Tag: 2023 season Week 18

Dak Prescott dissects Commanders with near-surgical precision in Week 18 romp

From @timlettiero: The Cowboys QB was impressively accurate in a 4-touchdown season-ending performance. He’ll look to ride his hot streak into the playoffs.

Your 2023 NFC East Champion Dallas Cowboys have clinched the division as well as home-field advantage to start the playoffs. Washington was looking to play spoiler, but they could not get the job done as Dallas cruised to an easy 38-10 victory.

Quarter one was shaky as Dallas couldn’t get the ball to bounce their way, but fortunes quickly changed. The defense created pressure and forced turnovers while the offense found their groove. Washington had no answer for QB Dak Prescott, who was able to do as he pleased.

Prescott finished his All-Pro-caliber campaign with a 279-yard and four-score performance through the air. Although he added an unlucky interception to his tally, he ended the season on a high and looks to keep the offense rolling.

After Washington conceded the ball on a failed fourth-down conversion, Prescott took the reigns and threw a beauty to WR Jalen Tolbert to put Dallas up by seven.

Fast forward to the two-minute warning before the half, when Dallas found themselves up 14-10. Looking to take a commanding lead before half, Prescott located his main man WR CeeDee Lamb, who does his best impression of Michael Jordan in Space Jam to reach the ball into the end zone for the score.

Dallas got the ball first to start the second half, and they didn’t take their foot off the gas. After a near seven-minute drive, Prescott found Lamb again with a laser-beam throw for their 12th touchdown connection on the season.

[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]

Just to really put the nail in the coffin, Prescott hooked up with WR Brandin Cooks in the corner of the end zone to put Dallas up 35-10.

Whether he receives end-of-year accolades or not, Dak Prescott had one of his best seasons in a Cowboys jersey (if not the best) and finished it off in style. Onto the Green Bay Packers.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

[lawrence-newsletter]

Cowboys’ Gilmore: Shoulder ‘popped out,’ vows he’ll ‘be ready to go’ in wild-card round

From @ToddBrock24f7: The veteran CB missed the second half of the Cowboys’ season-ending win, but promises his shoulder injury is “nothing too crazy.”

The Cowboys secondary got a major scare late in the first half of the team’s 38-10 season-ending win when Stephon Gilmore landed awkwardly while making a play. The veteran cornerback was escorted to the locker room and did not return to action, though he was seen on the sideline with his right arm in a sling.

Early reports were that Gilmore had injured a shoulder, leaving fans to wonder if the Dallas defense would have to start their playoff run without either of the corners that had started the 2023 campaign.

But while Trevon Diggs will still be relegated to observer status for the posteason journey, Gilmore says he’ll be in uniform and on the field when the Cowboys host Green Bay in the wild-card round next weekend.

Gilmore’s shoulder “just popped out,” he said after the division-clinching win per the team website, “and they popped it back in place. I feel way better now. Happy it wasn’t nothing too crazy.”

Gilmore entered the Week 18 contest having played more snaps than any Cowboys defender this season. Nahshon Wright came on in his place to finish the game against the Commanders opposite league interception leader and first-time Pro Bowler DaRon Bland, who snared yet another pick on Sunday.

[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]

The Cowboys secondary will face a stiff test in the wild-card round, with the red-hot Jordan Love coming to town averaging nearly two passing touchdowns per game, a rate that’s second in the league.

But if Gilmore’s self-diagnosis is to be believed, he’ll be in his usual spot when the Cowboys defense takes the field in the tournament.

“He told me was fine and he’d be ready to go,” said Dallas head coach Mike McCarthy.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

[mm-video type=video id=01hkfzhzb774vgcy9hk5 playlist_id=01eqbwens7sctqdrqg player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01hkfzhzb774vgcy9hk5/01hkfzhzb774vgcy9hk5-e18d7728f85f148bc859cbf7541106fa.jpg]

[lawrence-newsletter]

Cowboys seize NFC East crown, No. 2 seed with 38-10 win in Washington

From @ToddBrock24f7: The Cowboys are your NFC East champs and will play at home for at least the first 2 rounds of the postseason after a commanding Week 18 win.

The Cowboys started strong in their regular-season finale but then watched things go temporarily haywire.  They eventually got things back on track, though, and came away from their trip to the nation’s capital with a big 38-10 win that now puts them exactly where they want to be to start the postseason: at AT&T Stadium.

Dak Prescott was perfect on the offense’s opening drive, ending with a touchdown toss to Jalen Tolbert. After a takeaway by Jourdan Lewis looked like it might kickstart an early avalanche of points, Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey had his field goal attempt blocked. The double-thud not only spoiled Aubrey’s perfect season, the return drastically flipped the field and gave the Commanders a ton of momentum (and a short field, which they took advantage of with a score).

It took the Cowboys a few drives to right the ship and re-take the lead as the second quarter wound down. They hit the coveted double-double with touchdown drives on either side of the half, and a Peyton Hendershot punt block helped Prescott & Co. open a 25-point lead (with his fourth scoring pass of the day and his 36th touchdown throw of the season, probably enough to finish as the league leader) before finally pulling the starters in the final quarter.

The win didn’t come without a cost, as cornerback Stephon Gilmore exited early with a shoulder injury and did not return. While the extent of the injury remains to be revealed, it’s sure to be a major concern with as the playoffs get underway.

The Cowboys will have the week to determine how injuries to Gilmore and Tyler Smith (not to mention Zack Martin’s last illness) might impact their postseason prep. But for now, America’s Team can relish an NFC East crown, the No. 2 seed in the conference, and an unmatched third straight 12-win season for Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy, all thanks to a commanding win over their longtime rivals.

[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]