Picks lead to 26-19 loss to Chargers

The preseason is done. Let the real games begin.

In the final opportunity for those further down the depth chart to make an impression, the Dallas Cowboys fell to the Los Angeles Chargers, 26-19. The Cowboys made it interesting, but in the end, too many turnovers doomed their effort.

Trey Lance played from start to finish at quarterback and showed both flashes of brilliance and continued inconsistency. He threw for 323 yards and one touchdown and led all rushers with 90 yards on the ground as well. But he also tossed five interceptions on the day, which proved to be the difference.

Overall, Dallas rushed for 246 yards to rack up a hefty 558 yards of total offense. They also dominated the time of possession, 40:57 to 19:03, but finished only 1 for 4 in the red zone.

While the Dallas defense was already shocked by the pregame news that DaRon Bland would miss six to eight weeks with a stress fracture in his foot, the game itself did provide some relief for the unit. There were some big plays surrendered early on, but Mike Zimmer’s troops settled down and kept Los Angeles off the scoreboard in the second half.

The Cowboys got off to a promising start when Lance marched the team 85 yards in 14 plays to reach the Chargers’ 5-yard line, picking up five first downs along the way. Unable to punch it in the end zone, that left Brandon Aubrey to pick up the chip-shot 23-yard field goal and give the home side an early 3-0 lead.

So much for that. On Los Angeles’ very first snap, wide receiver Derius Davis, a TCU product, took the handoff on a reverse, beat defensive end Viliami Fehoko around the left edge and raced through the secondary 70 yards for the touchdown.

In a case of déjà vu, the Chargers’ first snap of the second quarter provided the same result as their opening snap of the first frame. This time former Cowboys draft pick Simi Fehoko took off down the right sideline, got behind cornerback Andrew Booth, hauled in the pass and raced 78 yards for the touchdown.

When Los Angeles safety Tony Jefferson then dove in front of a Lance target to Jalen Cropper to grab the interception, the visitors were back in business at the Dallas 38-yard line. And they were able to reach the Cowboys’ 3, but linebacker Buddy Johnson, after a pair of tackles earlier in the drive, knocked down a third-and-goal passing attempt. With that, the Chargers had to settle for a 21-yard field goal.

After struggling on their previous three possessions, the Cowboys finally got back on the board. Lance rebounded from his turnover by marching the team 74 yards in 13 plays, a drive that saw him twice scramble for first downs. The quarterback then capped things off with a perfectly placed 11-yard pass to wideout Ryan Flournoy in the back-left corner of the end zone for Dallas’ first touchdown of the game.

For a moment, it appeared the Cowboys were setting up Aubrey for another field goal try before the half. Lance threw a dart to John Stephens down the middle, but the big tight end fumbled the ball, and Los Angeles recovered the prize at its own 41-yard line.

And with 50 seconds left on the clock, that was enough time for the Chargers to get in position for a 48-yard field goal. The kick sailed through the uprights with three seconds remaining, the Cowboys going into the half down, 20-10.

The Chargers came out of the break and immediately threatened again, having worked their way to the Dallas 33-yard line. But quarterback Easton Stick’s pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage by defensive tackle Justin Rogers, tipped again by linebacker Nick Vigil and then corralled by safety Julius Wood, his second interception of the preseason.

And the Cowboys nearly took advantage of the gift. Lance had completions of 13, 14 and 20 yards to get down to the visitor’s 11-yard line, but his next pass attempt, a shot to Deontay Burnett in the end zone, was instead picked off by the Chargers’ Jefferson again, an opportunity missed.

Following a three-and-out by the Chargers, though, Dallas at least held the field-position advantage, getting the ball back after the punt at their own 43-yard line. Five plays later, Lance was in the end zone. He darted around the left end and then raced untouched 46 yards for the score. Head coach Mike McCarthy elected to go for the two points, but Lance overshot Cam Johnson on his throw, the conversion failing.

The lead was down to one by the end of Dallas’ next series. Lance again did the heavy lifting on the 14-play, 65-yard drive, completing 6 of 7 passes for 52 yards. That eventually led to a 33-yard field goal for Aubrey, the kicker continuing his impressive preseason.

Unfortunately, the good times didn’t last. On the Cowboys’ next possession, Lance didn’t see linebacker Tre’mon Morris-Brash, who leaped to tip and then grab the pass before rumbling 25 yards for the pick-6. However, similar to Dallas’ two-point conversion effort, the Chargers tried to turn the trick as well and were also unsuccessful. Linebacker Damien Wilson darted in from the left side to bring down running back Jaret Patterson.

Soon thereafter, Chargers cornerback Matt Hankins outmuscled the Cowboys’ Johnson on a 50/50 ball to give Los Angeles its fourth interception on the day, but Dallas still had one last shot to pull out a victory.

Getting the ball back at their own 10-yard line with 1:51 remaining on the clock, Lance and company quickly worked across midfield and found themselves at the Chargers’ 20-yard line with 8 seconds left. But Lance’s pass to Johnson sailed high and into the waiting arms of cornerback Robert Kennedy. Game over.

With the defeat, Dallas finished the three-game exhibition slate with a 1-2 record.