Cowboys lead Giants at halftime
Nobody ever said clinching a division or playing in December was going to be easy, even for the streaking Dallas Cowboys.
And certainly not in the bitter cold temperatures at MET Life Stadium Sunday.
But the Cowboys are halfway to their goal with a 7-0 against the New York Giants at halftime.
The Cowboys took lead on a 31-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Dak Prescott to wide receiver Terrance Williams on the second drive of the game.
Coach Jason Garrett sparked the score with a gutsy fourth-and-1 gamble at the Cowboys 42.
Running back Ezekiel got the first down with a 2-yard gain.
Elliott then ripped of runs of 9, 8 and 3 yards.
That’s when offensive coordinator Scott Linehan caught the Giants napping. Prescott faked a pitch left to Elliott and then bootlegged right. He found Williams running wide open behind the Giants defense for the score.
Cowboys kicker Dan Bailey missed a 55-yard field goal as time expired when the ball hit the cross bar.
Outside of that, the first half was a defensive struggle.
Prescott lost a fumble on a sack and saw his streak of 171 passes without an interception come to an end when receiver Dez Bryant slipped down and cornerback Janoris Jenkins picked it off.
The biggest highlight for the Cowboys offense was Elliott, who 86 yards on 15 carries.
Elliott had just 51 yards in the 20-19 season opening loss to the Giants.
Prescott completed nine of 17 passes for 101 yards with one touchdown and one interception in the first half.
The maligned Cowboys defense held its end of the bargain, holding the Giants scoreless, while notching three sacks and two forced fumbles.
Receiver Odell Beckham was limited to two catches for 26 yards. Eli Manning completed 10 of 16 passes for 80 yards.
The Cowboys have won a franchise-record 11 consecutive games since the season-opening loss to the Giants.
They own the league’s best record and could clinch the NFC East title as well as a first-round bye in the playoffs with a victory against the Giants.
This story was originally published December 11, 2016 at 9:10 PM with the headline "Cowboys lead Giants at halftime."