The Cowboys had lost six of seven games, including one earlier this week on a rare Tuesday game.
But it didn't look like a short week for the Cowboys' defense, which forced three fumbles on the first three drives, leading to 17 points.
Let's recap how it went down in Cincinnati for the Cowboys, who improved to 4-9.
The Cowboys forced three turnovers on the first three drives and never looked back in Cincinnati. Let's recap the win with key moments, players and stats from the game.
Player of the Game: Maybe he didn't have the best game, or even one of the best by his standards but this was Andy Dalton's day to shine. His return to Cincinnati was a good one, as he threw two touchdowns to lead the Cowboys to a 30-7 win, their most lopsided victory of the season.
Nemesis: He might not be the All-Pro he once was, but A.J. Green hasn't lost that much of a step. Green scored the only touchdown of the game for the Bengals and led the team with six catches for 62 yards.
Unsung Hero: Starting his second straight game to replace an injured Donovan Wilson, Darian Thompson made another big play early in the game. His forced fumble on Erickson in the second quarter, set up a touchdown drive for the Cowboys and a 17-0 lead. Thompson had five tackles. It's his second straight game with a turnover after getting an interception in the first quarter against the Ravens in the previous game.
Turning Point: The Bengals went into halftime with the momentum after a touchdown to A.J. Green and trailed 17-7. But the second-half kickoff was returned by Tony Pollard, who sliced his way up the middle for a 60-yard return. It was his third return this year of over 60 yards. The Cowboys managed only a field goal on the drive but it pushed the lead to 20-7 and put the pressure back on the Bengals, who didn't score in the second half.
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The red-zone offense has struggled all season and it didn't improve much Sunday in Cincy. Of the four opportunities, the Cowboys scored just two touchdowns, despite having a first-and-goal from the 4 to open the third quarter. This week, it didn't hurt the Cowboys too bad as they were able to win by 23 points but throughout the season, settling for field goals instead of touchdowns has plagued the offense.
Remember Me: The Bengals had a couple of players who were on the Cowboys' roster last year, including guard Xavier Su'a-Filo, who started at guard on Sunday. On defense, Christian Covington made a couple of tackles down by the goal line for the Bengals as a rotational linemen.
Milestone: While Ezekiel Elliott finished with just 48 rushing yards, he moved into third place on the Cowboys' all-time rushing list, passing Don Perkins (6,217 rushing yards).
Elliott now has 6,237 yards, and trails only a couple of Hall of Famers in Emmitt Smith (17,132) and Tony Dorsett (12,036).
Stat of the Game: The Cowboys had three possessions begin inside Bengals territory, with an average starting drive position of their own 38. The Bengals meanwhile started at their own 22, based off not getting any turnovers. That is the real stat of the game as the Cowboys won the turnover battle 3-0.
