Prescott Sits But the Cowboys Win Hall of Fame Game

There were stars on the Dallas Cowboys helmets but not many stars on the field during the 2017 Hall of Fame Game. Quarterback Dak Prescott, running back Ezekiel Elliott,

wide receiver Dez Bryant, tight end Jason Witten, linebacker Sean Lee and the starting offensive line had the night off.

The Arizona Cardinals let most of their stars have the night off as well: Quarterback Carson Palmer, wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, running back David Johnson, cornerback Patrick Peterson and safety Tyrann Mathieu.

Arizona started the game with journeyman quarterback Blaine Gabbert behind center. Gabbert helped lead the Cardinals to a 15-0 lead in the first quarter. The first score came on a five-yard run from Kerwynn Williams for a touchdown.

Andre Ellington added the second score with a three-yard touchdown run. Gabbert scored a two-point conversion after a Cowboys penalty set Arizona up to go for the try.

Dallas struck back with less than a minute and half left in the first quarter. Kellen Moore, who was playing for the first time since injuring himself in last year’s preseason, found tight end Rico Gathers for a 26-yard touchdown pass. Gathers is a former Baylor University basketball player who is making the transition to football.

The Cowboys cut deeper into the Cardinals’ lead when rookie kicker Sam Irwin-Hill made a 23-yard field goal in the second quarter, which made a 15-10 game in favor of Arizona. Irwin-Hill is hoping that another team will need a kicker, as he is highly unlikely to replace current Dallas kicker Dan Bailey.

Arizona went into the break with a 15-10 lead as the second-string players took the rest of the night off. Dallas went to Cooper Rush as quarterback, and he led the team down the field, which gave the Cowboys their first lead of the night.

Rush found E.Z. Nwachukwu for a 14-yard touchdown after the Cardinals busted coverage. Dallas took a 17-15 lead after Irwin-Hill made the extra point in the third quarter.

The Cardinals played Trevor Knight at quarterback in the second half. He led Arizona down for Matt Wile to kick a 40-yard field goal for the Cardinals, which made them go back up 18-17 in the third.

Irwin-Hill made a 43-yard field goal with more than 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter, which gave the Cowboys a 20-18 lead that held up for the rest of the game.

Arizona had a final chance to go down the field for a game-winning field goal but couldn’t get the ball to midfield. Dallas moves to 1-0 on the preseason with a home game against the Indianapolis Colts next week, and the Cardinals fall to 0-1 with home game against the Chicago Bears up next.