FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- In an entertaining first half that featured multiple momentum swings, the New England Patriots capped it off with a huge goal-line stand against the Dallas Cowboys to take a 14-10 lead into the break.
The key play came on fourth down from the 1 with 1:32 remaining, when linebacker Ja'Whaun Bentley punched the ball out of the grasp of quarterback Dak Prescott, who was attempting to stretch the ball over the goal-line on a lunge.
It was the fourth straight play in which the Cowboys attempted to run from the 1-yard line, and they were stopped short each time -- the first two on runs by Ezekiel Elliott, and the final two on Prescott keepers.