Dallas Cowboys: The stellar performance no one is talking about

Following the Dallas Cowboys blowout victory over the Washington Redskins on Thursday night there was plenty of praise to go around. But don’t forget about La’el Collins!

Heading into last Thursday night’s divisional battle against the Washington Redskins, the status of the Dallas Cowboys offensive line was in serious jeopardy. Both Pro Bowl starters at left tackle Tyron Smith (back/groin) and right guard Zack Martin (concussion) were limited during practice all week due to injuries. And starting right tackle La’el Collins missed all of those sessions due to his own back injury.

Yet, all three of these questionable offensive lineman were able to play and help the Cowboys rush for 182 total yards and limited quarterback Dak Prescott to being sacked only once. It was a stellar performance by this ailing group, particularly by Collins.

The last time these two teams met, back in Week Eight, Redskins outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan was able to torch Collins for 2.0 sacks in the Cowboys 33-19 win in Washington. So the prospect of backup Byron Bell being forced into action at right tackle could have meant devastating things for America’s Team last Thursday night.

Luckily, after an extensive workout a couple hours prior to kickoff, Collins proved to be healthy enough to play. And play he did. In what might have been Collins’ best game of the season, he held Kerrigan to four total tackles and zero sacks. And this was after sitting out of every single practice session going into the pivotal matchup.

But just how clutch was Collins? Not only did he shutdown Kerrigan, but the 24-year old lineman played every single offensive snap for the Cowboys on Thursday night. All 68 of them! In fact, only Collins and Pro Bowl center Travis Frederick have played every offensive snap (796) for Dallas the entire season.

Next: Cowboys offensive line returns to dominance in win

There are a lot of “attaboys” that should get handed out after a performance like the one the Dallas Cowboys had this past week. But what La’el Collins was able to overcome and accomplish during the game deserves a special mention.