As ugly and forgettable as the first five games have been for this team, the Dallas Cowboys sit in first place in the NFC East.

What began as a disappointing start to a game finished ever more heartbreaking. On the first possession of the second half, the Cowboys held a 24-23 lead following a New York Giants field goal. With the ball on NY’s 27, Prescott scrambled up the middle for what was a positive play.

Instead, the nine-yard run finished with Prescott’s ankle caught under a Giants’ defender, which was later reported to be a broken ankle. The stadium fell silent as the fifth-year quarterback was carted off the field.

Andy Dalton entered the game and was sacked for a five-yard loss on his first drop back. Following a New York timeout, Dalton connected with CeeDee Lamb for a first down before Ezekiel Elliott sprinted in the endzone for a 12-yard touchdown.

Up 31-23, the Cowboys defense forced a punt after a three-and-out. The Dallas offense responded with a three-and-out of their own.

The Giants offense took over on their 24-yard line with 1:20 left in the third. A 39-yard connection from Daniel Jones to Darius Slayton set up a Graham Gano field goal to end the drive.

The Cowboys offense continued to struggled under their new quarterback. On the first play of their possession a mishandled snap resulted in a New York fumble recovery. The turnover set the Giants up on Dallas’ 17-yard line.

Five plays later, running back Devonta Freeman gave his team the lead on a four-yard touchdown run. The ensuing two-point attempt was also successful.

With 8:46 left in the fourth quarter, Dallas trailed 34-31. The offense quickly leaned on the services of Elliott and Tony Pollard to guide them down the field. The running back duo, couple with a pair of catches from Amari Cooper and Lamb, set Dallas up in field goal range.

The offense stalled at the New York 22, but was able to set up a Greg Zuerlein 40-yard field goal.

1:56 left in regulation, the pressure rested on the defense to make a stop. A 14-yard second-down completion from Jones to Slayton gave New York a fresh set of downs with 1:39 left. However, Dallas’ defense stood tall and forced a punt in the next three plays.

So, here it was, Dalton with :40 seconds left to guide Dallas 88 yards to win the game.

His first pass to Lamb fell incomplete. His second pass found the arms of Cooper on the run who avoided a tackler for a 15-yard gain.

Dalton continued to spread the wealth with a 19-yard pass to Gallup on the next play. The remarkable sideline grab had to be reviewed. Replay showed Gallup’s ability to drag his feet.

Dalton went back to Gallup on the very next play who made an acrobatic sideline catch for 39 yards. The catch was once again sent to the booth and came back as a completion.

Dallas took a timeout with three seconds left and watched Zuerlein kick them to a 2-3 record and first place in the division.

Dallas will go primetime next week with a Monday night game against the Arizona Cardinals (3-2).

The Dallas Cowboys began Sunday looking as if they were still feeling the effects from their 49-38 loss against the Cleveland Browns last week. After the offense opened the game with a field goal, the defense allowed the Giants to score their first touchdown in eight quarters in just seven plays. Big runs from Freeman ended with a three-yard reverse to tight end Evan Engram for a touchdown.

Dak PRescott and the offense looked to respond, but instead gifted the Giants another seven points on a overthrow to Elliott in the flat that was picked off. Their following possession ended in a three-and-out as they watched the Giants march down the field again for a field goal. Once again, the Dallas faced another double digit deficit at the end of the first quarter.

Dallas was able to pull together a 14-play touchdown drive that was geared by a strong effort from Elliott. Down 17-10, the Cowboys finally got a highlight play from their star defensive end. DeMarcus Lawrence shot around the tackle on first-and-10, crushing Daniel Jones. The ball flew out and landed in the hands of Anthony Brown who returned it 29 yards for a touchdown.

The Giants remained resilient and ended their next drive with a field goal. Prescott and his offense continued firing. A pair of 20-yard completions to CeeDee Lamb set Dallas up an unexpected trick pass, “Philly Special,” from Cedrick Wilson to Prescott for an 11-yard score.

Dallas took a 24-20 lead into half.