DALLAS — Before the Dallas Cowboys take the field to compete against the Washington Football team on Sunday night, they will go into the game knowing that they have qualified for the playoffs for the first time since the 2018 season.
A locked up Wild Card game isn’t the goal for Dallas in Week 16, however, as a win against Washington will secure them the NFC East title and at least a home game in the postseason’s first round. The Cowboys are fresh off a 21-6 season series-sweeping victory over the New York Giants and can serve up a similar fate to Washington with a win on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Washington is expected to get starting quarterback Taylor Heinicke back from COVID protocol after he missed a 27-17 defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 15. A week prior to that loss, Heinicke was knocked out of a game against Dallas in a 27-20 defeat that nearly sewed up the division for Dallas.
With that in mind, here are 100 facts and stats as the Cowboys look to claim the NFC East with a sweep of Washington:
SERIES FACTS (11)
-One cliché thrown around heading into a Dallas-Washington game is how the respective records need to be thrown out. However, team records are still very predictive:
- Dallas with winning record: 32-19-1
- Washington with winning record: 22-14
- Both teams with same records (Dallas perspective): 19-14-1
-The Cowboys are going for their 21st series sweep of Washington. Here is where that compares to the rest of their NFC East opponents:
- New York: 24
- Washington: 20
- Philadelphia: 19
- Arizona: 15
-The Cowboys are 10-4 for the ninth time in team history. Here are the final fates for those other eight teams:
- Lost divisional: 2014
- Lost conference: 1972, 1973
- Lost Super Bowl: 1970, 1975, 1978
- Won Super Bowl: 1993, 1995
-Since 1990, all 76 teams that started 11-4 made the playoffs, with 51 of those 76 teams eventually winning the division.
-Since 1990, 90 of the 94 teams that started 10-5 made the playoffs, with 52 of those 90 teams coming away with a division title.
-Washington is 6-8 for the eighth time in team history. Only one of those seven previous teams made the playoffs (2020, which also won the division).
-Since 1990, just two of the 106 teams that started 6-9 made the playoffs with both of them having won the division (2010 Seattle Seahawks, 2020 Washington).
-Since 1990, six of the 122 teams that started 7-8 made the playoffs, with only one of those teams having won the division: the 2008 San Diego Chargers.
-Dallas is 40-17-2 against Washington at home. Here is the breakdown by venue:
- Cotton Bowl: 6-3-2
- Texas Stadium: 26-10
- AT&T Stadium: 7-5
-The Cowboys are 16-10 in primetime against Washington, with an 8-4 record at home.
-The Cowboys are 21-14 against Washington in December, including playoffs, with a 12-5 record at home.
DAK PRESCOTT FACTS (18)
-Prescott is 22-6 against the NFC East, with a 12-2 record at home.
-Prescott is 7-for-9 completing the sweep against a divisional foe and is 4-for-4 at AT&T Stadium.
-Prescott is 8-1 against Washington. Here is how that compares to other Dallas starters through nine games:
- Dak Prescott: 8-1
- Danny White: 6-3
- Roger Staubach: 5-4
- Tony Romo: 5-4
- Troy Aikman: 4-5
-Prescott has the ninth-most touchdown passes in the league, with 25.
-Prescott’s 276.8 passing yards per game are the sixth-most in the NFL.
-Prescott’s 3,714 intended air yards are the ninth-most in the league.
-Prescott’s 1,726 yards after the catch are the eighth-most in the league.
-Prescott’s receivers are tied with those of Josh Allen and Ben Roethlisberger for the seventh-most passes dropped with 23.
-Prescott’s 98.1 passer rating is the 10th-highest in the NFL.
-Prescott’s 4.8% sack percentage is the eighth-lowest in the league.
-Prescott has been pressured on 19.4% of his dropbacks, tied with Roethlisberger for the fourth-fewest in the NFL.
-Prescott has been blitzed 152 times, tied with Kirk Cousins for the most in the league.
-Prescott has thrown 73 times in the red zone, the sixth-most in the NFL.
-Prescott is tied with Matt Ryan and Carson Wentz for the eighth-most red zone touchdown passes, with 16.
-Among quarterbacks with at least 100 such attempts, Prescott’s 7.1 yards per pass attempt on third down is the eighth-lowest in the NFL.
-Prescott is tied with Mac Jones for the tenth-most third down conversions through the air, with 51.
-Among quarterbacks with at least 100 such attempts, Prescott’s 92.4 passer rating on third down is the sixth-lowest in the league.
-Among quarterbacks with at least 100 such attempts, Prescott has one third-down conversion on the ground, tied with Jared Goff and Kirk Cousins for the fewest in the NFL.
TAYLOR HEINICKE FACTS (19)
-Heinicke’s 2.9 interception percentage is the eighth-highest in the NFL.
-Heinicke is tied for the fourth-most red zone interceptions, with two.
-Among quarterbacks with at least 10 starts, Heinicke’s 62.79% red zone completion percentage is the highest in the NFL.
-Heinicke’s 10.5 yards per completion are tied with Daniel Jones for the ninth-lowest in the NFL.
-Heinicke’s 5.2 completed air yards per completion are the fifth-lowest in the league.
-Heinicke’s 3.4 completed air yards per pass attempt are tied for the seventh-lowest in the NFL.
-Heinick’s 225.5 passing yards per game are the 10th-fewest among quarterbacks with at least 10 starts.
-3.9% of Heinicke’s passes have been dropped, tied with Russell Wilson for the seventh-lowest in the NFL.
-Heinicke’s 2.6 seconds of pocket time are the second-most in the league.
-Heinicke has scrambled out of 35 throws, the sixth-most in the NFL.
-Heinicke has thrown out of the run-pass option 47 times, the eighth-most in the league.
-Heinicke’s 362 passing yards out of run-pass option are the 10th-most in the NFL.
-Heinicke’s 106 play-action passes are the sixth-most in the league.
-Heinicke’s 938 passing yards out of play-action are the seventh-most in the NFL.
-Among quarterbacks with 100 such attempts, Heinicke’s 6.4 yards per pass attempt are the third-lowest in the NFL.
-Among quarterbacks with 100 such attempts, Heinicke’s 73.8 passer rating is the third-lowest in the league.
-Heinicke is tied with Joe Burrow and Derek Carr for the fifth-most third down interceptions, with five.
-Heinicke is one of seven quarterbacks, with at least three fourth-quarter comebacks this season.
-Heinicke is one of six quarterbacks with at least four game-winning drives this season.
EZEKIEL ELLIOTT FACTS (10)
-Elliott is tied with Washington’s Antonio Gibson for the seventh-most rushing yards with 862.
-Elliott and Gibson are also tied for the lowest rushing yards per game (61.6) among running backs with at least 200 carries.
-Elliott is tied with Damien Harris for the seventh-most rushing touchdowns with nine.
-All nine of Elliott’s rushing touchdowns have come inside the red zone, tied with Jalen Hurts for the fifth-most in the league.
-Among running backs with at least 200 attempts, Elliott’s 4.3 yards per carry are tied with Derrick Henry for the third-highest in the NFL.
-Elliott, Henry and Najee Harris are the only running backs with at least 200 carries and only a fumble or less.
-Elliott has picked up 14 first downs on the ground on third down, the sixth-most in the NFL.
-Elliott has taken 52.5% (32) of the Cowboys’ red zone carries, accounting for the seventh-most in the NFL.
-Elliott’s 32 red zone carries are tied with Derrick Henry for the ninth-most in the NFL.
-Elliott’s eight rushing touchdowns against Washington is tied with his total against the New York Giants for most against any team during his career.
MIKE MCCARTHY FACTS (4)
-This is the 71st week that a McCarthy coached team has held undisputed first place in the division and his 13th with the Cowboys.
-With a win, McCarthy will join the ranks of every Cowboys coach, who have each swept Washington at least once in their careers.
-McCarthy is 4-5 against Washington, with a 2-1 record at home.
-McCarthy is 50-for-100 on challenges for his career, with a 2-for-5 rate in 2021.
RON RIVERA FACTS (7)
-Rivera is 4-2 against the Cowboys for his career with a 2-0 record on the road.
-Rivera is 13-8 against the rest of the NFC East with a 6-3 record on the road.
-In terms of winning percentage, Rivera’s 4-2 record against the Cowboys is his second-best amongst NFC East opponents:
- Philadelphia: 5-3
- Dallas: 4-2
- New York: 4-3
-Rivera is 27-17 in December with a 14-11 record on the road.
-Rivera is 6-8 for the fourth time in his career (2016 Panthers, 2018 Panthers, 2020 Washington). Only the 2020 Washington team made the playoffs.
-Rivera is 35 for 72 on challenges for his career with a 3-for-7 record in 2021.
-Rivera’s first job in coaching in the NFL was as defensive quality control for the Chicago Bears in 1997. Rivera was hired for the position by Dave Wannstedt who was the defensive coordinator for the Cowboys from 1989 through 1992.
BROADCAST FACTS (8)
-Dallas vs. Washington has been played on five of the seven possible broadcast networks. Here is a breakdown of the Cowboys’ record against their arch rival by network:
- CBS: 32-24-2
- FOX: 26-12
- NBC: 4-2
- ABC: 7-7
- ESPN: 4-1
-Dallas is 28-25 on NBC Sunday Night Football, including playoff games and NFL Specials.
-Washington is 8-10 on NBC Sunday Night Football, including the playoffs and NFL Specials.
-This week’s commentators are Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth, who will be calling their fifth game in the series.
-Michaels has called the most games in the series with 15. Pat Summerall is second with 14. Dallas leads 8-7 with Michaels in the booth.
-The Cowboys are 55-41 overall when Michaels calls their games, including the postseason.
-The Cowboys are 29-26 when Collinsworth does color commentary for their games.
-On KXAS, the NBC affiliate for Dallas-Fort Worth, the Cowboys are an all-time 54-40, including simulcast cable games from 1987-90.
BILL VINOVICH FACTS (13)
-This week’s referee is Bill Vinovich. Dallas is 8-7 with Vinovich. Here are the results:
- 2004 – @CIN, 3-26 – L
- 2004 – WAS, 13-10 – W
- 2005 – PHI, 33-10 – W
- 2006 – Colts, 21-14 – W
- 2012 – @CIN, 20-19 – W
- 2013 – @DET, 30-31 – L
- 2014 – @NYG, 31-28 – W
- 2015 – NYG, 27-26 – W
- 2015 – @TB, 6-10 – L
- 2016 – @WAS, 27-23 – W
- 2017 – PHI, 9-37 – L
- 2018 – @HTX, 16-19 – L-OT
- 2019 – BUF, 15-26 – L
- 2020 – @MIN, 31-28 – W
- 2021 – DEN, 16-30 – L
-The Cowboys have had fewer penalties than their opposition 9 of 15 times with Vinovich:
- 2004 – CIN: 4/20; DAL: 7/46
- 2004 – WAS: 8/69; DAL: 1/13
- 2005 – PHI: 8/54; DAL: 5/48
- 2006 – CLT: 5/35; DAL: 7/53
- 2012 – CIN: 8/70; DAL: 6/49
- 2013 – DET: 8/61; DAL: 2/31
- 2014 – NYG: 5/30; DAL: 7/63
- 2015 – NYG: 5/44; DAL: 3/35
- 2015 – TB: 7/62; DAL: 6/68
- 2016 – WAS: 8/51; DAL: 6/39
- 2017 – PHI: 3/30; DAL: 2/10
- 2018 – HTX: 5/25; DAL: 7/72
- 2019 – BUF: 7/53; DAL: 5/66
- 2020 – MIN: 8/80; DAL: 4/30
- 2021 – DEN: 5/37; DAL: 5/38
-Vinovich is tied for the fourth-highest (.583) home team winning percentage among league refs.
-Vinovich is tied for the fifth-highest percentage (.538) of home teams with fewer penalties.
-Washington is 5-7 when Vinovich officiates their games. Here are the results:
- 2004 – @CHI, 13-10 – W
- 2004 – @DAL, 10-13 – L
- 2005 – @TB, 35-36 – L
- 2012 – @CLE, 38-21 – W
- 2013 – @NYG, 6-20 – L
- 2014 – TB, 7-27 – L
- 2015 – @ATL, 19-25 – L-OT
- 2016 – DAL, 23-27 – L
- 2017 – MIN, 30-38 – L
- 2018 – @NYG, 20-13 – W
- 2019 – DET, 19-16 – W
- 2021 – @CAR, 27-21 – W
-Washington has similarly only had fewer penalties than the opposition 5 of 12 times:
- 2004 – CHI: 7/65; WAS: 5/39
- 2004 – DAL: 1/13; WAS: 8/69
- 2005 – TB: 2/15; WAS: 6/41
- 2012 – CLE: 5/30; WAS: 6/45
- 2013 – NYG: 3/20; WAS: 3/30
- 2014 – TB: 11/101; WAS: 9/67
- 2015 – ATL: 4/62; WAS: 5/51
- 2016 – DAL: 6/39; WAS: 8/51
- 2017 – MIN: 3/40; WAS: 2/15
- 2018 – NYG: 11/102; WAS: 8/90
- 2019 – DET: 6/65; WAS: 8/63
- 2021 – CAR: 7/65; WAS: 8/69
-Vinovich’s games are tied for the seventh-fewest (4.6) sacks per game.
-Vinovich calls the seventh-fewest (2.3) offensive holding calls per game.
-With Vinovich making the calls, the Cowboys have won two of seven of their coaches challenges compared to their opponents winning three of eight. Additionally, Replay Assistant is 2-for-7 on challenges, with only two of those rulings benefiting the Cowboys.
-Washington has won two of four challenges under Vinovich with opponents going 1-for-4. Replay Assistant is four for ten with five of those calls benefiting Washington.
-Vinovich is tied for the third-lowest (.222, 2 of 9) overturn rate on coaches challenges.
-Vinovich is tied for the second-lowest (.500, 3 of 6) booth review overturn rate.
-Vinovich has not only refereed a Super Bowl (Super Bowl XLIX), but also a NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament game in 2007 between Illinois and Virginia Tech.
MISCELLANEOUS FACTS (10)
-The Cowboys are tied with the Indianapolis Colts for the most takeaways in the NFL with 31.
-The Cowboys have the sixth-highest pressure percentage in the NFL with 27.4%.
-The Cowboys have the fourth-most pressures in the league with 154.
-The Cowboys have produced 93 quarterback hits, the third-most in the NFL.
-Dallas’ defense gives up 4.5 yards per carry, tied for the eighth-most in the NFL.
-Dallas has given up 1,967 yards after the catch, the third-most in the NFL.
-Opposing quarterbacks have tallied a 74.9 passer rating against the Dallas defense, the third-lowest in the NFL.
-The Cowboys are 5-2 on Dec. 26:
- 1970* — DET, 5-0 — W
- 1977* — CHI, 37-7 — W
- 1982 — PHI, 20-24 — L
- 1983* — RAM, 17-24 — L
- 1993 — WAS, 38-3 — W
- 2004 — WAS, 13-10 — W
- 2016 — DET, 42-21 — W
*playoff game
-Washington 5-5 is on Dec. 26:
- 1943* — @CHI, 21-41 — L
- 1971* — @SF, 20-24 — L
- 1982 — @NO, 27-10 — W
- 1987 — @MIN, 27-24 — W-OT
- 1992 — RAI, 20-21 — L
- 1993 — @DAL, 3-38 — L
- 1999 — @SF, 26-20 — W
- 2004 — @DAL, 10-13 — L
- 2010 — @JAX, 20-17 — W-OT
- 2015 — @PHI, 38-24 — W
*playoff game
-The Cowboys have two birthdays to celebrate on Dec. 26:
- 1968 — Curvin Richards, RB, 1991-92
- 1986 — Chris Gronkowski, FB, 2010
Do you think the Cowboys will grab their second season sweep of an NFC East rival on Sunday? Share your predictions with Mark on Twitter @therealmarklane.