The Cowboys offense showed promise in the first quarter against Washington, but only had two field goals to show for it. Following a second three-and-out by Dallas, the Commanders put together their first strong drive, ended by a touchdown grab by Jahan Dotson, taking a 7-6 lead in AT&T Stadium.
Down a point, the Cowboys offense took the field and quarterback Cooper Rush almost turned the ball over but an illegal contact penalty kept him on the field and sparked a responsive drive. On the next third-down play, Rush found wide receiver Michael Gallup for his first catch in 2022 coming off of a torn ACL.
Kellen Moore relied on running backs Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard on the drive to march down the field and it worked. The physical presence slowed down the Washington defense to the tune of 36 rushing yards. Facing another third down in the red zone, Rush went to Gallup again. This time, it was for a touchdown.
MICHAEL GALLUP IS BACK ‼️
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Dallas built a methodical drive, running 15 plays and chewing 6:01 off the clock before taking the lead on a 9-yard touchdown catch for Gallup, who has plenty of confidence in his return. The Cowboys take a 12-7 lead after a blocked extra point with a minute left in the first half.