Week 18 marked a game in which the 11-5 Dallas Cowboys had everything to gain, and the 4-12 Washington Commanders had nothing to lose in their regular-season finale. That juxtaposition is something Cowboys Pro Bowl edge rusher Micah Parsons called "dangerous" on Wednesday.
On Sunday afternoon, Washington proved Parsons right temporarily by presenting Dallas with some danger in a brief spurt in the second quarter before the Cowboys bounced back to secure victory with ease in a 38-10 win. The victory gives the Cowboys their first NFC East division title since the 2021 season. The NFC East has now been won by a different team for 19 consecutive seasons, extending the longest streak in NFL history without a repeat division champion.
The Cowboys have also secured the NFC's No. 2 overall seed in the postseason. That's significant because it means Dallas, the only team that won all eight of their home games in 2023, is now guaranteed to play at AT&T Stadium through at least the first two rounds of the postseason.
Dallas now has at least 12 wins for three seasons in a row under head coach Mike McCarthy after going 12-5 every year since 2021. This stretch marks the second time in franchise history for that to occur, joining the Cowboys' 1990s dynasty run from 1992-1995 in which they three Super Bowls in four seasons.
McCarthy is the first Cowboys head coach to accomplish this feat. Hall of Famer Jimmy Johnson was Dallas' head coach for the first two of those seasons in the 1990s from 1992-1993, but Barry Switzer was the Cowboys coach for the 1994 and 1995 seasons.
After forcing a turnover on downs on the Commanders' first drive, the Cowboys cruised to an opening-drive touchdown against the NFL's worst scoring and total defense. Dallas marched 67 yards in eight plays, capping the scoring drive with Dak Prescott's NFL-best 33rd passing touchdown on a 3-yard toss to second-year wideout Jalen Tolbert. Prescott completed all six of his passes for 57 and the score to put Cowboys up 7-0 with 6:26 left in the first quarter.
Following a forced fumble and recovery by Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis, the Commanders blocked Brandon Aubrey's 32-yard field goal attempt for his first miss of the season. They returned the ball 66 yards to the Cowboys' 20. Aubrey famously said he didn't believe in jinxes and was comfortable talking about the streak on Thursday, and his field goal streak ends at 35 this season. Aubrey then missed a second in a row in the second half after doinking a 36-yarder off the left upright. He finished his night with a make from 50 yards out on his third kick. His 10 makes from 50 or more yards this season are the most by a kicker in Cowboys history.
After scoring an opening-drive touchdown with ease, the Cowboys failed to score on each of their next two drives. This time they committed their first turnover of the afternoon. Commanders rookie defensive back Quan Martin corralled Prescott's tipped pass for the interception. 7-7 with 11:30 in the half. They turned Dak Prescott's tipped-throw interception into three points after kicker Joey Slye drained a 36-yard field goal. That gave Washington its first lead of the game up 10-7 with 7:04 left in the first half.
The Commanders' lead evaporated on the next drive as Cowboys running back Tony Pollard snapped a four-game streak without a touchdown after pounding the football into the end zone for a 1-yard rushing score. Dallas jumped back in front 14-10 with 4:12 left in the first half. The Cowboys ensured they would take the lead into the half with safety Donovan Wilson intercepting Howell with 1:47 left to play in the second quarter. Howell finished the game with 153 yards, one passing touchdown and two interceptions on 19 of 27 passing.
Dallas cornerback DaRon Bland hauled in his first interception since his NFL-record fifth pick-six against Washington on Thanksgiving in the second half on Sunday. Bland, the league's interception leader with nine, marks the second time in the last three years a Cowboys cornerback led the NFL in interceptions. Trevon Diggs, the outside corner Bland replaced after he went down in practice back in Week 3 with a torn ACL, led the NFL in picks with 11 in 2021.
Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb extended the football across the goal line as he lunged while being dragged to the ground on the Cowboys' final drive of the first 30 minutes, giving them a 21-10 lead at the break. The football crossing the goal line gave him his ninth consecutive game with a touchdown, making him one of only three wide receivers in the 21st century to have a nine-game touchdown streak. Lamb caught all 13 of his targets for 98 yards and two receiving touchdowns. Lamb, who led the NFL with 135 catches this season, became the fourth player in NFL history with at least 125 catches and 10 receiving touchdowns in a season. He joined Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison (2002), Antonio Brown (2014 and 2015) and Cooper Kupp (2021).
Prescott held on to sole possession of the NFL lead in passing touchdowns (36) to become the first player in the Super Bowl era -- since 1966 -- and just the second in league history (along with Hall of Famer Bob Waterfield in 1945-1946) to jump from the NFL's interception leader to passing touchdown leader in consecutive seasons, according to NFL Media researcher Dante Koplowitz-Fleming. He threw four touchdowns -- two to Lamb, one to Brandin Cooks and one to Jalen Tolbert -- 279 passing yards and an interception on 31 of 36 passing.
Dallas outperformed the Commanders by a wide margin in every aspect of the game: first downs (31-12), total yards (440-180), turnover margin (three takeaways to one) and time of possession (33:55-26:05). Dak Prescott got whatever he wanted when throwing to CeeDee Lamb, completing all 13 passes thrown his way. Defensively, Micah Parsons finally got his 14th sack of the season, making him the fifth player since sacks have been tracked in 1982 to have at least 40 in his first three seasons.
Any Cowboy who desired to stuff the box score on Sunday was able to.
Sam Howell continued to struggle, throwing two more picks to run his NFL-worst total to 21. Washington's defense entered Week 18 as the NFL's worst scoring and total defense, and they looked every bit like it on Sunday.
Lamb's 4-yard touchdown catch right before halftime that put Dallas up 21-10. Washington put up a fight in the second quarter, but once Dallas went up double-digits, it was clear the Cowboys weren't going to relinquish the lead.
Prescott's 5-yard touchdown pass to Brandin Cooks in the right corner of the end zone. He perfectly lofted the football up over the Commanders' secondary and right into Cooks' arms. It's unclear if Prescott could have handed Cooks the ball in a better spot if he stood right next to him.
The Dallas Cowboys will play host to the seventh-seeded Green Bay Packers at AT&T Stadium in the NFC Super Wild-Card Weekend next week. The Commanders will have the second overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft thanks to their 4-13 record in 2023.
Cowboys have removed Dak Prescott from the game after 279 yards, four touchdowns and one interception on 13 of 36 passing. He is going to be the first Dallas QB to lead the NFL in passing touchdowns (36) outright.
Brandon Aubrey getting his season's worth of misses out of his system with a 36-yard field goal miss after hitting the left upright. Dallas still leads 35-10 with 8:57 left in the game.
When it rains, it pours, and the Cowboys are dropping a deluge on the Commanders. Dallas cornerback DaRon Bland hauls in his first interception since his NFL-record fifth pick-six against Washington on Thanksgiving. The league's interception leader is up to nine. The Cowboys will begin their next drive on their own eight up 35-10 with a minute left in the third quarter.
Three plays into their drive that initially began at the nine, Dallas puts the game out of reach with 4:06 left in the third quarter. Dak Prescott hit Brandin Cooks with a high-arching throw to the right corner of the end zone for a five-yard touchdown pass, running the Cowboys lead to 25, 35-10.
Following Micah Parsons' first sack since Week 13 at the Eagles, the Cowboys get revenge for Aubrey's field goal being blocked in the first half. They block the Commanders' punt and start their next drive with first and goal at the nine.
Lamb caps the drive with his second touchdown catch of the game, this time from six yards out. That ties his single-game career-high. Lamb has caught all 12 of his targets for 92 yards and two scores. Dallas now leads 28-10 over Washington after the first possession of the second half.
We're underway in the second half and CeeDee Lamb already has another three catches. Three catches for 29 yards on the drive so far.
CeeDee Lamb extends the football across the goal line as he lunges while being dragged to the ground. The football crossing the goal line gave him his ninth consecutive game with a touchdown, making him one of only three wide receivers in the 21st century to have a nine-game touchdown streak. Lamb joins Hall of Famer Randy Moss (2003-2004) and seven-time Pro Bowler A.J. Green (2012). Dallas leads 21-10 at halftime, and they will receive the second-half kickoff.
Cowboys cornerback Stephon Gilmore just departed the blue medical tent on the sideline. He is walking to the locker room holding his right arm/wrist.
The Cowboys ensure they will take the lead into the half with safety Donovan Wilson intercepting Commanders quarterback Sam Howell over the middle of the field with 1:47 left to play in the second quarter. It's Howell's NFL-worst 20th interception of the season. Dallas take over at their 35 with 1:40 left in the half with two timeouts remaining.
Cowboys running back Tony Pollard snaps a four-game streak without a touchdown after pounding the football into the end zone for a one-yard rushing score. Dallas back in front 14-10 with 4:12 left in the first half.
Commanders turn Dak Prescott's tipped-throw interception into three points after kicker Joey Slye drains a 36-yard field goal. Washington has its first lead of the game up 10-7 with 7:04 left in the first half.
After scoring an opening drive touchdown with ease, the Cowboys have failed to score on each of their last two drives. This time they commit their first turnover of the afternoon as Commanders rookie defensive back Quan Martin corrals Dak Prescott's tipped pass for the interception. 7-7 with 11:30 in the half.
Washington takes advantage of starting a drive at the Cowboys' 20 after blocking Brandon Aubrey's 32-yard field and returning it 66 yards with quarterback Sam Howell rolling out and hitting running back Brian Robinson Jr. for a one-yard score. Dallas and Washington are even at 7 at the start of the second quarter.
The first quarter ends with the Cowboys up 7-0, but the Commanders are at the Dallas one facing fourth-and-goal.
Following the forced fumble and recovery by cornerback Jourdan Lewis, the Commanders block Brandon Aubrey's 32-yard field goal attempt for his first miss of the season. They returned the ball 66 yards to the Cowboys' 20. Aubrey famously said he didn't believe in jinxes, and the field goal streak ends at 35 this season.
The Cowboys make their first drive look easy, as if they are facing the NFL's worst defense, which they are. Dallas marches 67 yards in eight plays, capping the scoring drive with Dak Prescott's NFL-best 33rd passing touchdown on a three-yard toss to second-year wideout Jalen Tolbert. Prescott completed all six of his passes for 57 and the score. 7-0 Cowboys lead the Commanders with 6:26 left in the first quarter.
After a couple first downs and reaching the Cowboys' 31, the Commanders go for it on fourth and one. It failed. Howell threw a swing pass out wide to the left to running back Brian Robinson Jr., but Dallas was all over it. Safeties Jayron Kearse and Donovan Wilson combine to drop him for a loss of two. Cowboys ball for the first time next at own their own 33.
We're underway in Washington with Sam Howell and the Commanders offense going up against Micah Parsons and the Cowboys defense.
If the Dallas Cowboys secure their 12th victory of the season in Week 18, they will have won at least 12 games for three seasons in a row under head coach Mike McCarthy. It would mark the second time in franchise history for that to occur, joining the Cowboys' 1990's dynasty run from 1992-1995 in which they three Super Bowls in four seasons.
McCarthy would become the first Cowboys head coach to accomplish this feat. Hall of Famer Jimmy Johnson was Dallas' head coach for the first two of those seasons in the 1990's from 1992-1993, but Barry Switzer was the Cowboys' coach for the 1994 and 1995 seasons.
If the Dallas Cowboys win the NFC East by beating the Washington Commanders, 2023 would be the 19th straight season without a repeat NFC East champion, extending the longest streak for any division in NFL history
First-year NFL and Dallas Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey is three made field goals away from NFL history. The NFC's Pro Bowl kicker has connected on all 35 field-goal attempts this season, tying him with former Minnesota Vikings kicker Gary Anderson (1998) for the second-most makes in a season without miss. Should he drain three in a row outdoors at FedEx Field on Sunday, he'll break former Indianapolis Colts kicker Mike Vanderjagt's all-time record of 37 set back in the 2003 season.
Here's a look on Aubrey's historic season and why he doesn't believe in jinxes.
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb leads the NFL in catches (122) and ranks second in the league in scrimmage yards (1,757) behind Christian McCaffrey's 2,023. Here are Lamb's thoughts on his record-breaking season and how he views his contract negotiations for the upcoming offseason.
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott co-lead the NFL with 15 interceptions a year ago alongside Houston Texans quarterback Davis Mills. Prescott also stood as the first player to lead or co-lead the league in interceptions despite missing five or more games, after missing five with a thumb injury on his throwing hand.
Now he is leading the NFL in passing touchdowns with 32 entering entering Week 18 while only tossing eight interceptions, a stark contrast to his 23 touchdown passes to 15 interceptions in 2022. Here's a look at the history, both Cowboys and NFL, if he finishes the season as the NFL's touchdown passes leader.
Dallas Cowboys Pro Bowl cornerback DaRon Bland is another defender who is undoubtedly looking forward to play NFL interceptions leader Sam Howell, who has 19. Bland has five pick-sixes, the most by a player in a single season in NFL history. They also rank as the most in a career in Dallas Cowboys history. Bland also leads the NFL with interceptions this season. Since he entered the league in 2022, Bland's 13 interceptions are the most in the NFL as well.
Micah Parsons himself said earlier this week that he put in "a good fight" to try and win his first NFL Defensive Player of the Year award. Here's a full breakdown on his case.
The Dallas defense that tormented Washington in Week 12 has another opportunity for box score-stuffing performance in Week 18. Commanders quarterback Sam Howell leads the NFL in interceptions since Week 11 across six losses.
The Commanders are down two key defensive starters in safety Kam Curl (quad) and defensive tackle Jonathan Allen (knee).
The Dallas Cowboys will be down two starting offensive linemen today: Tyler Smith (foot, working through torn plantar fascia) and a late scratch in right guard Zack Martin (illness). Martin was listed today as likely to play by the Cowboys. However, the situation changed. Good news for Dallas is that starting defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins (knee/ankle) is back after missing the last three games.
The Commanders are in dire need of a reset. Washington has lost seven consecutive games, the longest active losing streak in the league. Their defense is allowing the most points per game (30.0) and total yards per game (385.8) in the entire league. That's a great matchup for Prescott, who leads the NFL with 32 touchdown passes, and Pro Bowl wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, whose 122 catches also lead the league.
