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          Cowboys' DaRon Bland returns interception 54 yards for a touchdown

          • Todd Archer, ESPN Staff WriterOct 1, 2023, 06:35 PM ET
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              Todd Archer is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the Dallas Cowboys. Archer has covered the NFL since 1997 and Dallas since 2003. He joined ESPN in 2010. You can follow him on Twitter at @toddarcher.
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          ARLINGTON, Texas - Mac Jones got DaRon Bland once. Not twice.

          Six plays after Jones found Kendrick Bourne for a 16-yard gain, throwing completely back across the field after scrambling to his right, the New England Patriots quarterback tried to do it again, but Bland, a cornerback for the Dallas Cowboys, was in perfect position to intercept the pass and take it back untouched 54 yards for a touchdown.

          The touchdown gave the Cowboys a 28-3 lead in the second quarter and continued their domination of New England. For Bland, it was the second pick-six he has had on the season. In the opener against the New York Giants, he returned an interception for the Cowboys' second touchdown in their 40-0 shutout win.

          Trevon Diggs, the cornerback whom Bland is replacing because of a torn ACL, is the last Cowboys cornerback with multiple interception returns for a touchdowns in a season. He did it in 2021, which included a pick-six in the Cowboys' overtime win at Gillette Stadium.

          For the Cowboys, it was their second defensive score of the half. Leighton Vander Esch returned a Jones' fumble after a Dante Fowler Jr. sack 11 yards for a score. It's the first time the Cowboys have had two defensive touchdowns in a game since beating the Giants in 2013.

          The Cowboys are the first team with four non-offensive touchdowns in their first four games since the 2015 Arizona Cardinals, per ESPN Stats & Information.