The Dallas Cowboys still face an uphill climb in the NFC playoff race, but now they're charging uphill with serious momentum.
On Thanksgiving Day, Dallas knocked off the Kansas City Chiefs 31-28 at AT&T Stadium, completing a brutal four-day stretch in which they also beat the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementQuarterback Dak Prescott led the way again, throwing for two touchdowns and closing out the game in four-minute mode to make sure Patrick Mahomes never got the ball back.
CeeDee Lamb, coming off a shaky outing against Philadelphia marred by drops, responded with a star performance with seven receptions for 112 yards and the Cowboys' first touchdown of the afternoon.
Dallas had to dig out of another early hole after Prescott was intercepted on the opening drive by Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson.
Kansas City cashed in quickly with a touchdown, and Mahomes later added two fourth-down scoring throws, a 2-yarder to Travis Kelce and another to Rashee Rice, to keep pressure on the Cowboys defense.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBut this version of Dallas responded instead of folding.
Dak, CeeDee & George Dominate
Running back Malik Davis, who had just three carries all day, broke loose for a 43-yard touchdown sprint late in the second quarter to give the Cowboys a 17-14 lead at halftime.
In the fourth quarter, Javonte Williams slipped out of the backfield for a 3-yard touchdown catch, and George Pickens followed with a clutch two-point conversion grab to push the lead to 28-21.
Mahomes still nearly authored his typical late-game magic.
He escaped a near-sack from Quinnen Williams and found Xavier Worthy wide open for 42 yards, setting up a 10-yard touchdown pass to Hollywood Brown that cut the deficit to three with 3:27 remaining.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThat was the last time he touched the ball.
On the ensuing drive, Kansas City's secondary self-destructed with multiple pass interference calls that extended Dallas' possessions. Prescott then drilled Pickens for a 13-yard first down at the two-minute warning, allowing the Cowboys to kneel out the clock.
The Chiefs finished with 10 penalties for 119 yards, several of them critical on Dallas' scoring drives.
Mahomes threw four touchdown passes and 261 yards in his first NFL game at AT&T Stadium but was sacked three times, twice by Jadeveon Clowney, as Dallas' pass rush continued its resurgence.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Cowboys, now 6-5-1 and riding a three-game winning streak since the tragic death of defensive end Marshawn Kneeland during their bye week, remain on the outside of the NFC playoff picture looking in, but Thursday's win over last year's AFC champion Chiefs, on the heels of beating the reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles, has reset the conversation around their ceiling.
"Two teams that played in the Super Bowl last year … and we just beat them both," Prescott said. "On top of everything that we've been through, it means a lot. Now we've got to keep going
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