ARLINGTON, Texas – 80 minutes prior to kickoff at AT&T Stadium, the Dallas Cowboys clinched the NFC East crown, courtesy of the Raiders’ win over the Broncos. The outcome sealed Dallas’ strength-of victory tiebreaker over the Eagles. The Cowboys certainly materialized the phrase ‘champs’ on their home turf against the Washington Football Team. Dallas dismantled their division rival 56-14 and remain undefeated in December. With their mauling of the WFT, Dallas stays as the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoff race.
The Cowboys dominated in all three phases, encapsulated by a touchdown on offense, defense and special teams. Dak Prescott arguably had his best game of the season with spot-on accuracy and decisiveness. The hesitancy when using his legs disappeared against Washington. Prescott ignited the aerial attack with 320 passing yards, four touchdowns, zero interceptions and a 142.6 passer rating in the first half. In addition, he registered 21 rushing yards on four attempts for good measure. The Mississippi State product became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw a touchdown pass to a wide receiver, running back, tight end and offensive lineman in a single game. The lineman being left tackle, Terence Steele.
In addition, two interceptions, three sacks and a defensive touchdown by DeMarcus Lawrence in the first half contributed to the team’s 42-7 manhandling of the Washington Football Team before the scoreboard changed to the third quarter in Arlington.
In the third quarter, it was time for special teams to put on a show. Corey Clement shot through the punt protection on a one-man rush to notch the Cowboys’ third punt block of the season, resulting in a scoop and score by Chauncey Golston.
The Cowboys’ offense has struggled over the past two months in facing a two-high shell look. Against Washington, Dallas was able to take shots downfield and ignite a struggling unit. The team did not take their foot off the gas pedal. Dallas struggled on the opening drive, but the defense provided the momentum on the following drive. Taylor Heinicke lobbed a dart downfield on the first pass of the game to the waiting hands of Trevon Diggs. Bad idea. He increased his count to 11 on the play. He traced the ball and ran the route like a receiver to haul in the ball.
Prescott took advantage of the interception and drove down the field, culminating in an Ezekiel Elliott 5-yard touchdown pass. Things quickly spiraled downhill for Washington.
Following another failed drive for Heinicke and his supporting cast, Prescott methodically marched the offense down the field. He connected with CeeDee Lamb for a 22-yard pass/catch and Amari Cooper on a 10-yard gain to set up the touchdown to Dalton Schultz. On the ensuing drive for the defense, Lawrence mirrored Randy Gregory’s tipped pass in Week 14 but scored. He dropped back after the pass rush, got his hands on the pass, then intercepted and returned it 40 yards to make it a 21-0 ballgame in the first quarter.
“There is no ceiling,” Dak Prescott said on the team. “It doesn’t matter who we are playing. We are playing our best ball and we are going to be a tough group to stop on all three phases. When you see that tonight – special teams getting a score, defense getting a score and offense doing it in the different ways that we did – we are going to be tough.”
