With NFC East crown secured in Week 18, the real fun begins for Cowboys

DALLAS — The Dallas Cowboys capped off an improbable run to the NFC East title by beating the Washington Commanders going away 38 10 in Week 18. It took some time for the Cowboys to find their groove in the win, but by beating their long time rivals, Jerry Jones’ team secured the No. 2 seed in the NFC for the playoffs.

Head coach Mike McCarthy led the Cowboys to the division title for the second time in three years and is now the only coach in franchise history to have three consecutive 12 win seasons. Dallas will host at least one postseason game, beginning with a Wild Card matchup on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.

The win in Week 18 proved to be an excellent playoff dress rehearsal for Dallas, as they were tasked with giving it their all with the division on the line even with a playoff spot secured and facing a toothless Commanders squad that finished the year 4 13. The Cowboys answered the bell by making plays in all three phases.

Not all phases were perfect, but the team managed to shake themselves out of an early funk by the second quarter before pulling away for the blowout win. Ultimately, Dallas’ offense wasn’t going to be denied in this game. The unit was going up against one of the worst defenses in the league and they had no issues moving the ball or putting up points.

On their first series, quarterback Dak Prescott led a 67 yard drive where he was a perfect 5 5 for 54 yards and a score. The touchdown pass came as Prescott had pressure in his face and threw off his back foot but still placed the ball in a perfect spot for wide receiver Jalen Tolbert to come down with it for the three yard score.

It was a sign of how easy things would be for Prescott and the offense. Prescott finished with 279 yards passing, four touchdowns, and had a completion percentage of 86.1 in a ridiculously efficient game. Dak Prescott recorded his 3rd highest success rate (72.2%) in a game in his career in Week 18, generating +19.5 EPA on his dropbacks.

Prescott ends the season with the 2nd most passing EPA in the NFL (+104.6) & a league high +4.7% CPOE. #DALvsWAS | #DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/jm3bEjVhnu Many of those throws from the signal caller went wide receiver CeeDee Lamb’s way. The four year veteran caught all 13 of his targets and had two touchdown receptions.

His best play came when Prescott was buying time in the pocket and directed Lamb to cut back to the middle of the end zone where he was hit in between the numbers for a six yard touchdown. On their next possession, the Cowboys capitalized on great field position when Prescott hit Brandin Cooks in the corner of the end zone for a five yard score.

This marked another connection on a route that the QB and WR have continued to run to perfection over the last month of the season. The Cooks touchdown capped off four straight possessions in which Dallas put seven points on the board, which saw the Cowboys go from being down 10 7 to taking command with a 35 10 lead in the third quarter.

Dallas was having difficulty putting away a pesky Commanders team throughout the first half. As expected, Ron Rivera had an aggressive game plan to beat the Cowboys, and it kept his team in the game for the first 28 minutes. From there, though, it was all Dallas. Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence changed the tune of the contest late in the second quarter.

The Commanders were down 14 10 but driving in Dallas territory just after the two minute warning when the veteran pass rusher hit quarterback Sam Howell’s arm on a pass rush attempt, which led to his pass fluttering in the air for safety Donovan Wilson to pick off. The Cowboys had their game changing turnover and scored six plays later to take a double digit lead into halftime.

Cowboys S Donovan Wilson has come on strong in recent games, well distanced from calf injury that ailed him in training camp. INT stops Commanders from late half score. DE DeMarcus Lawrence hit Sam Howell on throw. Dallas has ball now and again to start 2nd half. Dallas got the ball to start the second half and scored on that series as well to continue an onslaught that didn’t stop.

Shortly after the Cowboys went up 28 10, the defense forced a punt, which was blocked by tight end Peyton Hendershot to put the offense in position to score again. He doesn’t get the headlines but it was Lawrence’s pressure play that led to one of three turnovers that the Cowboys forced and it was the play that ultimately cracked the game open.

The team took control from that point on and never looked back. There wasn’t much that went wrong for the Cowboys in the game, even if they unexpectedly trailed early. There were a few hiccups on special teams, however, as kicker Brandon Aubrey missed the first field goals of his otherwise spotless season.

The rookie had his first attempt blocked, then proceeded to miss a 36 yard kick that went off the left upright. There were shades of last year’s kicking woes in Week 18 when then kicker Brett Maher missed an extra point to start his downfall, but Aubrey came on late to nail a 50 yard attempt to ensure no confidence was lost.

This game felt like the Cowboys’ 2023 season in a microcosm. Prescott and Lamb were outstanding and efficient in leading the offense, while the defense applied the pressure and forced turnovers that helped put Dallas ahead and allowed them to take over. There was also a big special teams play that helped them win the game.

Prescott will finish as the league’s passing touchdown leader with 36, as well as third overall with 4,516 passing yards. Lamb, meanwhile, is the NFL’s receptions leader with 135. Lamb also finished second in receiving yards with 1,749, and while Lamb finished third in the league with 12 scores, he scored a touchdown in nine straight games to finish the season, which hadn’t been accomplished by a wideout since 2012.

The Dallas Cowboys came out of Week 18 as the NFC East champions, which was their first goal coming into the season. The next goal is making use of their home field advantage in the playoffs. For now, though, the Cowboys should enjoy another division title, and another 12 win season before focusing on McCarthy’s old team from Green Bay.

Celebratory hats and t shirts will suffice for a win in Week 18. Do you think the Cowboys are primed to make some noise in the playoffs? Share your thoughts with Ben on Twitter @BenGrimaldi ..