Entering Week 18, the Dallas Cowboys had an outside shot of getting home-field advantage in the NFC. They knew it wouldn’t be easy since they needed the Philadelphia Eagles to lose to the New York Giants reserves, but even if that happened, it wouldn’t have mattered.
Dallas laid an egg in their finale, falling 26-6 to the Washington Commanders. What’s worse is, it could have been an even bigger blowout for them had the Commanders not left several points on the board.
With all that being said, let’s dive in and discuss who stood out as studs and duds in Week 18.
Cowboys Week 18 studs and duds
Stud: Dorance Armstrong, EDGE
Dorance Armstrong had the best season of his career and continued to play well in Week 18 — when not everyone else for Dallas did. He came up big on third-and-five after KaVontae Turpin’s turnover as he and Micah Parsons recorded a half-sack on Sam Howell. That not only kept them from getting a touchdown but left the Commanders without points on the drive as Joey Slye missed the field goal.
Down 13-0 and in danger of making it an even bigger lead, the Commanders were driving after another Dallas three-and-out. Armstrong tackled Curtis Samuel for a four-yard loss leading to a stalled drive and another missed field goal. He had five total tackles as he capped off his breakout season.
Dud: Bryan Anger, Punter
Bryan Anger has been the model of consistency since joining the Cowboys last season both as a punter and a holder. Having said that, he started Week 18 off on a terrible note.
Dallas stalled on their opening drive and that led to Anger being brought out to punt the ball away. That never happened as he dropped the ball, and was tackled at the 20-yard line. The snap was perfectly fine, Anger just fumbled it and gave the Commanders great field positioning.
It then took just two plays for them to go up 7-0 as Sam Howell hit Terry McLaurin for a 16-yard touchdown. That set the tone for Washington, who never surrendered control.
Stud: Ceedee Lamb, Wide Receiver
The offense was ugly on Sunday, but CeeDee Lamb continued to give his all.
He was able to pull the passes down when they were within range and even with a 23-6 deficit he was out there trying to bowl over defensive backs and fight for extra yards. In all, he had five receptions for 52 yards and the lone touchdown of the game.
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Lamb was asked to step into the No. 1 role this year and handled it well. The third-year pro finished with 107 receptions for 1,359 yards with nine touchdowns. It was a remarkable season for him but he’s going to need some help in the playoffs in order for this team to make a run.
Dud: KaVontae Turpin, Returner
After the special teams unit gifted the Commanders seven points when trying to punt the ball, they decided to give another gift when trying to field a punt. Dallas just lucked out as McLaurin dropped an easy first-down reception and forced a punt from Washington.
KaVontae Turpin was back deep and got under the ball but muffed it and it was recovered by Christian Holmes, who gave his team the ball at the Cowboys’ 15-yard line. The defense held them and Joey Slye missed the field goal, but it was luck that saved them from being down 10-0.
Stud: Malik Hooker, Safety
Even though the Commanders scored 26 points, Dallas’ defense wasn’t terrible. They held Sam Howell to 169 yards and sacked him three times. They also made some key stops early when they were put in bad situations.
There was also a huge play from Malik Hooker that kept it from being an even more lopsided score. Up 7-0, Howell threw it to Cam Sims in the end zone but Hooker jumped in front of him and picked off the pass, taking points off the board. It wasn’t enough to help the struggling offense win, but he did his part.
Dud: Dak Prescott, Quarterback
We can try and blame everyone else for the high interception total this season, but Dak Prescott was guilty on Sunday as he threw a pick-six to Kendall Fuller in the first half. It was his seventh game in a row with an interception, which is the longest streak for Dallas since Vinny Testaverde had nine in 2004.
What’s worse is Prescott really threw the pick twice. After Fuller dropped one, he went right back after him on the very next play and this time, Fuller made him pay.
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Prescott was sloppy in this one as the Cowboys hoped to get some momentum going for them heading into the playoffs. That didn’t happen as he was 14-for-37 with 128 yards with a touchdown and a pick.
Prescott led seven three-and-outs and had another drive end on three plays when he threw his pick. He’s played great for most of the season but will need to find some motivation heading into Tamp Bay next weekend.
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