Lions vs. Cowboys 2016 results: Ezekiel Elliott and Dez Bryant propel Dallas past Detroit, 42-21

The Dallas Cowboys secured their 13th win of the season on Monday night with a 42-21 rout of the Detroit Lions.

The game started out as close and entertaining as you could have wanted in a primetime football game.

Dak Prescott helped the Cowboys offense get off to a great start on their opening drive, with Ezekiel Elliott chipping away on the ground. It took them five minutes before they’d find the end zone, when Prescott connected with Brice Butler for a 21-yard score.

The Lions came out hot, as well, and introduced a national audience to a player they may not have heard of before in running back Zach Zenner. Zenner and Matthew Stafford went on a drive that was just as fluid as that of Dallas’, with Zenner cruising into the end zone to finish off the Lions’ first drive of the game.

Not to be outdone, the NFL’s leading rusher, Ezekiel Elliott, had a 55-yard touchdown in response. He finished off the run with a graceful leap to give the Cowboys a 14-7 lead:

On the ensuing drive, Stafford decided to take over, and took the Lions on a shorter drive, this one 58 yards that he finished off with a rugby-style touchdown on a fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line.

After forcing the Cowboys to punt after a three-and-out, the Lions appeared to be gaining momentum after yet another scoring drive. Zenner got his second touchdown of the night and made it a 21-14 game in the Lions’ favor.

The Cowboys would score once more to tie the game before the end of the first half, with Dez Bryant making a sensational one-handed catch that sent AT&T Stadium into an absolute frenzy.

The story of the second half would be much different than the first. Matthew Stafford came out and threw an interception on the sixth play of the half, forcing it while rolling to his left.

It didn’t take long for the Cowboys to capitalize on the turnover. A pair of Lions penalties moved the Cowboys up the field in no time, and on the third play of the drive, Ezekiel Elliott finessed his second touchdown of the evening from a yard out, giving the Cowboys a 28-21 lead.

Their second touchdown of the second half came as a catch from Jason Witten, but it didn’t come from Dak Prescott. It didn’t come from Tony Romo, either.

It came from Dez Bryant, who took the ball on a reverse, and floated in a perfect pass to the veteran tight end.

The Lions made another effort to stop the Cowboys from pulling away, but were stopped. On fourth down, they were forced to attempt a 47-yard field goal, which Matt Prater missed wide left.

When the Cowboys followed up the Prater miss with yet another Dez Bryant touchdown reception to make it a 42-21 lead in the fourth quarter, it was clear that the Cowboys were going to walk away with the win.

The win puts the Cowboys at 13-2 on the season. They had already clinched home-field advantage in the NFC, so the win is just better looking than before. However, it means nothing more in terms of playoff positioning.

No matter the result of tonight for the Lions, who move to 9-6 with the loss, they will be playing the Green Bay Packers for the NFC North title in Week 17.