Prescott, Cowboys scratch to victory

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — First, the black cat ran on the field.

Then the Dallas Cowboys scampered past the New York Giants.

Dak Prescott shook off an interception on his first pass to throw for three touchdowns, and the Cowboys turned three Daniel Jones turnovers into 13 points on their way to a 37-18 win over the Giants in a Monday night game that was briefly delayed in the second quarter by an elusive feline.

“Things weren’t good up to that point,” Prescott said about the game before the cat appeared. “It could only get better from there. I definitely thought about that. I guess we’ll start rolling now that the black cat’s come in bad for the Giants. It was fun. First time I’ve seen an animal run on the field that I’ve been a part of.”

Ezekiel Elliott ran for a season-high 139 yards as Dallas (5-3) beat New York (2-7) for the sixth straight time. DeMarcus Lawrence had one of the Cowboys’ five sacks.

Prescott hit Blake Jarwin for a much-needed 42-yard touchdown late in the second quarter. Prescott added a 15-yarder to Michael Gallup and a 45-yarder to Amari Cooper in the fourth.

Brett Maher kicked three field goals, including a 52-yarder in the waning seconds of the first half that gave Dallas the lead for good after falling behind 12-3 in the second quarter. Jourdan Lewis scored on a 63-yard fumble return in the final seconds.

The win gave the Cowboys a half-game lead over Philadelphia (5-4) in the NFC East and improved their record in the division to 4-0, including a win over the Eagles.

Jones threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Cody Latimer for fading New York. Aldrick Rosas hit four field goals, but he also missed an extra-point attempt that was important in sending New York to its fifth straight loss.