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Cowboys overwhelm upset-minded Dolphins with second half barrage

By Alex Butler
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) threw two touchdown passes to wide receiver Amari Cooper in a win against the Miami Dolphins Sunday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Photo by Ian Halperin/UPI
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) threw two touchdown passes to wide receiver Amari Cooper in a win against the Miami Dolphins Sunday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Photo by Ian Halperin/UPI | License Photo

Sept. 23 (UPI) -- The Miami Dolphins were huge underdogs entering their Week 3 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys. Miami showed fight in the first half before being overwhelmed down the stretch.

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott completed 19 of 32 passes for 246 yards, two scores and an interception in the 31-6 victory Sunday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Ezekiel Elliott ran for 125 yards on 19 carriers in the win. Dolphins quarterback Josh Rosen completed 18 of 39 passes for 200 yards in his first start for the franchise.

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"We just had to keep banging away in all three phases of our team it the first half," Cowboys coach Jason Garrett told reporters. "I thought we made some mistakes that short circuited our offensive a little bit. We turned the ball over a lit bit, got behind the chains a couple of drives.

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"We had to break away from that, but I thought we settled down in the second half and just came out and played more methodical."

The Dolphins (0-3) marched down the field on the game's opening drive, but Jason Sanders missed a 47-yard field goal attempt to keep the game scoreless. Dallas (3-0) answered with an 8-play, 53-yard drive, ending with a 28-yard Brett Maher field goal.

The Cowboys took a 10-0 advantage when Prescott hooked up with Amari Cooper for a 5-yard touchdown on Dallas' next drive. Sanders connected on a 22-yard field goal on the next possession, keeping Miami within a touchdown. The Dolphins intercepted Prescott on the next drive, but went 3-and-out on the resulting possession. Miami made another field goal on their next drive, cutting the Cowboys' lead to four points.

The Dolphins forced the Cowboys to punt and marched down the field with eyes on the lead late in the first half, but a Kenyan Drake fumble at the Dallas 7 yard line killed the rally. Dallas held a 10-6 advantage at halftime.

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"The ball just came out of my hand," Drake said. "It was mostly more about securing the ball in that situation. I tried to spin out and the ball just flipped out of my hand. I'm not going to change the way I play ... but in that situation I have to understand that ball security is the most important thing."

Prescott found Cooper on a 19-yard touchdown toss at the start of the second half and Dallas held Miami scoreless for the final 30 minutes of the game. Prescott had an 8-yard rushing score on the Cowboys' next drive. Tony Pollard also scored on a 16-yard run in the second half, icing the victory.

"I think as a staff, we've got to do a better job with our second half adjustments ... I don't think it's a conditioning issue," Dolphins coach Brian Flores said. "I don't think it's execution. We're just not making enough plays."

Dallas out-gained Miami 476 to 282 in total yards and 235 to 72 in rushing yards.

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"Any time you're 3-0, obviously it's a great feeling," Prescott said. "But, forget the record. This team can be really good, and we have to focus on that and how we get there. It's about taking that next step, it's about focusing on the things that we can control.

"We're all going to come in this week, and I promise you those guys in the locker room that we have are going to come in with the mindset of how we are going to get better and not about the fact that we're 3-0. We're just worried about how we go 1-0 next week."

The Cowboys face the New Orleans Saints at 8:20 p.m. EDT Sunday at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. The Dolphins host the Los Angeles Chargers at 1 p.m. EDT Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.

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