Dak Prescott threw four touchdown passes as the Dallas Cowboys clinched the NFC East title with a 38-10 victory over the Washington Commanders on Sunday in Landover, Md.
Dallas (12-5) gained the No. 2 seed in the NFC and will host the seventh-seeded Green Bay Packers in the wild-card round next weekend.
Prescott completed 31 of 36 passes for 279 yards and CeeDee Lamb had 13 receptions for 98 yards and two touchdowns. Lamb finished with 135 catches, the sixth-most in a season in NFL history.
Sam Howell completed 19 of 27 passes for 153 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions for Washington (4-13). The loss gives the Commanders the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Prescott shredded the injury-riddled secondary of the Commanders. He finished with an NFL-high 36 touchdown passes.
It was a reversal from his performance in the regular season finale last year at Washington, when Prescott had a passer rating of 45.8 in Dallas’ 26-6 loss.
Prescott was sharp throughout on Sunday. On Dallas’ opening possession, he completed all five of his attempts, including a 3-yard touchdown pass in the back of the end zone to Jalen Tolbert for a 7-0 lead.
Dallas was set to increase the lead as rookie Brandon Aubrey lined up for a 32-yard field goal try. But Josh Pryor blocked the kick and Jace Whittaker recovered and ran 51 yards to the Cowboys 20.
It was the first unsuccessful attempt this year for Aubrey, who had made his previous 35 field goal tries. In the fourth quarter, Aubrey made a 50-yard field goal and missed a 36-yard attempt.
Howell threw a touchdown pass to Brian Robinson to tie it 7-7 early in the second quarter.
An interception by Quan Martin that was tipped by Jalen Harris set up a 36-yard field goal by Joey Slye that gave the Commanders their lone lead of the game at 10-7.
But Dallas responded with touchdown drives on its next four possessions to turn it into a rout.
Donovan Wilson set up one of the scores with an interception. Peyton Hendershot set up another with a punt block in the third quarter that gave the Cowboys possession at the Commanders’ 9.
Prescott’s efficiency came despite Dallas missing its starting guards, Tyler Smith (knee) and Zach Martin (illness).
Lamb’s touchdown catches, at the end of the first half and start of the second half, covered 4 and 6 yards respectively.
Brandin Cooks added a 5-yard touchdown reception in the back corner of the end zone which gave the Cowboys a 35-10 lead in the third quarter.
–Field Level Media
