
Washington Commanders at Dallas Cowboys
· National Football LeagueMariota leads playoff-bound Commanders to 23-19 win over Cowboys after replacing Daniels

Leg soreness led coach Dan Quinn to make the move, and Marcus Mariota turned it into a winning one.
Mariota threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin with 3 seconds left, lifting Washington to a 23-19 victory over Dallas on Sunday and clinching the sixth seed in the NFC playoffs for the Commanders.
Mariota threw for two scores and ran for a TD after replacing Daniels, who said he was fine with his coach's decision but later was adamant that they would have had “to drag me off the field,” if his team had been in a win-or-go-home situation.
Instead, the Commanders (12-5) only had playoff seeding on the line, but Quinn's move ended up sparking an offense that produced just 64 yards before the break.
“We were going to have to use the quarterback’s legs more, so it was really my decision to say, ‘Hey let’s go this route,’” Quinn said. “It wasn’t a pre-determined one.”
It turned out Washington didn’t need the rally to keep the sixth seed because Green Bay lost to Chicago on a late field goal. But the victory meant the Commanders finished the regular season on a four-game win streak that answered a three-game skid capped by a loss at home to Dallas.
The Commanders will play in the wild-card round next Sunday night at NFC South champion Tampa Bay (10-7), which clinched the No. 3 seed after a 27-19 win over New Orleans. It's a rematch of the Buccaneers' 37-20 victory over Washington in Week 1 in rookie quarterback Daniels’ first game.
The Packers will visit NFC East champion Philadelphia, the No. 2 seed.
Brandon Aubrey kicked four field goals for the Cowboys in the first regular-season start for quarterback Trey Lance since Week 2 of 2022, when he was still with San Francisco a year after the 49ers traded up to get him third overall in the draft.
Rico Dowdle's 2-yard TD run lifted the Cowboys to a 19-16 lead midway through the fourth quarter.
Quinn already had his team in the playoffs in his return to Dallas, where he was the defensive coordinator the past three seasons, which also ended with 12-5 playoff teams.
The last of those came crashing down with a blowout wild-card loss at home to Green Bay, and the coaches and players Quinn left behind never had a chance to escape the malaise in a 2024 season that was troublesome from the early days.
Now, the Cowboys (7-10) await the fate of coach Mike McCarthy, who is on an expiring contract after three winning seasons and two losing records, unable to get the club past the divisional round of the playoffs for the first time since the mid-1990s.
“For us to go out there and compete and finish our commitment, that to me was a given,” McCarthy said. “I thought in some ways, the game was a little bit of a microcosm of our season, just going down to the last play. The little things that we didn’t do, was part of the reason why we didn’t win the game.”
Daniels was 6 of 12 for 38 yards when he went to the bench after the break, while Mariota finished 15 of 18 for 161 yards and had a 33-yard run that helped set up the winning score, which capped a 91-yard drive.
“He's such a cool teammate,” Quinn said. “It was fun to be able to celebrate him today because of the work that he does behind the scenes. It takes a lot to be ready like that.”
Lance was 20 of 34 for 244 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions in his first extensive action since the preseason. He threw five interceptions in the preseason finale.
The Cowboys traded a fourth-round pick for Lance last year after Lance lost the battle for the backup job with the Niners. Cooper Rush started the first eight games after Dak Prescott's season-ending hamstring injury this season.
Parsons dropped Daniels for a 4-yard loss on the first play of the game and got him again on a 9-yarder two plays later. He had 2 1/2 sacks to finish the season with 12. He is the fourth player with double-digit sacks in his first four seasons, and the other three are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
How can I watch Commanders vs. Cowboys?
- TV Channel: Commanders at Cowboys 2021-22 NFL, week 18 is broadcasted nationally on FOX and NFL Sunday Ticket.
- Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.
In Canada, viewers can watch Commanders vs. Cowboys on DAZN.
Scoring Summary
![]() |
FG | 1st Period 8:20 | Brandon Aubrey 34 Yd Field Goal |
![]() |
FG | 2nd Period 12:41 | Brandon Aubrey 41 Yd Field Goal |
![]() |
FG | 2nd Period 4:40 | Zane Gonzalez 47 Yd Field Goal |
![]() |
FG | 3rd Period 8:52 | Brandon Aubrey 36 Yd Field Goal |
![]() |
TD | 3rd Period 5:07 | Zach Ertz 5 Yd pass from Marcus Mariota (Zane Gonzalez Kick) |
![]() |
FG | 4th Period 13:53 | Brandon Aubrey 22 Yd Field Goal |
![]() |
TD | 4th Period 11:18 | Marcus Mariota 5 Yd Rush (Two-Point Pass Conversion Failed) |
![]() |
TD | 4th Period 7:02 | Rico Dowdle 2 Yd Rush (Brandon Aubrey Kick) |
![]() |
TD | 4th Period 0:03 | Terry McLaurin 5 Yd pass from Marcus Mariota (Zane Gonzalez Kick) |
Statistics
![]() |
![]() |
|
---|---|---|
18 | 1st Downs | 23 |
11 | Passing 1st downs | 12 |
6 | Rushing 1st downs | 9 |
1 | 1st downs from penalties | 2 |
6-13 | 3rd down efficiency | 7-17 |
1-1 | 4th down efficiency | 1-2 |
55 | Total Plays | 75 |
269 | Total Yards | 378 |
4.9 | Yards per Play | 5.0 |
10 | Total Drives | 11 |
156 | Passing | 228 |
21/31 | Comp/Att | 20/34 |
4.2 | Yards per pass | 6.3 |
0 | Interceptions thrown | 0 |
6-43 | Sacks-Yards Lost | 2-16 |
113 | Rushing | 150 |
18 | Rushing Attempts | 39 |
6.3 | Yards per rush | 3.8 |
3-3 | Red Zone (Made-Att) | 1-6 |
5-55 | Penalties | 11-67 |
1 | Turnovers | 0 |
1 | Fumbles lost | 0 |
0 | Interceptions thrown | 0 |
0 | Defensive / Special Teams TDs | 0 |
22:57 | Possession | 37:03 |
Dallas Cowboys Injuries
NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
---|---|---|
Dak Prescott, QB | Questionable | Mar 30 |
Markquese Bell, S | Questionable | Mar 9 |
Brandon Aubrey, PK | Questionable | Mar 4 |
Sam Williams, DE | Questionable | Feb 10 |
Nathan Thomas, OT | Questionable | Feb 10 |
Washington Commanders Injuries
NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
---|---|---|
Norell Pollard, DT | Questionable | Feb 12 |
Tyler Owens, S | Questionable | Feb 12 |
Jordan Magee, LB | Questionable | Feb 12 |
Daron Payne, DT | Questionable | Feb 1 |
Sam Cosmi, G | Questionable | Jan 27 |
Game Information

Location: Arlington, TX
Attendance: 91,349 · Capacity:
2024 NFC East Standings
TEAM | W | L | PCT | T | PF | PA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Philadelphia | 14 | 3 | .824 | 0 | 463 | 303 |
Washington | 12 | 5 | .706 | 0 | 485 | 391 |
Dallas | 7 | 10 | .412 | 0 | 350 | 468 |
New York | 3 | 14 | .176 | 0 | 273 | 415 |
NFL News

Stephen A., Orlovsky argue about which Colorado star the Giants should take
Stephen A. Smith and Dan Orlovsky go back and forth on the Giants' needs and who fits best between Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter.

Canty: Cowboys have to start considering a Dak Prescott trade
Chris Canty explains why the Cowboys' lack of playoff success will pressure them to consider trading Dak Prescott.

2025 NFL draft: Latest buzz, Hunter's position, sleepers
Could Travis Hunter play full-time wide receiver? Which teams are most likely to trade down? Our NFL draft experts weigh in.

How Cowboys get a draft advantage with their 'Dallas Day'
With many draft prospects from the Dallas area -- such as RB Ashton Jeanty and QB Quinn Ewers -- the Cowboys have a leg up on other NFL teams.

Detroit Lions prioritized discipline in NFL free agency
With so many young stars still to pay, the Lions are trusting what they already had in-house this offseason.