The Closers: Cowboys & Dak Prescott Dominating Second Halves; Is That 'Clutch'?
During the first half of the Dallas Cowboys' 28-20 win over the New York Giants on Thanksgiving Day inside AT&T Stadium, little seemed to come easy for the home team.
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott tossed a pair of interceptions, and missed opportunities on both sides of the ball had potential to loom large.
But in the end, none of it mattered, as Dallas imposed its will over the last 30 minutes. And the Cowboys are developing a habit of doing such things.
Does that count as "clutch''?
After halftime, the Cowboys (8-3) outscored the Giants (7-4) by a commanding 21-0 margin up until the final 10 seconds of the fourth quarter.
It was a balanced effort, as Dallas ran for nearly 170 yards and Prescott threw two touchdowns, both to tight end Dalton Schultz. Receivers CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup combined for 169 yards on 11 catches, while Schultz and fellow tight end Jake Ferguson hauled in seven passes for 88 yards.
On the other side of the ball, the Cowboys defense forced two turnovers on downs and a punt in its three possessions prior to the late-game scoring drive, but the unit more than did its job while the offense continued putting up points.
Not only was the win an impressive showing in front of a national audience, but it highlighted a trait that's quickly becoming a staple - or identity - of the 2022 Cowboys: strong second half performances.
Allowing 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter and overtime against the Green Bay Packers aside, the Cowboys have outscored their opponents 80-19 since Prescott returned from his right thumb injury in Week 7 against the Detroit Lions.
Said Dak of what changed in the second half: “We stopped stepping on our own toes and making self-inflicted mistakes. ... Our standard and expectation (is) scoring on almost every drive ... and when we are not doing that in the first half, its tough. ...
"But we have to be committed to each other, committed to our game plan and stay at it.''
Entering Thursday, Dallas ranked No. 4 league-wide in second-half points scored per game and No. 2 in second half points allowed, serving as a notion of the all-around success the Cowboys have had exiting the locker room.
Oh, and then there is the rehabbed Dak and the offense in general. Since Prescott returned from injury, the Cowboys are averaging 33.8 points per game, and during this time, has the No. 1 offense in the NFL in numerous categories.
Pretty "clutch.''
While "America's Team" has its eyes set on bigger and better things than a Week 12 divisional victory, the fact of the matter is that Dallas continues to prove itself in the second half, week after week.
Better yet, it's a trait that's important now and will be even more important come January, when the Cowboys seek to make a deep playoff run.
The ability to finish - be it anything from plays to games - is one of the biggest ingredients in postseason success, and the Cowboys, both statistically and visually, possess the quality in abundance.
Said Dak: "I know what this team is capable of, especially with this defense that we have. We just got to continue to keep our heads down and take it one day at a time, one game at a time. As I said, we control everything we have right in front of us.''
Over the final six games of the regular season and into the playoffs, Dallas will look to keep closing out games, perhaps finally finishing the job that's eluded it since 1996 - and it would only be fitting if the team that's quickly making strong finishes commonplace is the one to break the drought.
You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft
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