Terry McLaurin’s late TD propels Commanders to win over Cowboys, No. 6 seed: Takeaways (original) (raw)

By Jon Machota, Saad Yousuf, Ben Standig and RJ Kraft

Terry McLaurin’s 5-yard touchdown catch with 3 seconds left gave the Washington Commanders a 23-19 win over the Dallas Cowboys. The game-winning score came seconds after the Green Bay Packers lost on a field goal to the Chicago Bears to secure the NFC’s No. 6 seed for Washington.

SCARRENCE TERRENCE 😤 pic.twitter.com/ktectPpWiN

— NFL (@NFL) January 5, 2025

The Commanders (12-5) closed the regular season with a five-game winning streak and will next play in the wild-card round.

McLaurin’s touchdown set a single-season franchise record for receiving TDs (13). With his eight-catch day, he also became one of four receivers — joining Brandon Marshall, Torry Holt and Randy Moss — to record 75 receptions and 1,000-plus receiving yards in five of their first six seasons in the league.

Commanders backup quarterback Marcus Mariota led Washington on three second-half touchdown drives, including the game-winner to McLaurin. Mariota finished 15-of-18 passing for 161 yards and two touchdowns and added 56 rushing yards and a score. Rookie sensation Jayden Daniels played the first half (6-of-12 passing for 38 yards and 27 rushing yards) as the Commanders managed just a field goal in the first two quarters. Coach Dan Quinn said he sat Daniels because of some mild leg soreness that happened during the game.

Cowboys quarterback Trey Lance made his first start in more than two years. The fourth-year player completed 20-of-34 pass attempts for 244 yards. Star linebacker Micah Parsons had 2 1/2 sacks, which gave him 12 for the season. Parsons is the fifth player in NFL history to register at least 10 sacks in each of his first four NFL seasons, and the fourth to do so since sacks became an official stat. The others are Claude Humphrey, Reggie White, Derrick Thomas and Dwight Freeney, who are all members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Dallas went 1-for-6 in the red zone Sunday, which kept kicker Brandon Aubrey busy. Aubrey made four field goals and, in the process, set an NFL record for most yards on made FGs in a season with 1,769. The previous record (1,601 yards) was set by Justin Tucker in 2016. With the loss, Dallas finished 7-10, as attention turns to the future of coach Mike McCarthy.

“I don’t like to talk about myself,” McCarthy said afterward. “But I’ll just be clear. I’m a winner. I know how to win. I’ve won a championship. I’ve won a championship in this building. And that’s who I am. We’ll see where it goes.”

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Washington’s wild-card round opponent

Washington is the sixth seed and will take on the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay got the three-seed — and will host the Commanders — following a Rams loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

Tampa Bay smoked Washington 37-20 at home in Week 1, but there isn’t much to take away from that game: It was Daniels’ debut and he’s improved by miles since then. Mike Evans caught two touchdown passes in the win and Bucs rookie running back Bucky Irving has bolstered the ground game. — Ben Standig, Commanders beat writer

Expect the offense to be better in playoffs

The Commanders had their worst collective half of the season in the first two quarters, with just 64 yards and four first downs. Daniels’ 16-yard run helped set up a Zane Gonzalez 47-yard field goal, but the Cowboys kept the sensational rookie’s playmaking in check.

Consider this a one-off, since Daniels has been a rock star all season. The problem is the lack of talent across the offense puts significant pressure on the rookie to produce or else. The line has labored in pass protection for several weeks and defenses have corralled Washington’s traditional ground game.

Maybe the usual locked-in focus wasn’t there in Dallas, though rallying with Mariota showed how this team fights. Washington has a chance to tangle with any first-round foe with Daniels on the field. — Standig

Injuries becoming problematic for Commanders

Cornerback Marshon Lattimore missed a second consecutive game with a hamstring injury and sixth since Washington acquired the four-time Pro Bowler from the Saints at the trade deadline. The Commanders received another impressive game from rookie Mike Sainristil, but the drop-off from Lattimore to reserves Michael Davis and Benjamin St-Juste is significant. St-Juste was called for two penalties on the Cowboys’ last scoring drive including a pass interference in the end zone, leading to a Rico Dowdle touchdown run. Washington would be in a significant hole next week no matter the team without Lattimore.

Center Tyler Biadasz, Washington’s steadiest lineman, sat out with an ankle injury suffered last week after missing all three practice sessions in between. The line’s play drops off when Biadasz is out. Safety Quan Martin (illness) was a late scratch, but presumably should be available next week. Swing tackle Cornelius Lucas (groin) was inactive Sunday, though starting right tackle Andrew Wylie returned from a one-week injury absence. Linebacker Frankie Luvu, second on the team in sacks, left the game with a shoulder injury, but returned. Left tackle Brandon Coleman went down with a knee injury in the second half but also returned on the next drive.

Running back Austin Ekeler was activated off IR on Saturday following a Week 12 concussion, his second of the season. The dual threat played sparingly — five touches for 32 yards. Washington has missed his shiftiness and route running. The Commanders are a competitive bunch with some standout talent, but the lack of depth makes any injury or absence a potentially significant one. — Standig

What’s the future for the Cowboys-McCarthy marriage?

Now that the formality of the football game is over, the real game begins for the Cowboys. The Waiting Game. The Cowboys finish the season outside of the playoffs for the second time in McCarthy’s five-year tenure. In the three years they made the postseason, each as a 12-5 team in the regular season, they failed to reach the conference championship.

At its core, that’s what Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones has to grapple with as he formulates a decision on how to proceed at head coach. McCarthy’s contract is up, so it’s not a question of if the Cowboys will “fire” him as much as it is if they’ll bring him back with an extension, or allow him to walk out the door and explore other options at head coach.

There have been lots of words spoken over the past month but the time for action has arrived. This also isn’t a decision that has crept up on anybody. The Cowboys have been mathematically eliminated from the postseason for the final three games of the regular season. Jones admitted on his radio show on 105.3 The Fan last week that the head coaching decision has been on his mind. Perhaps that should help in avoiding the awkward, elongated ending that occurred five years ago, when the Cowboys let Jason Garrett’s contract run out but didn’t officially announce their intention to part ways until six days after the regular season finale. There could be a small wait, if the Cowboys would like to see what other candidates become available on Black Monday, but there really isn’t much else that would delay a decision.

Jones has spoken plenty about how much respect he has for McCarthy. With their being reports that other teams may be interested in McCarthy’s services, should he be available, the most respectable thing Jones could do is arrive at a final decision quickly, one way or another. — Saad Yousuf, Cowboys beat writer

Dallas’ offensive offseason priorities

With it being the final game of the season, the Cowboys gave more playing time to several offensive players like QB Lance, RB Deuce Vaughn, WR Jonathan Mingo and LT Asim Richards. While it was good for those players, it didn’t do much to change the offseason thinking at those positions.

It’s still more likely that Cooper Rush is Dak Prescott’s backup than Lance next season. The running back situation is likely to come down to trying to re-sign Dowdle and pairing him with a player drafted in the first few rounds. CeeDee Lamb is the clear No. 1 wide receiver. The No. 2 job is a question mark. It will likely come down to Jalen Tolbert and a player they draft early. Mingo could also be a factor, but that will be determined in training camp.

Richards should provide quality depth as possibly the swing tackle, but he’s unlikely to be a starter next season. The starting offensive line will probably be LT Tyler Guyton, LG Tyler Smith, C Cooper Beebe, a right guard/center type player added in the draft or Brock Hoffman/T.J. Bass, and then RT Terence Steele. And these scenarios are all with it in mind that there could be a new coaching staff. — Jon Machota, Cowboys beat writer

Required reading

(Photo: Sam Hodde/Getty Images)