Browns Cowboys Game Recap
The Dallas Cowboys defeated the Cleveland Browns on the road, 33-17, to open up the regular season. Dak Prescott completed 19 of 32 passes for 179 yards and a passing touchdown. Deshaun Watson had 45 pass attempts, completing 24 of them for 169 yards, one passing touchdown, and two interceptions. The Cowboys’ defense took down Watson six times on the day.
On the Cowboys’ second drive, Prescott connected with CeeDee Lamb on a 34-yard pass to get into Browns territory. A few plays later, the Cowboys’ first touchdown came when Prescott found a wide-open Brandin Cooks running past the last line of defense and to the back of the end zone. After both teams exchanged a pair of punts, the Cowboys generated another touchdown, this time Ezekiel Elliott punching it in from three yards out. The Cowboys took a 14-3 lead early in the second quarter.
The Browns’ offense was miserable in the first half. After kicking a field goal on their first possession, they had five punts and an interception. The Browns went zero for six on third-down attempts. At the end of the first half, the Cowboys trotted out Brandon Aubrey for a potential NFL-record 71-yard field goal. Instead, they opted for a Hail Mary attempt that went incomplete as they took a commanding 20-3 lead at the half.
In the second half, Watson took his second sack of the game on third and long. On the ensuing punt, KaVontae Turpin took a punt return to the house to extend the Cowboys’ lead to 24. The Browns’ offense finally came up with an answer, marching down the field as Watson connected with Jerry Jeudy on an out route to score the Browns’ first offensive touchdown of the season. Towards the end of the third, Aubrey nailed a 50-yard field goal to tack on three more points.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Browns went for it on fourth down near midfield. Watson was hit on the throw and the Cowboys took the ball back up 20. From that point on, the Cowboys had firm control of the game, kicking another field goal and the Browns scored a late garbage time touchdown. The Cowboys’ defense held the Browns’ offense to two of 15 successful third-down attempts. Both teams finished with 11 penalties on the day.
