Dallas Cowboys to Playoffs: Dak for MVP, Lamb's No. 1, Why Fire McCarthy?! Top 10 Whitty Observations
Against a feisty opponent in a tricky environment, the Dallas Cowboys started slow but finished full-speed ahead in a 38-10 victory over the Washington Commanders that clinched the division championship, the NFC's No. 2 seed and a home-field path to their first NFC Championship Game since 1995.
10. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED - Admit it, after they lost in Week 3 to the horrible Cardinals you thought they were done. After the 32-point, prime-time shellacking in San Francisco in Week 5 you gave up hope. Back-to-back December losses to the Bills and Dolphins had you mumbling "same ol' (bleeping) Cowboys!"
They had a little help along the way in the form of the Eagles' shocking implosion and the Lions sorta not reporting properly. But after that disheartening loss to the Niners they went 9-3, won themselves an NFC East title and the right to host two playoff games.
Pretty gutsy turnaround for a team you gave up on.
9. WOEFUL WASHINGTON - Cowboys improved to 3-1 vs. the "Commanders,'' winning the two meetings this season by a combined 83-20. Against the "Redskins'' they were 73-45-2, and 3-3 against the "Football Team.''
8. DAK-TASTIC - Considering Brock Purdy's stats and the San Francisco 49ers' standing (oh, and the Lamar Jackson push in Baltimore, too) the Dak Prescott-for-MVP talk seems a tad hopeful, if not silly.
But with four touchdown passes, he did finish with the most in the NFL with 36 (joining Roger Staubach in 1973 as the only Cowboys' quarterback to do so.) More importantly, he delivered on a promise to reduce his interceptions. In 2022 he threw 15 in 394 passes. This year only nine in 590 passes. Three of the picks came in one game, at San Francisco.
7. HOME, SWEET HOME - As the No. 2 seed, the Cowboys will play at least their first two playoff games at AT&T Stadium. At home they went 8-0. On the road they improved to 4-5. The only road game they could potentially play: at the San Francisco 49ers, where they lost 42-10 in Week 5.
6. FAMILIAR FOE - The Cowboys will host the Green Bay Packers in the first round of the NFL Playoffs next weekend. The teams are 4-4 in the postseason. The Packers have won the last two - both times coached by Mike McCarthy - after Dallas beat Brett Favre's Green Bay teams three times in the 1990s.
Packers at Cowboys will be at 3:30 CT on Sunday.
5. STREAK *SNAPPED - Somewhere on a couch, Mike Vanderjagt breathed a sigh of relief as Cowboys' rookie kicker Brandon Aubrey finally *missed a field goal.
The miss was actually a block, as Aubrey's second-quarter, 32-yard attempt never had a chance. Tyler Biadasz blocked out, leaving a gaping hole to his inside and allowing Joshua Pryor a clean path to block Aubrey's kick.
The miss technically snapped Aubrey's career-beginning streak at 35, two shy of Vanderjagt's record 37 set in 2003. In the fourth quarter - oops - Aubrey clanged a 36-yard attempt off the left upright before starting a new streak with a 50-yarder to finish the scoring.
4. CRAFTY COMMANDERS - They ran a reverse on the first play of the game. They ran a "Philly Special" receiver-to-quarterback pass. They went for four fourth downs in the first half, including two of their side of the 50. With head coach Ron Rivera likely coaching his last game and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy channeling his inner Mike Leach and auditioning for his next job, Washington played like a team with nothing to lose.
It worked. For a while.
Thanks to a tipped interception and the blocked field goal, the Commanders led 10-7 before the Cowboys rattled off four touchdowns on four possessions to turn it into a blowout.
3. TERRIFFIC TURNAROUND - A year ago on the first Sunday in January the Cowboys played at FedEx Field still mathematically alive to win the NFC East. Instead, Prescott had perhaps the worst game of his career in a 26-6 loss. He went 14 of 37 with a Pick 6 interception.
This year needing a win to snatch the NFC's No. 2 seed, Dak was about as good as he's ever been. He went 31 of 36 for 279 yards and the four touchdowns. His one pick was deflected at the line of scrimmage.
2. LAMB THE GOAT? - CeeDee Lamb isn't the greatest receiver in Cowboys history, but he just produce the greatest receiving season in Cowboys history. He scored a leaning, stretching touchdown just before half for a 21-10 lead. And then essentially put the game away with an ad-libbed 6-yard scoring catching to make it 28-10 midway through the third quarter. In Dallas' last two must-win games he caught 26 passes for 325 yards and three touchdowns.
For the season, Lamb led the NFL in receptions with 135 and totaled 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns.
1. EAST BEASTS - Dallas' victory extends one of the one of the most remarkable streaks in the history of the NFL: Make it 19 consecutive different champions in the NFC East. There hasn't been a repeat winner since Philly in 2003-04. The Cowboys have won the division five times in the last 10 years.
They enter the playoffs off two impressive wins while the Eagles - who were seemingly in control of the division on Christmas - limp into the postseason with consecutive losses to the Cardinals and Giants.
Critics focusing on coach Mike McCarthy's job security seem misguided. Now, as to the Philly job security of Nick Sirianni ...
