LOS ANGELES — The Dallas Cowboys led the Los Angeles Chargers 14-11 at halftime, in their second game of the 2021 season. And they were fortunate to be able to say that, after a needless punt block effort that led to a reckless penalty.
The Cowboys offense looked fantastic in the first quarter, driving down the field with striking ease, and averaging an even 8.0 yards per play in the first half.
But they were left stuck on the sidelines, despite the defense earning a quality stop of the Chargers, late in the second quarter.
As Los Angeles lined up for a punt -- on 4th & 20, mind you -- Dallas, for some reason, decided that was the moment to go after Chargers punter Ty Long.
They didn't block the punt, but they definitely got Long. Rookie Azur Kamara, rookie Micah Parsons and wideout Cedrick Wilson combined to wipe out the Chargers punter, with Kamara making the primary impact. That drew a 15-yard penalty and gave Los Angeles an automatic first down.
But the Cowboys were bailed out. Despite Los Angeles taking advantage of the penalty to drive deeper into Dallas territory, the wound up coming out of the drive empty, when kicker Tristan Vizcaino's kick bounced off the upright and straight back into the field of play, no good.
As the third quarter is set to begin, Dallas holds their 14-11 lead. And special teams coach John Fassel should be quite thankful for that.
