Spokesman-Review
National Football League
Dallas 38, New England 3
When: 4:25 PM ET, Sunday, October 1, 2023
Where: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Temperature: Dome
Head Official: Scott Novak
Attendance: 93719

Leighton Vander Esch and DaRon Bland each scored defensive touchdowns in the first half, and the host Dallas Cowboys rolled to a 38-3 win over the New England Patriots on Sunday afternoon in Arlington, Texas.

CeeDee Lamb and Hunter Luepke also scored for Dallas (3-1), whose three victories all have come by 20 points or more. Dak Prescott completed 28 of 34 passes for 261 yards and a touchdown.

Mac Jones completed 12 of 21 passes for 150 yards and two interceptions for New England (1-3). Jones was replaced late in the third quarter by Bailey Zappe, who completed 4 of 9 passes for 57 yards.

Dallas outgained New England 377-253. The Cowboys tallied 22 first downs, compared with 10 for the Patriots.

The Cowboys wasted no time setting the tone. They established a 10-3 advantage at the end of the first quarter and surged to a 28-3 lead by halftime.

Brandon Aubrey started the scoring with a 23-yard field goal for Dallas.

New England pulled even at 3-3 after Chad Ryland made a 29-yard field goal.

Dallas took the lead for good late in the first quarter. Prescott threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Lamb to finish off a 10-play, 75-yard drive.

The Cowboys' defense notched a touchdown to make it 18-3 early in the second quarter. Defensive end Dante Fowler sacked Jones and forced a fumble, and Vander Esch picked up the ball and ran 11 yards to the end zone for his first career touchdown.

Dallas added a two-point conversion on a trick play as punter Bryan Anger took the snap, pretended to hold it for the extra-point attempt, and then lobbed a pass to defensive lineman Chauncey Golston.

Aubrey made another 23-yard field goal with 4:03 left in the half.

Dallas showcased its defensive prowess once again to go ahead 28-3 with 54 seconds before halftime. Bland jumped in front of a high pass by Jones and sprinted down the field for a 54-yard pick-6.

Aubrey added a 33-yard field goal to make it 31-3 in the third quarter.

Dallas closed out the scoring on Luepke's 3-yard rushing touchdown with 6:38 remaining.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
Rushing
New England   Dallas
Rhamondre Stevenson Player Tony Pollard
14 Attempts 11
30 Yards 47
2.1 Avg Yards 4.3
0 Touchdowns 0
8 Long 16
Receiving
New England   Dallas
Hunter Henry Player Jake Ferguson
4 Receptions 7
51 Yards 77
12.8 Avg Yards 11.0
0 Touchdowns 0
21 Long 21
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
New England 253 53 200 0 1 0 3.0 2
Dallas 377 124 253 4 3 2 2.0 1
Upcoming Games
  • Dallas will play their next game on the road against San Francisco. The Cowboys have a W/L % of .667 after a win and 1.000 after a loss.
  • New England will play their next game at home against New Orleans. The Patriots have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .333 after a loss.