INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 19: Defensive end Christian Covington #95 of the Los Angeles Chargers is thrown down by offensive guard Connor Williams #52 of the Dallas Cowboys during the second quarter at SoFi Stadium on September 19, 2021 in Ing …
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) - Greg Zuerlein connected on a 56-yard field goal as time expired to give the Dallas Cowboys a 20-17 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.
After Tristan Vizcaino tied the game with a 29-yard field goal with 3:58 remaining, Dallas went 49 yards in 11 plays to get just barely into Zuerlein's range.
Troy Pollard ran for 109 yards on 13 carries for the third 100-yard game of his career. Dak Prescott completed 23 of 27 passes for 237 yards as the Cowboys evened their record at 1-1 despite being without five players who started the opener.
Justin Herbert had his 10th 300-yard game -- completing 31 of 41 passes for 338 yards -- tying him for the most by a quarterback in his first two seasons. He had one touchdown pass but threw two interceptions.
Penalties loomed large for the Chargers (1-1), who were flagged 12 times for 99 yards and had a pair of touchdowns taken away.
Herbert's 37-yard TD pass to a wide-open Donald Parham was nullified when Jared Cook was called for holding. Three plays later, Herbert was intercepted in the end zone by Damontae Kazee on third-and-6 from the Dallas 9 after Keenan Allen appeared to slip on his route.
In the fourth quarter, a motion penalty took away a 2-yard score for Cook. The Chargers had to settle for Vizcaino's third field goal to even it at 17.
Los Angeles is 8-17 in one-score losses since the start of the 2019 season.
Dallas went 78 yards in 15 plays on the opening drive to take a 7-0 lead. Troy Pollard scored on a jet sweep from 4 yards out. The drive was kept alive when Chargers linebacker Kyzir White was called for pass interference after Prescott threw an incomplete pass on fourth-and-1 from the Dallas 48.
Vizcaino's 46-yard field goal put Los Angeles on the board before the Cowboys extended their lead to 14-3 during the final minute of the first quarter when Ezekiel Elliott went 5 yards off right tackle.
The Chargers closed to within a field goal on Mike Williams' 12-yard TD on a wide receiver screen after he had a 27-yard reception to get them into the red zone. An interception by Herbert earlier in the drive was nullified by a pass interference penalty on Dallas' Jayron Kearse. Los Angeles then made the 2-point conversion on Austin Ekeler's run up the middle.
Vizcaino tied it at 14 with a 32-yard field goal midway through the third quarter.
A HALFTIME FIRST
It took just over 102 seasons, but this marked the first 14-11 halftime score in NFL history.
Vizcaino had a chance to tie it late in the first half, but his 44-yard attempt hit the left upright with 3 seconds remaining. Dallas got the ball at its 49-yard line, and Prescott hit CeeDee Lamb, who found an opening and went up the right sideline. He lateraled at the 17 to Elliott, who was forced out of bounds by Derwin James at the 3.
INJURIES
Chargers linebacker Kenneth Murray suffered an ankle injury on the opening drive but returned later in the first quarter.
UP NEXT
Cowboys: Host Philadelphia next Monday night.
Chargers: Travel to defending AFC champion Kansas City next Sunday.