A Lambeau leap; Cowboys shred Packers in Green Bay

Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott (left) leaves several Green Bay defenders behind late in the second half Sunday at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. Elliott ran for 157 yards as the Cowboys never trailed in knocking off the Packers 30-16.
Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott (left) leaves several Green Bay defenders behind late in the second half Sunday at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. Elliott ran for 157 yards as the Cowboys never trailed in knocking off the Packers 30-16.

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Rookie Dak Prescott is stating an impressive case to remain the starting quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys.

photo

AP

Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers (right) has the ball knocked loose by Dallas defensive end David Irving. The Cowboys forced four turnovers in the game, recovering three fumbles.

He's off to quite the start in his NFL career after taking over following veteran Tony Romo's preseason back injury.

Prescott threw for 247 yards and 3 touchdowns, and the Cowboys forced 4 turnovers in a 30-16 victory over the Green Bay Packers and their dysfunctional offense Sunday.

Prescott was 18 of 27 and shook off 2 fumbles and an interception to lead the Cowboys (5-1) to their fifth consecutive victory.

"You just couldn't ask for more inspiration from a player because everybody on this team knows what a difficult position that is to play," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said.

Prescott showed poise in the fourth quarter while marching the Cowboys on a seven-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Cole Beasley for an 18-point lead with 10:26 left.

Romo seems to be getting closer to returning.

Dallas is on a bye next week, and doesn't play again until Oct. 30 against Philadelphia.

Asked if Prescott would remain the starter against the Eagles even if Romo was ready, Jones only said, "I wouldn't say unequivocally anything other than we just beat the Green Bay Packers in Green Bay."

Prescott picked on a Packers secondary that played much of the game without their top three cornerbacks because of injuries.

His fourth-quarter touchdown pass left Packers fans at Lambeau stunned. They booed at times during another choppy offensive effort by the Packers. The four turnovers were a season high for Green Bay (3-2).

"Frankly, the biggest thing on offense ... is turning the ball over," Green Bay Coach Mike McCarthy said. "It's not part of our fiber."

The Packers lost three of their five fumbles.

Even two-time NFL MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers heard some jeering despite finishing 31 of 42 for a season-high 294 yards.

"Look, we're upset, they're upset, it's part of it," Rodgers said of the booing. "It's not the first time. Probably won't be the last time."

The Packers didn't score a touchdown until Rodgers and Cobb connected on a 6-yard touchdown pass with 6:53 left to get within 27-16.

Rodgers accounted for two turnovers with an interception to go with a fumble on first-and-goal at the Cowboys 1 with 1:10 left in the third quarter. It was a designed quarterback draw out of an empty backfield.

Prescott threw his first NFL interception on a third-and-8 play from the Dallas 6, throwing out of his end zone with 20 seconds left in third quarter. Safety Morgan Burnett had the diving interception.

That ended a string of 176 pass attempts without an interception, an NFL record for a quarterback at the start of his career. He broke the mark of 162 previously held by New England's Tom Brady earlier in the game.

"We get that out of the way now," Prescott said with a laugh. "Another one to start up."

Drops were a problem again at times for Packers receivers. Timing may have been off on a couple other throws.

Rodgers and McCarthy said the Packers would figure out the problems after watching the film.

"We're hard on ourselves, and I'm as hard as anybody on myself," Rodgers said. "So I'm going to get it fixed. Just been a little bit off."

It was Green Bay's largest margin of defeat at home with Rodgers as the starting quarterback since a 37-20 loss to the Giants in the 2011 NFC divisional playoffs.

Sports on 10/17/2016

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