Dak
and Dez fire as Dallas deny Detroit
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[December 27, 2016]
ARLINGTON, Texas (The Sports
Xchange) - The Dallas Cowboys entered their final regular-season
home game with the NFC East title and home-field advantage in the
playoffs in their back pocket.
Even so, Dallas showed no signs of slowing down as it raced past the
Detroit Lions in the third quarter on the way to a 42-21 victory on
Monday night at AT&T Stadium.
The Lions (9-6) were the team trying to lock up a playoff berth, but
they couldn't keep up after halftime with Dallas (13-2), which had
all of its stars on display.
Cowboys rookie quarterback Dak Prescott passed for 212 yards and
three touchdowns. Wide receiver Dez Bryant caught a pair of TD
passes and threw another, and rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott
rushed for 80 yards and two scores on 12 carries.
The only sign that Dallas might have let its hair down a bit, with
the NFC East title in hand, came in the third quarter when Bryant
threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jason Witten.
On first-and-goal from the Detroit 10, Bryant took a pitch going to
his left on a reverse and appeared headed upfield. But just before
Bryant reached the line of scrimmage, he tossed to a wide-open
Witten in the end zone for the score.
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The Bryant-to-Witten connection put an exclamation point on the
Cowboys' domination of the third quarter.
After going to halftime tied at 21, Dallas won the third 14-0 by
moving the ball efficiently and shutting down the Lions' offense.
Cowboys safety J.J. Wilcox ended Detroit's second-half-opening
possession by intercepting Matthew Stafford at the Lions 46-yard
line.
Dallas stopped Detroit's second series of the third quarter at the
Lions 36, and Detroit kicker Matt Prater missed a 47-yard field goal
on the Lions' third and final offensive series of the period.
The Cowboys responded to Prater's miss by driving 63 yards in seven
plays. Prescott hit Bryant for a 19-yard touchdown that put Dallas
ahead 42-21 and in total command with 12:12 left.
Stafford finished 26 of 46 for 260 yards and the one interception.
Detroit running back Zach Zenner produced two touchdowns and 67
yards on 12 carries, while tight end Eric Ebron had eight receptions
for 93 yards.
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![](../images/122716pics/sports33.jpg)
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) celebrates with mascot Rowdy
after the game against the Detroit Lions at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory
Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
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Bryant
made a juggling one-handed touchdown catch, despite being interfered
with by Lions cornerback Johnson Bademosi, to tie the game at 21
going into halftime. Prescott converted a third-and-7 by hitting
Bryant for the 25-yard touchdown with 1:04 left in the second
quarter.
Detroit scored on its first three possessions to take a 21-14 lead
with 7:40 remaining in the half.
Zenner ran 7 yards for the Lions' first touchdown and 5 yards for
the third. Stafford plunged forward 1 yard to convert a
fourth-and-goal and tie it at 14.
Dallas struggled for most of the first half to stop the Lions'
combination of Stafford and Zenner. Stafford finished the first half
with 137 passing yards, and Zenner rushed for 64 on 10 carries
before intermission.
However, Prescott and Elliott helped the Cowboys keep pace.
Prescott hit wide receiver Brice Butler for a 21-yard touchdown to
give Dallas a 7-0 lead after its first drive.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2016/Aug/26/images/ads/current/ldn_sda_062409.png)
Elliott broke loose for a 55-yard touchdown run late in the second
quarter to put the Cowboys back in front 14-7.
Elliott finished the first half with 74 yards on eight carries.
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