The Dallas Cowboys entered their Week 12 contest with a ton of confidence thanks to momentum working for them. The club had won five straight home games against Washington and 12 straight overall. That all culminated in the beatdown of beatdowns on Thursday as they took on their division rivals on Thanksgiving.
Dallas got the early lead and then stretched it to 10 by halftime. Quarterback Dak Prescott, making an impressive surge for MVP consideration, had two passing TDs and 221 yards in the half as Dallas built their 20-10 lead. But what was most impressive was the club’s fourth-quarter explosion that saw them score 25 points in less than nine minutes to salt the game away, 45-10.
The victory moved Dallas to 8-3 on the season as they enter a week of rest before hosting the Seattle Seahawks next Thursday night.
Prescott finished 22 for 32 passing, with 331 yards and four touchdown tosses. It was good for a 142.1 passer rating as he hit Brandin Cooks, CeeDee Lamb, Kavontae Turpin and Rico Dowdle with scoring throws. Prescott’s surge over the last several weeks has been incredible, as he’s playing the best football of his career.
So too is cornerback DaRon Bland. Despite a rough outing, Bland did what he amazingly has done all season. For the fifth time in 12 games, Bland returned an interception for a touchdown, breaking the NFL record he tied just last week.
The Cowboys are a longshot to earn the No. 1 seed in the NFC, and they need to defeat a top team to get the respect they seek, but they are playing at a supremely high level right now.