The Cowboys elected to receive after winning the coin toss in Jacksonville, looking to set the tone on offense. After crossing midfield, the drive stalled out and the aggressive approach hurt Dallas. On the ensuing Jaguars drive, the Cowboys defense responded.
Jacksonville worked near midfield after two first downs then running back Travis Etienne Jr. mishandled the ball, with safety Donovan Wilson waiting on the spot for the recovery in opposing territory.
Gifted a short field, running back Tony Pollard got the offense moving with two first-down conversions then his counterpart came in and finished the job. Ezekiel Elliott finished the drive with a 10-yard touchdown run, capitalizing on the defensive effort.
7 straight games with a TD for @EzekielElliott! @dallascowboys
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Kellen Moore dialed up the run game and only the run game on the scoring drive, with six rushes for 41 yards to force their will on the Jaguars. With Tyron Smith starting at right tackle, there was no drop-off from the offensive line, leading to the score.