If you’ve spent any time watching America’s Team lately, you know the vibe. One minute they’re lighting up the scoreboard like a pinball machine in the first fifteen minutes, and the next, you’re wondering if the offense stayed in the locker room during halftime. Analyzing the dallas cowboys score by quarter isn't just for the stat geeks or the guys obsessing over their parlay; it’s basically a psychological study of one of the most polarizing teams in the NFL.
Honestly, the 2024 and 2025 seasons have been a total roller coaster for Dak Prescott and company. While most fans look at the final score, the real "meat" is hidden in how those points get distributed. Are they fast starters? Do they choke in the fourth? Or are they the kings of "garbage time" points when the game is already out of reach? Let's break down what actually happens when the clock starts ticking.
The First Quarter: Setting the Tone (or Not)
The Cowboys have a reputation for coming out swinging. In the 2024 season, Dallas actually ranked surprisingly well in opening-frame efficiency. They averaged around 3.6 points in the first quarter, which sounds low until you realize half the league struggles to get a field goal off in their first two drives.
But check this out: in 2025, that number jumped. Early season data shows them sitting near the top 15, averaging 4.7 points in the first quarter. You’ve probably noticed they love those scripted 10-to-12 play drives to start the game. When Mike McCarthy gets the rhythm right, CeeDee Lamb usually has three catches before the opponent even realizes the game has started. However, the problem with a high first-quarter dallas cowboys score by quarter is that it sometimes creates a false sense of security.
- Scripted Success: They often move the ball with ease on the first drive.
- The Aubrey Factor: Brandon Aubrey is basically a cheat code. Even if a drive stalls at the 40, you’re likely getting 3 points.
- Defensive Jitters: Sometimes the defense gives up points just as fast as the offense scores them, leading to those high-scoring first-half shootouts.
The Mid-Game Slump: What Happens in the Second and Third?
This is where things get weird. Historically, the second quarter is actually the most productive for Dallas. In 2025, they were putting up nearly 11 points in the second quarter alone during their home games at AT&T Stadium. It makes sense—the "script" is over, Dak is in a groove, and they’re pushing the tempo before the half.
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But then... the third quarter happens.
If you look at the dallas cowboys score by quarter trends from the last two years, the third quarter is often a "dead zone." Whether it’s halftime adjustments by the opposing coach or just a lack of urgency, the scoring tends to dip. In several losses during the 2024 season—like that ugly 47-9 blowout against Detroit—the third quarter was a literal zero. You can't win in this league if you go 15 minutes without moving the chains.
Why the Third Quarter Flatlines
Kinda feels like they lose their identity for a bit. They’ll try to establish a run game that isn't working, or they’ll get penalized into a 1st-and-20 situation. When the third-quarter score is low, it puts immense pressure on the defense to hold the line, and as we saw in late 2025, that defense was gapped for over 30 points a game on average.
The Fourth Quarter: Chaos and Comebacks
The fourth quarter is where the "Dallas Cowboys score by quarter" search volume probably spikes. Why? Because that’s when the drama happens.
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Dallas has a weird habit of becoming the best team in the world when they are down by 14 points with six minutes left. In 2024, they were 31st in the league in defense but often top 10 in fourth-quarter scoring. It’s a bit of a "Stat Padder" paradise. Dak Prescott’s situational stats show his passer rating often climbs in the final minutes, but that’s frequently against "prevent" defenses.
However, in 2025, we saw some legitimate grit. Take the Week 2 win against the Giants (40-37 in OT). They didn’t just score; they executed under pressure. When the dallas cowboys score by quarter shows a big number in the fourth, it usually means one of two things:
- They are mounting a furious, albeit late, comeback.
- The game is a total shootout where neither defense can stop a nosebleed.
Home vs. Away: The Scoring Discrepancy
You can’t talk about these scores without mentioning the "Jerry World" effect. The Cowboys score significantly more points per quarter when they are under the roof in Arlington.
In 2025, the splits were jarring. At home, they averaged about 14.4 points in the second half. On the road? That plummeted to around 9.0. That’s a massive difference. If you’re looking at a game log from a road game in Philly or New York, you’ll likely see a lot of field goals and a lot of 3-and-outs. The "comfort" of AT&T Stadium seems to be a real thing for this roster’s scoring rhythm.
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What This Means for the Rest of the Season
If you’re tracking the dallas cowboys score by quarter to get an edge on your friends or just to understand why your Sundays are so stressful, here is the reality. This team is built on momentum. They aren't a "grind it out" team that scores 7 points every single quarter. They are a "burst" team.
They might go scoreless for twenty minutes and then put up 21 points in the blink of an eye. For the Cowboys to actually be contenders and not just a "7-9-1" team (their record in 2025), they have to fix the third-quarter lull. Scoring 15 points in the first half is great, but it doesn't mean anything if you let the opponent rack up 17 unanswered points after the break.
Key Takeaways for Fans and Analysts:
- Watch the 2nd Quarter: If Dallas isn't scoring here, they're probably going to lose. It's their highest-volume period.
- Don't Trust a 1st Quarter Lead: They often start fast but lack the "killer instinct" to maintain that pace in the third.
- Aubrey is the Safety Net: A huge chunk of their "scoring" is actually just Brandon Aubrey being a literal robot from 50+ yards.
- The Garbage Time Warning: Always check the context of a high fourth-quarter score. Was it a game-winning drive, or was it a "fake" comeback against a secondary playing soft?
Moving forward, keep an eye on the play-calling immediately following halftime. If the Cowboys can bridge the gap between their hot starts and their desperate finishes, the scoreboards will look a lot more consistent. Until then, expect the quarter-by-quarter breakdown to remain as unpredictable as a Texas thunderstorm.
Check the official NFL game logs or Pro-Football-Reference to see the specific box scores for the upcoming weeks. Watching the live "Points by Period" tracker during the game is usually the best way to see if the mid-game slump is finally being cured.
Practical Next Steps for Following Cowboys Stats
- Monitor the Betting Lines: Look at "Team Total" bets for the first half versus the second half. Dallas often provides value in the first half (Over) but can be risky in the second half.
- Fantasy Strategy: If you have Cowboys players, don't panic if the third quarter is quiet. The fourth quarter is traditionally their most "active" time for fantasy points due to high passing volume.
- Use Live Trackers: Apps like ESPN or the NFL official app allow you to toggle "Scoring Summary," which is the fastest way to visualize the dallas cowboys score by quarter without digging through spreadsheets.