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The Dallas Cowboys took care of inter-divisional business on Saturday, kicking off Week 18 with a commanding 51-26 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, in a matchup between two postseason-bound teams.
Coming into the game there may have been some concerns about this game not being the ideal matchup for a Saturday game, seeing as how both squads had already locked up their postseason berths, but the Cowboys still had something to play for. While jumping up to the number two seed ultimately did not happen, they had every reason to have their starters out there for as long as they did.
With the NFC playoff slate now set, the Cowboys are the three seed this year, hosting the pesky San Francisco 49ers in a highly-intriguing Wild Card weekend battle. But before Dallas could get to looking ahead to next week, they needed to continue their dominance of the NFC East division.
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Cowboys Week 18 Takeaways
3. Elliott finally looked like his early-season version
What seems to make Ezekiel Elliott good is his consistency and ability to thrive in a hybrid offense, and his performance on Saturday took us back in time to his early-season efficiency.
19 touches turned into 90 total yards for Elliott, including a healthy 4.8 yards per carry average, potentially providing a look into what version of Elliott the Cowboys will be getting for the playoffs. If Dallas is able to have a full-strength Elliott to rely on, then their offense will thrive even more than it already has been, ultimately taking pressure off of their QB.
2. Looks like the WR3 role is already filled
When Michael Gallup was lost to a season-ending injury, the Cowboys’ offense lost an important and underrated cog in their passing attack. But if Saturday is any indication of things to come, then Cedrick Wilson may be the right man for the job.
Wilson was targeted the second-most times (6) by Dak Prescott, turning that into five receptions for 119 yards and 2 TDs, stepping up right when the Cowboys needed someone to. Not seen as a high-output guy in the past, Wilson slid right into the WR3 role and looks to not be looking back.
1. The one consistent for Dallas – Dak Prescott
Through thick and thin, the play of Prescott this year has been excellent, especially when this team has needed it the most.
A 37 TD, 10 INT season was augmented by a 5-TD performance Saturday, finding Wilson (2), Dalton Schultz (2), and Corey Clement (1) along the way. As Prescott goes this team goes, and it was quite evident that they were both moving at the same clip against the Eagles.
Dallas will need to remain heavily reliant on the arm and legs of Prescott in the postseason, and based on his 5-TD performance on Saturday, things look to be sitting quite well for the Cowboys in their next attempt to establish some sustained success in the postseason.
