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Patriots' Ja'Whaun Bentley swipes ball from Dak Prescott to deny Cowboys TD

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- In an entertaining first half that featured multiple momentum swings, the New England Patriots capped it off with a huge goal-line stand against the Dallas Cowboys to take a 14-10 lead into the break.

The key play came on fourth down from the 1 with 1:32 remaining, when linebacker Ja'Whaun Bentley punched the ball out of the grasp of quarterback Dak Prescott, who was attempting to stretch the ball over the goal line on a lunge.

It was the fourth straight play in which the Cowboys attempted to run from the 1-yard line, and they were stopped short each time -- the first two on runs by Ezekiel Elliott, and the final two on Prescott keepers.

Prescott was close on the third-down plunge, and it was a play that perhaps warranted a closer instant-replay review from the NFL under the two-minute mark. On the fourth-down play, it was initially ruled a touchdown, before it was reversed on a replay review.

Earlier this season, in a game against the Eagles, Prescott was stopped on third-and-goal from the 1.

On Sunday, the Cowboys also went for it on fourth-and-1 from their own 34-yard line on the opening drive of the game. The Patriots came up with the stop on that one, too, tackling Elliott for no gain.