The Washington Commanders did not have a playoff spot on the line when they met the archrival Dallas Cowboys in their Week 18 season finale. However, wideout Terry McLaurin and quarterback Sam Howell led the Commanders to a surprising 26-6 victory over the playoff-bound visitors.

McLaurin was impressed with the rookie quarterback from North Carolina, who was making the first start of his career. Howell completed 11 of 19 passes for 169 yards, and that included a 16-yard touchdown pass to McLaurin.

The two also hooked up on a 52-yard bomb, and that led McLaurin to speak up on behalf of the quarterback. “He makes some throws that make you say ‘wow',” McLaurin said.

The Cowboys (12-5) had an outside chance of gaining the NFC East title at the start of the game. If they had been able to beat Washington and the Giants had beaten the Eagles, the Cowboys would have won the NFC East title.

While the Giants did not cooperate as they were defeated 22-16, the Cowboys simply did not play their best game. Quarterback Dak Prescott struggled, completing 14 of 37 passes for 128 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception.

Dallas head coach Mike McCarthy tried to take some of the blame off of his signal caller. “This is not about one guy,” McCarthy said. “You can’t look at our offensive performance and blame it on one guy. Plenty to go around.”

Despite the loss, the Cowboys will go into the postseason as the No. 5 seed in the NFC playoff structure.

Terry McLaurin finished the season for the Commanders (8-8-1) with 77 catches for 1,191 yards and 5 touchdowns.