Dallas City News

The Cowboys returned home from Oxnard for their third and final preseason game against the Los Angeles Chargers. For many bubble players, this was their last chance to solidify a spot on the 53-man roster.

Here is a look at all of the action on X (Twitter) during the game.

Trey Lance started the game off hot with some really nice throws to Tyron Billy-Johnson and Jalen Cropper, getting the offense into the red zone. The drive was stalled however, and ended with a Brandon Aubrey field goal.

Defense was up next, but unfortunately that only lasted one play.

The next defensive possession was much better. Markquese Bell almost came away with an INT, Andrew Booth ended the drive with a PBU.

The defense struggled again at the beginning of the second quarter when former Cowboy Simi Fehoko scored a touchdown for the Chargers. While one would hope the defense could lock him down, it was good to see Fehoko with some success as he works to earn his spot on the Chargers.

The next offensive drive for Lance was a difficult one as he threw his first interception in the preseason. The Chargers offense quickly found themselves in the red zone. Luckily, the Dallas defense buttoned up and held them to just a field goal.

Later on in the second quarter, Lance was able to put together another solid drive by securing multiple first downs with the use of his legs. Deuce Vaughn also flashed with his legs with a long run of 18 yards (with a face mask penalty against the defense).

The drive ended beautifully with six points thanks to a perfect ball from Lance to Ryan Flournoy.

The next drive for Lance looked promising with a beautiful throw down the seam for John Stevens Jr. that arguably was the best throw he made all preseason. However, tides changed quickly as the ball was knocked out of Stevens Jr.’s arms for a fumble. That led to another Chargers field goal before the half. Score: 20-10 Chargers.

The Chargers got the ball to start the second half, but it did not last very long as the Julius Wood came down with a tipped ball for an INT.

Lance did a great job moving the ball down field to get the offense into the red zone. Unfortunately, his second INT of the game brought the drive to a halt. The defense stood strong by getting a three and out to give the ball right back to the offense.

After converting a fourth-down conversion, Lance runs for 46 yards right into the end zone. The two-point try after the touchdown was incomplete.

Next up, defense! The defense quickly gets the ball back to the offense with back to back sacks by Darius Harris!

In the fourth quarter, Lance took command and put together another really good drive that included a fourth-down conversion and a beautiful throw to Deontay Burnett in the end zone that just barely escaped his hands. The drive ended with another Aubrey field goal.

Instead of driving down the field for the go-ahead score, Lance forced a throw that ended in a pick-six for the Chargers defense. That was followed up by another INT on the next offensive drive.

Final score 26-19, Chargers.

While we all would have loved a different outcome, the main goal of the game was to evaluate the players that are on the bubble to be confident with the roster heading into Week 1 of the regular season. A lot of questions have been answered and we will see the effects of that in just a few days as the team needs to cut down to 53 by Aug. 27th.

That being said, it was great to be home at AT&T stadium again. Week 1 can’t come soon enough!