1 of 3 | Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott runs for 16 yards against the Seattle Seahawks during the second half of their NFL wild-card playoff game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on January 5, 2019. Photo by Ian Halperin/UPI |
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Jan. 6 (UPI) -- Running back Ezekiel Elliot rushed for 137 yards and the go-ahead touchdown, becoming one of two second-year standouts for the Dallas Cowboys to pick up his first playoff victory, 24-22 over the visiting Seattle Seahawks in an NFC wild-card game Sunday.
Elliott paired with quarterback Dak Prescott to make some dazzling and crucial plays, allowing the Cowboys' defense to the do rest in handing the Seahawks their first opening-round defeat in their previous 10 appearances.
Prescott made undoubtedly the most spectacular run of the night, with the Cowboys clinging to a 17-14 lead and facing a third-and-14 from the Seattle 17-yard line and the two-minute warning approaching. That's when he rushed up the middle, fought through three defenders inside the 10, before being flipped head-first by Tredric Thompson and crashing down at the 1.
Prescott crossed the goal line on the next play, effectively putting things out of reach.
"His leadership, his toughness, just his way, his spirit," Cowboys coach Jason Garrett told reporters of his QB. "It's like none other. Somehow, some way, he's going to figure this thing out for us."
Meanwhile, the Cowboys' defense shut down the Seahawks' normally outstanding running game, which entered the game first in the league. Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson was also kept relatively in check in falling to 3-1 in wild-card games.
"Our defense was great," Prescott told reporters. "They keep us in every game."
The Cowboys grabbed a 10-6 lead at halftime but were outscored 8-0 in the third quarter to set up the late-game heroics of Elliott and Prescott.
Dallas has won eight of nine and will face either the New Orleans Saints of Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round next weekend.
