Christmas Day served as a showcase for Dak Prescott’s resilience. The Dallas quarterback threw for 307 yards and two touchdowns against Washington, orchestrating an early offensive outburst that set the tone for a 30‑23 victorysports.yahoo.com. He started the scoring on Dallas’ opening drive, capping a 13‑play march by threading a six‑yard touchdown to Jake Ferguson. Early in the second quarter Prescott found Javonte Williams on fourth down, then lofted a deep ball to KaVontae Turpin, who turned it into an electrifying 86‑yard score.
Prescott’s stat line—19 completions for 307 yards and two touchdowns—belies the punishment he absorbed. Washington sacked him six timessports.yahoo.com, and he missed a few throws to CeeDee Lamb (five catches for 46 yards). Yet he repeatedly answered when the Cowboys needed a play. Dallas was perfect on fourth downs, converting all five attempts to sustain drivessports.yahoo.com. His confidence to go for it on fourth‑and‑short in his own territory reflected head coach Mike McCarthy’s trust in the offense despite a 7‑8‑1 record.
The running game provided crucial balance. Javonte Williams’ four‑yard touchdown in the second quarter was his 11th of the season, but he left with a shoulder injurysports.yahoo.com. Enter Malik Davis, an undrafted back who turned in a breakout performance with 100 rushing yards on 19 carries and averaged 5.2 yards per rushsports.yahoo.com. His tough runs helped Dallas chew clock in the fourth quarter and set up Brandon Aubrey’s trio of field goals, including a 51‑yarder with 3:59 remaining.
Despite the offensive fireworks, Prescott acknowledged the win was far from flawless. The Cowboys scored 24 points in the first half but just six after halftime, as Washington’s pass rush and coverage tightened. The Commanders clawed back to within seven points after Jacory Croskey‑Merritt’s long touchdown run and three field goals. “We didn’t finish drives the way we needed to,” Prescott admitted postgame, adding that he must “clean up” sacks and missed reads.
The victory nonetheless highlighted Prescott’s importance to Dallas. He connected with five different receivers, including Turpin (86 yards) and George Pickens (78 yards)sports.yahoo.com, and orchestrated scoring drives of 78, 65 and 97 yards. With the Cowboys eliminated from playoff contention, some analysts argued he should sit the season finale, but Prescott said pride drives him to finish the yearsports.yahoo.com. Whether he plays in Week 18 or not, his Christmas Day performance was a reminder that Dallas’ offense remains potent when its quarterback is at his best.
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