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Chargers-Cowboys final score: Chargers win meaningless, boring game 17-7

The San Diego Chargers won their first game of the preseason, this one against the Dallas Cowboys, but did not impress with their roster depth.

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Without seeing Tony Romo, Dez Bryant, Jason Witten, or any of their top two Running Backs, it's hard to figure what this matchup could actually bring for the Chargers. Turns out, it wasn't much, and they won easily by a score of 17-7 despite not looking all that great in the second half.

The first team offense looked fine, unless you blinked...in which case you missed it entirely. Philip Rivers threw two good passes, one of them to Antonio Gates, and Danny Woodhead ran the ball into the end zone. After that, the only player who had a performance worth writing about was Branden Oliver, who ran for 53 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. Rookie RB Melvin Gordon seemed tentative, finishing with 11 yards on 6 carries.

Nick Novak hit a 52 yard field goal, his only field goal attempt, and Javontee Herndon had a solid punt return. Mike Scifres kicked a few balls into the sun. Kyle Emanuel and Tourek Williams paired up for a forced fumble and fumble recovery. That's your special teams wrap-up.

Defense was the only semi-exciting part of the game for Chargers fans tonight. All of their top five pass rushers (Jerry Attaochu, Melvin Ingram, Kyle Emanuel, Tourek Williams, Cordarro Law) had at least one good, flashy play. John Pagano was calling lots of creative blitzes and stunts, and the Cowboys' offensive line didn't seem ready for that at all.

Boy, this game was boring.

As far as injuries go, Johnnie Troutman left the game with an injury and later appeared on the sideline in a sling. Cornerback and KR/PR Chris Davis left the game with what looked like a concussion. Sean Lissemore and Brandon Flowers missed the game with injuries as well. Luckily, none of the injuries seemed very serious.