Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
AFP
AFP
Sport
Simon EVANS

Cowboys find their rhythm to beat Giants

Dalton Schultz of the Dallas Cowboys scored two touchdowns in the 28-20 win over the New York Giants on Thursday.. ©AFP

Miami (AFP) - The Dallas Cowboys turned on their offense in the second half to  beat the New York Giants 28-20 in their Thanksgiving clash on Thursday.

The win moves the Cowboys to 8-3 in the highly competitive NFC East, with the Giants, divisional rivals, slipping to 7-4.The Philadelphia Eagles (9-1) are top of the division.

The Giants led 13-7 at the break after a Saquon Barkley one yard rush for a touchdown following a superb 44 yard catch from Darius Slayton.

Despite an injury-depleted secondary, New York did a great job of limiting the Cowboy's potent offense in the opening two quarters forcing two first half interceptions from Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott.

But it was a different story after the interval as the home side found their rhythm -- Prescott twice connected with tight end Dalton Schultz for touchdowns as the Cowboys grabbed an eight-point lead.

In the fourth, Dallas extended the lead to 28-13 with Peyton Hendershot's two-yard run finishing on an impressive 80-yard drive.

The Giants closed the gap late in the game with quarterback Daniel Jones finding Richie James with a one yard pass but it was too late for Dallas' lead to be threatened.

In Detroit, Tyler Bass's 45 yard field goal, with two seconds remaining, gave the Buffalo Bills a thrilling 28-25 victory at the Detroit Lions in the NFL on Thursday.

The win moved the Bills to an 8-3 record and snapped a three-game winning streak for the much improved Lions (4-7).

It was a mixture of joy and relief for Bass, who had missed a point after an attempt following the Bills' fourth quarter touchdown, which kept the contest a three-point game.

Michael Badgley then made a 51-yard kick for the Lions with 23 seconds left on the clock, but Bills quarterback Josh Allen responded to the challenge superbly.

Allen led a four-play, 48-yard drive in 21 seconds to get within field goal distance, with a 36 yards pass to Stefon Diggs crucial, and this time Bass made no mistake.

"I'm just so thankful to the guys," said Bass."I had that missed extra point but the guys drove down the field, they had my back and when we got out there, I just trusted my process and hit it through," he added.

There have been questions over Allen's fitness in recent weeks due to a shoulder injury but he was outstanding again, throwing for 253 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for 78 yards and another touchdown.

Detroit had trailed 17-14 at halftime but the Lions got in front at the start of an eventful fourth quarter when Jared Goff found DJ Chark at the back of the end zone and D'Andre Swift ran in the two-point conversion to make it 22-19.

Allen then connected with Diggs with a five-yard pass before Bass missed the point after attempt, setting up the late drama.

The Thanksgiving program continues later when the New England Patriots travel to the Minnesota Vikings.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.