the game, the Texans put the good field position to use, as Driskell, just elevated from the practice squad Sunday, hit receiver Amari Rodgers, released under a month ago by the Green Bay Packers, in the endzone for a 28-yard touchdown.
After failing to succeed in the four-minute, Dallas had more success in the two-minute, as Prescott led the offense on an 11-play drive that ultimately stalled in the redzone, forcing a 33-yard field goal from Brett Maher to knot the score at 17 apiece.
With 40 seconds and all three timeouts, Mills and the Texans went to work, marching 43 yards on five plays as Fairbairn knocked one through the uprights to close the half, with Houston on top 20-17.
Apart from the uninspiring execution from all three phases, the Cowboys' first half was marred by injuries. In a bit of foreshadowing, safety Jayron Kearse was helped off the field pre-game, though he still managed to play in the game. However, star cornerback Trevon Diggs, defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins and right tackle Terence Steele all went down. Diggs eventually returned for Houston's final drive.
For the half, Prescott finished 13 of 23 for 158 yards, one touchdown and an interception, while Pollard and Elliott combined for 72 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries, averaging six and a half yards per carry.
On Houston's side, Mills was an efficient nine of 11 for 93 yards, while Driskell was two of two for 33 yards and a score.
Since Prescott returned from his right thumb injury in Week 7, the Cowboys have outscored their opponents 127-42 in the second half, including a dominant 33-6 effort last week against the Indianapolis Colts.
Set to get the ball to start the closing 30 minutes, Dallas will look to establish a similar tone and march on to its fourth consecutive win - under a bit of unexpected pressure from its home-state rivals.
You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft
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