ARLINGTON, Texas − What would a Detroit Lions-Dallas Cowboys game in Dallas be without officiating controversy?
Trevon Diggs made a disputed interception of a Jared Goff pass on the opening possession of the second half, and Ezekiel Elliott scored his first of two second-half touchdowns seven plays later as the Lions lost their fourth straight game, 24-6, at AT&T Stadium.
Goff threw two interceptions and lost two fumbles, and Jamaal Williams lost a fumble on the goal line in an avalanche of second-half turnovers that doomed the Lions on a day their last-ranked defense held the Cowboys (5-2) mostly in check.
Dak Prescott completed 19 of 25 passes for 207 yards and a touchdown in his first game back from a broken right thumb, and Elliott had 15 carries for 57 yards.
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Elliott’s first TD capped an 82-yard drive after Diggs made a diving interception on an underthrown Goff pass to Josh Reynolds near the Dallas end zone. Replays showed the ball moving as Diggs dove to the ground.
All turnovers and scoring plays are reviewed by booth officials, but the interception gave some Lions fans flashbacks of the team’s playoff loss to the Cowboys in January of 2015, when officials threw a flag for pass interference against the Cowboys, then picked up the penalty.
The Cowboys rallied from a 13-point second-half deficit to win that game, 24-20.
On Sunday, the Lions (1-5) led 3-0 in the first quarter and 6-3 at halftime on a pair of Michael Badgley field goals, then pittered the game away with five second-half turnovers.
Trailing 10-6, the Lions had a chance to take a lead early in the fourth quarter, when Williams lost his first career fumble when he ran into a pile on first-and-goal from the 1. One play earlier, Brock Wright was stopped inches short of the goal line on a tight end screen.
The Cowboys punted on their next possession, but Goff turned the ball over on each of the Lions’ final three drives.
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He threw an interception on third-and-12 near midfield when he threw low and behind intended receiver Tom Kennedy, had the ball stripped from his hand in the middle of his throwing motion by Dallas’ Sam Williams just before the two-minute warning, and lost a fumble as he was scrambling with 50 seconds to play.
Elliott scored his second touchdown on a 1-yard run with 2:46 to play, after Goff’s poor throw to Kennedy, and Prescott followed the fourth of Detroit’s five turnovers with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Peyton Hendershot.
Goff, who finished 21 of 26 passing for 228 yards, has nine turnovers in six games this season, including at least one in every Lions loss.
Williams had 79 yards rushing on 15 carries for the Lions, whose once-NFL-best offense failed to score a touchdown for the second straight game.
The Lions host Miami next Sunday at 1 p.m.