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The 10-4 Cowboys at the 10-4 Dolphins entered Sunday as the league’s top two scoring offenses, but defense reigned in the first 30 minutes with Miami taking a 13-7 lead into halftime. Each team was stuffed near the goal line through the first two quarters.
Dallas marched 78 yards across 15 plays to start the game, but a botched handoff between quarterback Dak Prescott and fullback Hunter Luepke led to a fumble recovery and a takeaway for the Dolphins defense. After taking a methodical 15 plays to get to the goal line on their opening drive, the Cowboys got in the end zone after just three plays on their second drive.
Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb found a hole in the middle of the Dolphins’ zone and turned on the jets for a 49-yard catch-and-run touchdown. That put Dallas on top 7-3 early following Miami kicker Jason Sanders draining a career-long 57-yard field goal on the Dolphins’ opening drive. With that score, Lamb joined Terrell Owens (2007) and Dez Bryant (2012) as just the third Cowboys wide receiver all time with a touchdown in seven consecutive games. He finished the half with 93 receiving yards and the touchdown on four catches. Prescott concluded the first 30 minutes with 121 passing yards and the touchdown on 6-of-9 passing.
Fast forward to early second quarter, and Miami faced a fourth-and-goal from the Dallas 5 after injuries to running back Raheem Mostert (lower leg) and wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (eye) caused them to exit the game. The Dolphins decided to go for a touchdown, and couldn’t convert. Tagovailoa threw a fade route to the left corner of the end zone to former Cowboys wide receiver Cedrick Wilson, but Dallas safety Juanyeh Thomas blanketed him in coverage to force an incompletion and a turnover on downs.
Both of the Cowboys’ second-quarter possessions ended in punts after Prescott absorbed three sacks over the course of the half.
The Dolphins regained the lead late with 17 seconds left to cap off an eight-play, 71-yard drive. On running back Raheem Mostert’s first play back after leaving with an injury, he found the end zone untouched for a four-yard receiving score, his league-leading 21st touchdown from scrimmage in 2023. Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa finished the half with 186 yards and the short touchdown on 14-of-22 passing.
That score was critical as it put Miami out in front just before it will receive the second-half kickoff. A roughing the passer penalty on Dallas All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons on 2nd-and-1 from the 9-yard-line put Miami in position for the score.
Will the Dolphins continue to extend their lead and hold on for the win in the second half? Or will Prescott and the Cowboys rally for a critical road victory? Stay tuned to the live blog below to find out.
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