According to the words of Dak Prescott and Zack Martin earlier in the week, playoff time is already here. While the Dallas Cowboys (11-5) may not have any implications on a playoff berth on the line this week against the Washington Commanders (4-12), there is plenty on the line for playoff positioning. Win, and the Cowboys are division champions, lose, and the Cowboys will hand the division's fate back to the Philadelphia Eagles. With so much to still play for, here are the 10 most notable 'big facts' to remember ahead of Sunday's 3:25 CT kickoff on FOX.
Playing Cowboys takes a toll – This stat doesn't exact affect the Cowboys game this week, but opposing teams are 3-11 this year in the week directly following the game with Dallas. And oddly enough, only two teams have won the game as the Giants have done it twice this year, winning the next week after their Week 1 loss to Dallas and then again after the Nov. 12 loss in Dallas. Also, the Bills won the following week after playing the Cowboys.
Dak on Top? – The Dallas Cowboys have never finished the season with a quarterback who outright led the NFL in passing touchdowns. Dak Prescott has a chance to do so this weekend as he currently leads the league with 32. The closest quarterbacks to him are Brock Purdy (31), Jordan Love (30) and Jared Goff (28).
Road to 200 – With two touchdown passes on Sunday, Dak Prescott would reach the 200-touchdown mark, becoming only the second Cowboys quarterback to do so, joining Tony Romo (248). He would reach the milestone in 114 career games, where Romo hit the same mark in 133 career games.
Repeat punter – For just the second time in team history, the Cowboys have had a punter make the Pro Bowl for a second time. Bryan Anger, also selected in 2021, was one of the seven Cowboys to make the game this year. Only Mat McBriar was selected to the Pro Bowl for the Cowboys on two occasions.
Finding the Finish – Despite leading the league in pressure rate (43.3%), the Cowboys have tallied just one sack in each of their last five games. Their five sacks since Week 13 are the third fewest in the league behind just Washington and Arizona. Prior to Week 13, the Cowboys were fourth in the NFL with 37 sacks.
Micah & Mel – Dominating from the very start is what all players want to accomplish, but only just a few are able to do so. Micah Parsons became the second defensive player in Cowboys history to make the Pro Bowl in each of his first three seasons, joining Hall of Famer cornerback Mel Renfro, who had 10 selections overall, including his first three in 1964-66.
Washed Them Away – With a win Sunday, Dallas will complete their 20th sweep all-time against the Washington franchise. The only other team they've swept more than Washington is the New York Giants (24). It would mark their fourth sweep of Washington in the last seven seasons.
Looking for the 3-pack of 12 wins – When the Cowboys won last week's game, pushing their record to 11-5, it became the first time in over 30 years for the team to have at least 11 wins in three striaght seasons. Mike McCarthy became the first coach to lead the Cowboys to that, joining Jimmy Johnson, whose Cowboys went 11-5 in 1991, then 13-3 in 1992 and 12-4 in 1993. If the Cowboys can win Sunday, McCarthy would be the first to win 12 games in a regular season in franchise history.
Two Seed a Sign? – During the Cowboys run of the 1990's, the Cowboys won their first Super Bowl in a three-year span from the two-seed spot in the NFC. Dallas took down Philadelphia in the divisional round, the 49ers in the conference championship game, and the Bills in Super Bowl 27. A scenario that could repeat if all falls into place, starting with Buffalo making the playoffs with a win in Week 18.
Pollard seeking rare 1,000-yard club – If Tony Pollard can get 65 rushing yards on Sunday – something he's done five times this year – he would hit the 1,000-yard mark for the regular season. Pollard would become the sixth player in franchise history to have consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, joining Calvin Hill, Tony Dorsett, Emmitt Smith, DeMarco Murray and Ezekiel Elliott.
