The final week of the regular season is here, and the Cowboys have one final shot to add to an already historical regular season. Dallas (11-5) travels to face the Philadelphia Eagles (9-7) in hopes of improving their playoff seeding and finding momentum as they enter the playoffs next weekend. They'll be without Micah Parsons, Tyron Smith, and Anthony Brown but are aiming to win the game rather than rest certain players, according to head coach Mike McCarthy. Here are eight additional 'big facts' to note ahead of Saturday's 7:15pm CT kickoff at Lincoln Financial Field.
Here are eight additional 'big facts' to note ahead of Saturday's 7:15pm CT kickoff at Lincoln Financial Field.
Getting to 21?
The Cowboys already have their own franchise record for most players to score a touchdown this year with 19. The NFL single-season record is 21, set by the Rams (1987), Broncos (2000) and Patriots (2007). The Cowboys plan on playing their healthy starters on Saturday, but this could be a game that allows a few backups to get some playing time, and perhaps threaten that record.
Kings of the East
Dallas currently holds a record of 5-0 against the NFC East and, with a win on Saturday, could sweep their division for the first time since 1998. Since 2016, the Cowboys have dominated inside their division to the tune of a 25-10 record which is third best in the NFL behind New England and Kansas City over that time span.
Dak to the Top
Despite his recent struggles, Dak Prescott has posted his best career numbers in completion percentage (68.4) and passing touchdowns (32) this season. Entering the final week of the regular season, he ranks in the top-five for completion percentage and is sitting in the sixth spot for touchdown-to-interception ratio.
800 Club
With just 13 receiving yards on Saturday, Dalton Schultz can become the second tight end in franchise history to record 800 yards in a single season. Jason Witten had eight seasons with 800 receiving yards.
Easing the Workload
Four of Ezekiel Elliott's five career games with under ten carries have occurred since Week 11 of this season. His career-low season in carries (13.7) and rushing yards per game (57.2) have taken an even deeper nose-dive lately with just 39.4 rushing yards per game since Week 7 after 86.8 yards per game in Weeks 1-6. Elliott tallied just nine carries in Weeks 11-12 and 16-17 and has not had 20 totes in a game since Week 5.
MVP Against the Blitz
Dak Prescott's 23 touchdown passes against the blitz this season is one shy from tying Lamar Jackson (24) for the most over a single season since 2016. He is just the eighth player to reach 15 touchdowns against the blitz in the last five seasons. Joining players like Derek Carr (16) and Aaron Rodgers (15), who each did so last season, along with Matt Ryan who had 15 in 2016. Three of the eight won the MVP award in the season where they achieved the feat, including Jackson in 2019.
8 more for 88 to 2,000
With just eight receiving yards this Saturday against Philadelphia, CeeDee Lamb will become just the second player in Cowboys history to reach 2,000 receiving yards in his first two seasons. The only other receiver to hit the total was the hall of famer Bob Hayes (2,235) in 1965-66 where he led the NFL in receiving touchdowns both years as well.
Saturday Night Live
This week will mark the 30th time that the Cowboys have suited up for a regular season game played on Saturday. Dallas currently holds an all-time 15-14 record on Saturdays all-time but have lost three of their last four dating back to 2010. Their most recent Saturday regular season game came in 2015 during a 19-16 loss to the New York Jets.
