In the second quarter, Dallas took advantage of a short field after Butch Johnson returned a punt 4 yards to the Vikings 46. The team then drove 46 yards in 8 plays, including a 14-yard run by Danny White on a fake punt, to score on Newhouse's 5-yard rushing touchdown. Vikings receiver Sammy White returned the kickoff 37 yards to the 48-yard line. On the next play, a 44-yard pass interference penalty on Charlie Waters gave Minnesota a first down on the Dallas 8. But after Foreman was stuffed on two running plays, defensive tackle Randy White sacked Lee on the 16-yard line, forcing the Vikings to settle for a 13–3 deficit from Fred Cox's 33-yard field goal. Then after forcing a punt, Lee completed passes to Stu Voigt and Sammy White for gains of 19 and 16 yards as the team drove 68 yards to score on Cox's 37-yard field goal, making the score 13–6 with less than two minutes left in the half. Dallas struck back with a 32-yard completion from Staubach to running back Preston Pearson setting up Herrera's 21-yard field goal, giving the team a 16–6 lead going into halftime.