Chiefs @ Cowboys: Dallas gets a quality win, 28-17, over Kansas City - Tom Ryle, BTB

As always, Tom recaps the Cowboys’ win.

In a game that boasted two of the top runners in the NFL, only one team was able to move the ball effectively on the ground. The Cowboys got 93 rushing yards and a touchdown from Ezekiel Elliott, with Dak Prescott adding 27 yards and a TD of his own. Meanwhile, the Cowboys limited the Chiefs to only 68 yards rushing before they had to go strictly to the passing game to try and mount a comeback. That was one of the key elements in this win. And save for the drives just before and after halftime, the Cowboys’ defense largely carried the day. Although they only had two sacks in the game, the Kansas City offensive tackles drew multiple false start flags, usually right in front of Demarcus Lawrence. Though he did not get a sack, he was part of constant pressure on Alex Smith that forced multiple punts and stymied the Chiefs’ potent attack. And in the fourth quarter, it was two very unexpected heroes that came through on consecutive plays to seal the win. Taco Charlton got his first ever NFL sack on third down, and then Jeff Heath picked off Smith for the first time all season. The Cowboys would burn out the clock from there to improve to 5-3 and not lose any more ground to the surging Philadelphia Eagles

Ezekiel Elliott, Dak Prescott give the Cowboys life in big win over Chiefs - Todd Archer, ESPN

Archer’s recap.

The Cowboys saw a 14-3 lead turn into a 17-14 deficit in a little more than six minutes of game action. But then Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott decided enough was enough. The end result was a 28-17 win that kept the Cowboys within sight of the Philadelphia Eagles and improved them to 5-3 at the midway point of the season.

Cowboys outlast Chiefs in back-and-forth game - Nick Shook, NFL.com

Sunday “was something else” from Dak, says Shook:

3. We already knew Dak Prescott had something special in him, but Sunday was something else from the quarterback. Against a high-quality opponent, Prescott upped his play to exceed his nemesis, firing darts to five different teammates and using his feet to make plays when needed most. He finished with a line of 21-of-33 passing for 249 yards and two touchdowns, and ran three times for 27 yards and an additional score. Rich Eisen said it best as Dallas attempted to salt away the win: Prescott was nothing short of terrific and most valuable. With the potential Ezekiel Elliott suspension seemingly forever looming, the play of Prescott is massively important. On Sunday, he proved he can handle the load.

Cowboys, Terrance Williams beat the Chiefs 28-17 - Charean Williams, PFT

Charean writes her thoughts on the game.

The Cowboys ended the first half of the season 5-3 in a game they had to have to retain any hope of catching the Eagles. Philadelphia moved to 8-1 on the season with another victory Sunday, but the Cowboys play the Eagles twice in the final seven weeks. The Chiefs fell to 6-3, with their third loss in their past four games. It marked the Cowboys’ biggest victory since they beat the Steelers 35-30 in Pittsburgh in Week 10 last season. The Dallas defense did a solid job against the Chiefs’ big weapons: Kareem Hunt gained only 37 yards on nine carries; Tyreek Hill had only two catches, though one went for a 56-yard touchdown on the final play of the first half; Alex Smith threw his first interception of the season, with safety Jeff Heath picking him in the fourth quarter as the Chiefs attempted a comeback; and Travis Kelce had seven catches for 73 yards and a touchdown.

Game Recap: Cowboys Prove They’re Contenders With Impressive 28-17 Victory - Kurt Daniels, The Mothership

Kurt Daniels says the Cowboys proved that they are contenders on Sunday.

No matter the way this season may have started, count the Dallas Cowboys as contenders now. In front of 93,273 rabid fans, they showed they’re ready to hang with the big boys after taking down the powerful Kansas City Chiefs, 28-17. Coming into the game, this appeared to be a matchup between similar teams. Two high-powered offenses with threats throughout the lineup against a pair of defenses that have struggled at times this year, particularly against the run. But the offensive fireworks that were expected from Kansas City were limited, as the Dallas defense stood tall against a scoring machine that had been averaging 377.9 yards per game and 29.5 points, both of which ranked third in the NFL.

Good times don’t last as Dak Prescott dominates Chiefs in 28-17 loss to Dallas - Terez A. Paylor, KC Star

The opponent’s side of things:

Dallas responded in a big way, as they tightened the screws on defense and put the game in the hands of quarterback Dak Prescott –– not running back Ezekiel Elliott –– and allowed him to carry the Cowboys to a 28-17 victory in front of a crowd of 93,273 at AT&T Stadium. While Elliott was solid but not spectacular –– he rushed 27 times for 93 yards and a touchdown against the league’s 28th-ranked run defense –– it was Prescott, who finished 21 of 33 for 249 yards and two touchdowns (and also rushed for 27 yards and another score) who demonstrated mastery over the Chiefs right from the start.

Chiefs vs. Cowboys final score: Cowboys are better than you think, Chiefs are not - Joel Thorman, Arrowhead Pride

More from the Chiefs’ perspective.

Dak Prescott running was a bigger problem than Zeke Zeke obviously carried the ball much more than Dak but it was Dak’s runs that were back breakers for the Chiefs, including a touchdown run shortly before the end of the first half. The Chiefs earlier on that drive had the Cowboys pinned inside their own 20 and faced a third and long. Because of a series of errors, the Cowboys drive ended in the end zone with Dak running it in.

5 thoughts from Cowboys' 28-17 win over Chiefs: Hill blunder couldn't even stop outstanding Dallas D - Jon Machota, SportsDay

Machota is back with his five thoughts. The defense played outstanding on Sunday — against one of the more explosive offenses in football.

1. The D The Chiefs entered 6-2 and the best team the Cowboys played up to this point. Not even a huge blunder seconds before halftime could stop Dallas on a day where the defense was outstanding. David Irving got his sixth sack in four games. Taco Charlton got a key sack. Jeff Heath had a big interception. More importantly, the group held Kareem Hunt to nine carries for 37 yards. This Cowboys defensive unit deserves a lot of credit. When everyone is healthy like they are now, they're a good group.

Also, who could forget Tony Romo’s emotional return to the place he called home?

5. Romo’s return How did Tony Romo do calling his first Cowboys game? The afternoon began with a two-minute tribute video that was narrated by Jason Witten. Romo appeared to be very appreciate when he was shown on the big screen. Perhaps he was thrown off a little bit by the video early on because Romo didn't seem like his typical self during the first half. He was much more reserved than he has been on previous telecasts. He seemed to be back to his old self in the second half.

Six winners and five losers from the Cowboys win over the Chiefs - Dave Halprin, BTB

Dave gives his winners and losers from Sunday’s huge win. The defense played great — for the most part.

Cowboys defense for all but two seconds - The Kansas City offense is a scoring machine. They have a ton of playmakers. Besides the meltdown at the end of the first half, the Cowboys defense consistently frustrated the Chiefs offense. Plus, Jeff Heath finally got the first interception on Alex Smith all year.

Byron, though, struggled.

Byron Jones - His two penalties before and after the TD at half contributed to 14 points for KC. The first penalty on the kick return gave KC the mentality of trying to make something happen right before the half. Then on the TD play his penalty helped set KC up with decent field position at their own 37 which led to a touchdown right after the half. To add insult to injury, Jones was beat by Travis Kelce for the TD.

Cowboys continue to do what works for them - ESPN (VIDEO)

Ryan Clark talks about the Cowboys win. “This is the Cowboys team that we expected to see...”

The Cowboys are Dak Prescott’s team, with or without Ezekiel Elliott - Adam Kilgore, Washington Post

The Cowboys are Dak’s team — with or without Zeke — writes Kilgore.

If the Cowboys must play without Elliott, they have shown they can survive without him. Already, even with Elliott on the field, their offense has changed. Elliott may be the engine of Dallas’s offense, perhaps the best running back in the NFL. But as Dak Prescott showed again Sunday, the Cowboys are now Prescott’s team. If Elliott can’t play, Prescott can lead the Cowboys without him. Prescott has improved from his rookie season to this season. The most fundamental difference is how he fits into the Cowboys’ offense. For most of last season, he succeeded in not getting in the way — in handing off to Elliott, limiting turnovers and making the trains ran on time. This season, he is primarily responsible for the Cowboys’ success.

The win came with a few injuries, though.

Cowboys WR Dez Bryant sprains ankle in win over Chiefs, Jason Garrett says - Jori Epstein, SportsDay

Dez sprained his ankle in the win and had to exit the game in the second half.

Bryant headed to the locker room halfway through the fourth quarter after Chiefs safety Ron Parker rolled on his ankle as the WR missed a pass deep middle just over a minute into the fourth quarter. Bryant caught six balls on 11 targets for 73 yards before leaving the game. He was Dallas' second leading receiver behind Terrance Williams' nine-catch, 141-yard day.

Dez insists that he is fine.

Dez Bryant said his ankle is just a little sore and bruised. He didn’t seem overly concerned. Doesn’t sound like he’ll miss any time — Jon Machota (@jonmachota) November 6, 2017

He also had this to say:

Dez Bryant: "21 and 4 are the main pieces of the squad. We got to be there for them. That's what we're doing. This is not a selfish team." — Jon Machota (@jonmachota) November 6, 2017

Highlights!

The Chiefs go for it on 4th down...



And Alex Smith gets PICKED by Jeff Heath! #KCvsDAL pic.twitter.com/wZA3qfYlPl — NFL (@NFL) November 6, 2017

Oh, and this: