‘Ain’t Done Yet!’: Is This Start to Dak Prescott Cowboys Super Bowl Run?
Remember when the NFC East was considered “up for grabs” to start the season?
Well, it is no longer.
Remember when the Cowboys were so often considered overhyped non-title contenders?
That accusation might no longer hold, either.
The Dallas Cowboys put the final touches on a division championship on Sunday following a win by the Las Vegas Raiders that gave them the tiebreaker over the Philadelphia Eagles. The exclamation point to the title was added with a 56-14 blowout win over the Washington Football team on "Sunday Night Football'' in Arlington. Those 56 points are the second-most in franchise history for Dallas behind two 59-point outings in 1968 and 1980.
Dak Prescott, who owner Jerry Jones cited as being in a “slump” in recent weeks, put on a show for the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium, throwing for 330 yards and four touchdowns in the win. The calf that plagued Prescott earlier in the season also appeared to be in working order as the quarterback ran for 21 yards on four attempts.
With the win, the Cowboys currently hold the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoff picture behind Green Bay, but the top seed is still mathematically up for grabs for Dallas.
Therefore, the Cowboys won’t look to rest starters down the stretch; there is too much still to play for … plus look how Sunday worked by not worrying about other games’ outcomes.
“I was aware,” Dallas coach Mike McCarthy said of the pregame clinch. “We talked about it. We felt that we really needed to perform like you always do, each and every week. These games are important. Momentum, victories in December. I just thought our play style and staying the course was exactly what we needed to do.”
Regardless of the approach taken, the Cowboys look like a team that can make noise in the postseason. The defense continued to force turnovers in a big way, including an interception by Trevon Diggs on Washington’s first play from scrimmage, his 11th of the season which ties a franchise record set by Everson Walls in 1981. Demarcus Lawrence also returned an interception for a score, and Dallas blocked a Washington punt in the second half that resulted in a score.
While the defense, something that plagued Dallas a season ago, continued to click on all cylinders, it was the offense that finally broke through once again in a surprising way.
Prescott was magnificent on Sunday, and the Cowboys rushed for 108 yards by committee as well. Although his 37 yards on nine carries were not eye-popping, Ezekiel Elliott alongside Tony Pollard was able to keep the Washington defense honest enough to open up the air for Prescott, who completed passes to eight different receivers - including offensive tackle Terence Steele.
With this once-again-found offensive prowess and the defense continuing to do big things, the Cowboys are poised for their first championship run since 1995, and the league should certainly be on notice.
Said Dak of the postgame celebration featuring the traditional “NFC East Champs” goodies: “It felt good. Obviously, winning the division is something that you set a team goal to do at the beginning of the year and to get the T-shirts and hats – that’s a cool thing, but I guarantee you that nobody in the locker room is satisfied with that.”
