Disastrous 2nd Half Ruins Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys entered their second preseason game with a lot to prove.  The team was coming off a victory on Monday Night Football against the Raiders, but it was not an impressive one.  The team remained in California, at their Training Camp site in Oxnard, to prepare for tonight's game in San Diego against the Chargers.  After Monday's lackadaisical performance, the team was expected to burst out of the gate tonight in San Diego, and answered the call with an early 10-0 lead.  Jamize Olawale played the role of Christopher Columbus and helped the team discover the end zone after 81 minutes and 28 seconds of the preseason.  His two yard touchdown ended the treacherous journey with a bang, finishing as the Cowboys' high point of the night.  By halftime, the Cowboys retained their preseason shutout of opponents, but a disastrous second half disrupted a night of partying in San Diego.

The Chargers had been outplayed by the Cowboys in the first half and were plagued by turnovers and inconsistent play, but an impossible comeback became real as they cut the Cowboys' lead to 10-7 with 10:30 to play in the third.  It was the first touchdown allowed by the Cowboys' defense in 94 1/2 minutes this preseason, and the first of many on this Saturday night.  Later in the quarter, Dallas' defense forced their third and final turnover of the game to set up Dan Bailey's 49 yard field goal.  He nailed it and the Cowboys extended their lead to 13-7 with 1:18 remaining in the third, but the tide had already turned in San Diego's favor.

The Chargers were done having miscues and ready to strike when they received the ball early in the fourth quarter.  They scored touchdowns on their next three possessions and forced two Cowboy turnovers en route to a 28-20 victory at Qualcomm tonight.  The Cowboys struggled throughout the second half and could not handle the Chargers' attack in the game's final moments.  The Dallas defense that had been so good in the first three halves of the preseason fell apart in the second half tonight, giving up 28 points (21 unanswered in a span of 16 minutes and 3 seconds).  The Cowboys return home to Dallas later this week and finish the preseason with two home games at Cowboys Stadium.  The Cowboys look to finish the preseason well and jump into the regular season with some momentum after their tests with St. Louis (Saturday at 7pm) and Miami (August 29th at 7:30pm).