NFC Beast: Cowboys Celebrate Playoff Berth, Title With All-Around Embarrassment of WFT
ARLINGTON, Texas - The Washington Football Team performed on Sunday night as if they just wanted to be put out of their misery.
Unfortunately for the WFT, and to the credit of the playoff-bound and NFC East-champion Dallas Cowboys, the misery just kept on coming.
And so did the Dallas touchdowns on a dream-come-true night of "team balance.''
Dallas 56, Washington 14 cements the Cowboys as a contender; Dallas did almost every possible thing right as it vaulted to a fourth straight win, a sweep of Washington and an 11-4 record that's only bettered in the NFC by 12-3 Green Bay.
“I didn’t discuss it with the team,'' said Dallas coach Mike McCarthy of having already clinched before kickoff. "To me; it was irrelevant. We needed to go out and perform tonight; and we did that.”
The Washington debacle leaves the defending East champs with what a fancy computer might say is a five-percent chance of making the playoffs ... a 6-9 record that tells a more accurate truth ... and more passion displayed in a sideline fistfight involving Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne than in anything coach Ron Rivera's team actually did on the field.
Dallas' Dak Prescott-led offense helped pile up 42 points by halftime, with Prescott throwing for four TDs and 321 yards in the first two quarters alone. (He finished 28 of 39 for 330 yards before retiring early.) And Dallas' defense grabbed an interception on Washington's very first play (Trevon Diggs' NFL-leading 11th pick), later in the first half got a pick-6 TD from defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence (moving Dallas to a for-the-moment franchise-record five defensive TDs this year) and harassed Washington QB Taylor Heinicke (7 of 22, 121 yards) into a dismal night that included five Dallas sacks, including a 13th from rookie sensation Micah Parsons.
The Cowboys arranged for offensive lineman Terence Steele to catch a first-half touchdown pass ... and then in the second half, a blocked punt by Corey Clement was recovered by rookie Chauncey Golston for yet another non-offense touchdown.
Think about it: The Cowboys now have 19 different players who've scored a touchdown in 2021, the franchise's single-season record.
Defensive end Lawrence scored one. Offensive tackle Steele scored one. Special-teamer Golston scored one.
Has an NFL quarterback ever thrown a touchdown pass to a running back, a tight end, a wide receiver and an offensive lineman in a single game?
Nope. Not until Sunday night at AT&T Stadium.
Dallas spent its time setting records.
Washington - which got an Antonio Gibson TD in the first half but was otherwise outclassed at every turn - can now spend its time booking offseason getaways.
The Cowboys have been winning while still fielding questions about "What's wrong with the offense?'' and "What's wrong with Ezekiel Elliott?'' and "What's wrong with Prescott?'' Those doubters are now silenced, and should be reminded that Elliott (knee) is getting healthier and that he scored two TDs here, and that Prescott's record against Washington is 9-1. And his record against the NFC East is 24-6.
Dallas is a class above Washington. Washington's running mate here? Misery.
