Cowboys Country

Dominant Dallas! Cowboys Take Huge Lead Over Giants In Stunning First Half

The Dallas Cowboys take a four-possession lead over the New York Giants into halftime after a dominant performance in all three phases

Jon Alfano

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The Dallas Cowboys opened up the season with a nearly-perfect half of football as they take a commanding 26-0 lead over the New York Giants into the locker room.

The Giants got the ball to start the game, and after going 48 yards on 11 plays, they seemed poised to take the lead with a long field goal. Cowboys safety Juanyeh Thomas made sure that didn't happen, though, bursting through Giants blockers to get a hand on Graham Gano's kick. Cornerback Noah Igbinoghene, who the Cowboys acquired less than two weeks ago, then scooped up the ball and ran it back 58 yards to stun the MetLife Stadium crowd.

That alone would've been a great start, but that return opened the floodgates for the Cowboys. After a Brandon Aubrey field goal on Dallas' first drive, corner Trevon Diggs broke up a pass meant for Giants running back Saquon Barkley. The ball then fell perfectly into the hands of safety DaRon Bland, who ran it back 22 yards for a pick six.

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Then after another Aubrey field goal, the Cowboys' defense came up big once again. Star cornerback Stephon Gilmore, Dallas' biggest addition on defense this season, made a diving interception on the first play of the drive for his first pick as a Cowboy. Five plays later, running back Tony Pollard scored his first touchdown of the season from two yards out.

Dallas now takes a commanding lead into halftime, and the offense has hardly had to lift a finger. Quarterback Dak Prescott has been relatively efficient when he has thrown, completing seven of 14 attempts for 91 yards. Pollard has just 17 yards on seven carries, but also the Cowboys' lone offensive touchdown.

However, the main storyline has been the Cowboys' dominance on defense and special teams. Through two quarters, the Giants have just 81 yards of total offense despite running 36 plays and holding the ball for over 18 minutes. The Cowboys' defense also has four sacks in addition to their pair of interceptions.

On special teams, Aubrey had a solid first half in his NFL debut, going two-for-two on field goals and two-for-three on extra points, while Gano has missed both of his attempts.

According to the Cowboys' public relations Twitter account, this marks the first time in franchise history that the team's first two touchdowns of the season were non-offensive scores.

The Cowboys get the ball to start the second half as they look to pile it on even further.

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Jon Alfano
JON ALFANO

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