The Dallas Cowboys defense has been much maligned. Their effort in the Week 13 loss to the Baltimore Ravens was questioned by coaches, media and fans, including famous alum of the organization. Their response in Week 14 though was what one would hope. They got lined up across a struggling offense and took advantage of every opportunity. The Cowboys forced fumbles on the Cincinnati Bengals first three possessions, racing out to a 17-point lead en route to a 30-7 victory.
The win moved Dallas to 4-9 on the season, dropping the Bengals to 2-10-1 on the year. The victory likely ended any chance the Cowboys had of catching Cincinnati in draft order, but for the coaching staff and the players, it was a much needed respite from the difficulties of a lost season.
The Cowboys’ offense wasn’t spectacular, in fact they failed to capitalize on the first short field and at the beginning of the second half when Tony Pollard had a 50-plus yard kickoff return, only scoring field goals on both possessions. The defense though took matters into their own hands. Aldon Smith recovered the second of the Bengals three first-quarter fumbles for a touchdown, and when the Bengals were driving to answer the score, Darian Thompson stopped their drive inside the red zone with his second forced turnover in two weeks.
The Cowboys scored 10 points in the fourth quarter, including a late Andy Dalton pass to Tony Pollard on fourth-and-1, giving the former Bengals QB a touchdown in front of his former home crowd.
The Bengals showed Dalton respect, introducing him prior to the game, and the defense came through for him.
Dalton finished the game 16 for 23, passing for 185 yards and two scores, connecting with Amari Cooper in the first quarter to extend Dallas’ lead to 17-0 at the time.
Cooper hauled in four of five targets for 51 yards. Ezekiel Elliott rushed 12 times for 48 yards and caught two passes for 11 more.
On defense, Dallas was paced by Jaylon Smith’s 11 tackles, while Tyron Crawford notched his first two sacks of the season in the fourth quarter. DeMarcus Lawrence contributed with a forced fumble that was recovered by CB Jourdan Lewis on the opening drive.
Dallas squares off against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 15.
With the New York Giants losing, the Cowboys find themselves still with a chance to win the NFC East.
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