They took care of the slump of the star quarterback instead.
Prescott threw four touchdown passes and DeMarcus Lawrence returned an intercept for a score. The Cowboys celebrated their division title clinching with a 56-14 win over Washington on Sunday night.
The Cowboys (11-4), tied the franchise record in points per half, taking a 42-7 lead, frustrating Washington until the point where defensive tackles Jonathan Allen & Daron Payne got into a scuffle on the sideline.
Dallas did not need to win to complete the division title. It was already secured with San Francisco's defeat to Tennessee three days earlier. The Cowboys won the division with a 17-13 win over Denver, which was completed about an hour before kickoff. Philadelphia lost the tiebreaker.
Prescott and company didn’t seem to care. Now the Eagles cannot tie them for the division title because Dallas scored the most points (postseasons included) since its 59-14 win over San Francisco in 1980.
"I don’t know how many people knew we had clinched before this game. Prescott stated, "I didn't." "I don’t know if I’m in the world or in business of trying messages more than I’m just trying to improve."
Washington (6-9) was the team that allowed the most points since 2010. This is the most lopsided loss in a long-standing rivalry, which has been played 124 times. Washington's playoff hopes may be dim, but they are not lost.
Coach Ron Rivera stated, "I told them to play this game for long enough and you're going get beat like that." "How you react to it, how well you bounce back, and how you play tells a lot about you.
Prescott set the club record for passing touchdowns in halftime with four -- one each to an Ezekiel Elliott running back, a tight-end (Dalton Schultz), and Amari Cooper receiver. The backup tackle was Terence Steele who was lined up as a tight stop when Prescott faked the handoff for a 1-yard score.
Taylor Heinicke made a second consecutive start in Dallas against Dallas, after having missed the game due to COVID-19. He gave up Trevon Diggs' NFL-leading 11th intercept on the Washington offensive play. This was five days after a delayed coronavirus-delayed defeat to Philadelphia.
The Dallas offense was able to take it from there. They recorded 389 yards before the half-time break. Prescott broke a streak of poor performances by completing 22 of his 25 first passes. He also finished with 321, which is the most yards in a half of his career. When he went to the locker, he was only 28 of 39 and had 330 yards.
Mike McCarthy, coach, said that he believed he was in complete control. His numbers in the first-half reflect this. He had some shots opportunities and was patient with the checkdowns. He played very well tonight.
Late in the first quarter, the Cowboys led 14-0. Lawrence, a defensive end deflected Heinicke’s pass with his righthand, corralled it and ran down the left sideline for a TD.
Elliott said that D'Law's pick-6 was the most impressive. He scored once on a run, and once on a catch. I was impressed by the stiff arm and the high knees that made the last guy on the sideline miss. He said that he was an all state tight end from the sideline. That's what you saw today."
Lawrence was mobbed both by his defensive line and by his fellow Dallas blockers. For Washington, it was quite a different scene.
Payne and Allen appeared to be having a verbal exchange before Payne, a Washington team captain, got up and threw a punch at Allen, the defensive linemen.
COPYCAT LEGUE
Washington's scuffle took place on benches that the club brought in, with the logo of its "W", after the Cowboys did it two weeks ago when they visited their NFC East rival.
The only difference was that the rematch took place in climate-controlled AT&T Stadium. The retractable roof was shut. However, the temperatures were still in the 70s.
Because temperatures were in the 40s, the Cowboys pulled this stunt. They had been told that the warmers on their benches were not reliable.
SACK TIME
Dallas' streak of four consecutive games with only two takeaways ended in the first quarter, but the Cowboys had five sacks. Micah Parsons recorded his 13th and is now 1 1/2 away from Jevon Kearse’s NFL rookie record for Tennessee set in 1999.
INJURIES/COVID-19
Jamin Davis, a Washington rookie linebacker, was reporting to team physicians with possible COVID-19 symptoms. Because there was not enough time to conduct a COVID-19 testing before reporting inactive players, the club decided Davis was kept as a precaution. Dallas LT TyronSmith (ankle), missed his second consecutive game, and fifth overall. ... Dallas DBs Malik Hooker, and Jourdan Lewis were placed on the COVID-19 Reserve List during the week.
NEXT
Washington: Next Sunday's home finale will be against Philadelphia. This is the fourth of five division games that will finish the regular season. Washington will be eliminated from the playoffs if it loses.
Cowboys: No. The No. 1 seed in NFC is still available for Arizona's visit next Saturday. The Packers must lose to Dallas and other teams that trail Green Bay (12-3)
