WATCH: Dak Prescott slings dart to CeeDee Lamb for touchdown as Cowboys trail Commanders
The Dallas Cowboys finally got a much-needed score as the clock ticked down on the first half in D.C. With the potential to clinch the NFC East waning with the Eagles leading the Giants 16-0, Dak Prescott found CeeDee Lamb in the endzone to make it 13-6 Washington at the half.
It was a particularly bad half for the Cowboys who muffed a snap on a punt attempt early, then muffed a punt to give the Commanders the ball with great field position. On top of the errors on special teams, Prescott notched his seventh straight game with an interception after throwing a pick-six to Kendall Fuller.
The struggling quarterback showed grit on the scoring drive, however, and kept the momentum going towards the endzone with a run up the middle, followed by a sneak on 4th and 1.
Although Cowboys kicker Brett Maher missed the extra point, the scoring drive and touchdown gave the team the essential bit of positivity Mike McCarthy needs to potentially sit some starters in the second half. With the Eagles leading by two scores versus the Giants, Dallas has little to gain by continuing to battle it out full-go.
If Philadelphia keeps its lead, the Cowboys will remain in the No. 5 seed position and travel to Tampa to face the Buccaneers next weekend.
Prescott went 9-for-21 in the first half with 80 passing yards, a touchdown, an interception and a sack. It took until the two-minute warning for the Cowboys to notch their second first down of the game, but thanks to the scoring drive, they finished the half with seven.
Cowboys Inactives
As expected, the Cowboys are fighting for win No. 13 without linebacker Leighton Vander Esch and center Tyler Biadasz. They are also missing defensive tackle Quinton Bohanna.
Cowboys return man KaVontae Turpin popped up on the injury report due to an illness on Thursday, as did lineman Connor McGovern on Saturday. Both were questionable heading into Sunday’s game but are active. McGovern is set to start in place of the injured Biadasz at center.
Also in the lineup for Dallas is running back Tony Pollard. Pollard returned to practice on Wednesday after sitting out of the Week 17 game. He was just 12 yards shy of hitting the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season, which he did in the first half of the game.
Mike McCarthy’s squad made a couple of roster moves on Saturday to bolster the game day roster. They elevated safety Tyler Coyle and offensive tackle Alex Taylor from the practice squad. Dallas also added veteran cornerback Xavier Rhodes to the practice squad to potentially help in the postseason.