4 Cowboys who rescued Mike McCarthy from coaching disaster in win over Lions

The Dallas Cowboys were able to snap a two-game losing streak with a 20-19 win over the Detroit Lions in Week 17. They surely didn't make it easy on themselves with a couple of turnovers, some terrible clock management by Mike McCarthy, and another prevent-defense meltdown from Dan Quinn. Despite their best efforts, Dallas pulled it off thanks to Taylor Decker being flagged for illegal touching on what looked like a game-winning two-point conversion.

Now at 11-5, the Cowboys suddenly control their own destiny in the NFC East after the Eagles choked and lost to the lowly Cardinals. With a win over the Commanders in Week 18, Dallas takes the division and the No. 2 seed.

In the meantime, let's look back at this nail-biting win and highlight four players who willed the team to victory ... and saved McCarthy from a historic coaching collapse.

4. Brandin Cooks, Wide Receiver

He didn't have the monster night CeeDee Lamb had but the No. 2 wideout in Dallas was still an integral part of this win. Brandin Cooks finished with five receptions for 60 yards and even hauled in an eight-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter to put Dallas up 17-13. That score was huge but it wouldn't have happened if not for another play Cooks made earlier in the same drive.

Facing a third-and-five from their own 41, the Cowboys needed a spark and Dak Prescott went to Cooks — who was happy to oblige. With pressure coming at his face, Prescott dropped a dime into the arms of Cooks who not only made a great sideline catch but held onto the ball despite Brian Branch swatting at the ball. Cooks shook off his blanket coverage and the ball never moved even as he hit the turf.

Cooks was nearly the hero in Week 16 when he caught a late touchdown to give the Cowboys the lead over Miami. The defense was unable to hold up in that one, but that wasn't the case this time.

3. Donovan Wilson, Safety

Detroit was kept out of the end zone on their two-point try at the end of the game but that wasn't the only huge stop that hurt them in this one. In the first half, they were trailing 7-3 and nearly went down 14-3. That didn't happen since CeeDee Lamb fumbled the ball out of the end zone, giving the ball to the Lions.

They then went 76 yards on 11 plays but fell four yards shy of a touchdown, turning it over following a failed fourth-down attempt. That was possible thanks to Donovan Wilson, who had his best game of the season.

First, Wilson broke up a pass in the end zone on second down, keeping Sam LaPorta from scoring the touchdown. On the very next play, he read the run perfectly and stopped Jahmyr Gibbs after a one-yard gain. The following pass was incomplete but the outcome could have been vastly different if not for Wilson, who led the team with 11 tackles.

As good as he was in that series, Wilson saved his best for the final quarter. With a 17-13 lead, the Cowboys needed a big play from their defense following a stalled drive. The veteran safety delivered when he stepped in front of a pass intended for LaPorta and secured the interception that allowed Dallas to go up by seven.

His first interception of the year came at a perfect time and should have allowed them to win comfortably. Mike McCarthy had other plans as he was dialing up passes to stop the clock but Wilson still did his part to will the team to victory.

2. CeeDee Lamb, Wide Receiver

Last week, CeeDee Lamb was frustrated with his usage following the loss to Miami. His feelings were more than valid after he scored in the first quarter on a beautiful catch and run only to be ignored for the next 30 minutes of the game. This week, that didn't happen.

Dallas got Lamb involved early and often — and he broke a franchise record in the process. Lamb scored on the opening drive when he broke free for a 92-yard touchdown. The play was nearly a disaster but Dak Prescott somehow avoided a safety and then found Lamb free downfield for the monster gain.

The ball continued to go his way after that and he kept delivering. In all, Lamb had 13 receptions for 227 yards and one touchdown. He nearly had a second score but fumbled as he approached the goal line. The ball went out of the end zone and gave Detroit possession at the 20, which got social media fired up again about how punitive that rule is to an offense.

Lamb more than made up for that gaffe and in the process, topped Michael Irvin's mark for the most single-season receiving yards in franchise history. Irvin, who was in the building for Jimmy Johnson's Ring of Honor induction, had 1,603 yards in 1995. Lamb is now at 1,651 with one game to play.

1. Dak Prescott, Quarterback

This one was never going to be easy but for Dak Prescott, it was much harder than he hoped. Typically, the Cowboys quarterback can rely on the ground game to take some of the pressure off of him but that wasn't the case on Saturday night.

Tony Pollard simply had nowhere to run and finished with 49 yards on 16 carries. Most of that damage was done with two rushes as he had a long of 18 and another one that went for 10. That means Pollard gained 21 yards on the remaining 14 attempts. He also dropped a short pass that could have led to a huge gain.

Despite having to do all the heavy-lifting, Prescott didn't flinch. He dropped back and threw the ball 38 times and completed 26 of those passes for 345 yards and two touchdowns. He did have an interception but was able to overcome that and lead his team to the win.

What was most impressive was the drive he led to put his team on top for good. Detroit had all the momentum following a 63-yard drive that put them up 13-10 but Prescott answered with his best series of the night. He went 5-of-5 for 54 yards and added a five-yard run, capping the drive off with an eight-yard pass to Brandin Cooks.

Throughout this entire season, Prescott has been getting it done even when things around him get muddied. That was the case once again in Week 17 as he had to dig deep for Dallas to get win No. 11.

More Cowboys news and analysis