WHAT’S UP WEDNESDAY: Cowboys Nuggets

Welcome to WHAT’S UP WEDNESDAY. The Cowboys got another big performance from defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, allowing Dallas to break their two-game losing streak. Now, with one game to play in the regular season and the franchise is in line for the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs, they turn their attention to their final NFC East showdown on Sunday afternoon in Washington. Here are some thoughts (2,700+ words worth) on the play of DeMarcus Lawrence, CeeDee Lamb’s great run, history against Washington, this week’s opponent and more. Let’s get to it.

WHAT’S UP WITH D-LAW IN RUN SITUATIONS?

The Cowboys have struggled to stop the run this season, but it’s not because of the play of defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence.

Lawrence has been a beast, he comes into the final game of the regular season with 47 tackles and 10 tackles for loss, including two against Detroit that changed the game.

After a fake punt kept the Lions moving in the second quarter, he stopped Jahmyr Gibbs on first and goal from the Dallas 2 for a 3-yard loss. The Cowboys were able to back it up with three more stops to keep the Lions off the scoreboard.

Then just before halftime and the Lions trying to drive for a go-ahead score, Lawrence again split a double-team block on third and 1 from the Detroit 49 and blasted Gibbs for a 4-yard loss.

Because of plays like that against Detroit, Lawrence is the second-ranked defensive end against the run this season with a Pro Football Focus grade of 92.2 – behind only the 92.8 by the Raiders’ Maxx Crosby.

“He definitely has great tools for the position,” McCarthy said. “But I think it’s his tenacity and the way he comes inside. Most guys ram the C gap, but D-Law takes the C, B and A (gaps) out. He’s so aggressive when he comes down in there.”

Lawrence has 41 tackles in the run game this season and has an average depth of tackle at 0.8 yards, which is fifth best in the NFL behind only Cleveland’s Myles Garrett (0.5), Cincinnati’s Trey Hendrickson (0.6), New England’s Anfernee Jennings (0.6) and San Francisco’s Nick Bosa (0.6).

It is his best ranking among defensive ends against the run in his 10-year career. In the seven seasons where he has played enough snaps to qualify, Lawrence has ranked 25th in 2015, 10th in 2017, ninth in 2018, sixth in 2019, seventh in 2020 and 24th in 2022, by far the worst season of his decade in the NFL.

“He has done it like that forever, and he is still doing it at a high level,” McCarthy said. “When you play defensive end in this league, the first thing people talk about is about the sacks and pressures you had. And I learned this in the earlier years, and like when I see (New York Giants Hall of Famer) Michael Strahan, I just think of ‘boy, here’s a guy that has obviously broken records sacks, but has played the run as good or better.’ I think D-Law is that same kind of player, and that speaks volumes about him as a football player. He can pass rush and get pressures and sacks and has excellent numbers, but when they bring up how good you play the run that is a huge compliment.”

WHAT’S UP WITH THE MIGHTY LAMB?

What is left to say about the year Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb is having?

He owns the team record for catches in a season with 122 and yards in a season with 1,652, and that is still with one game to go this Sunday in Washington, where he caught five passes for 52 yards and one touchdown in last year’s regular season finale in D.C.

“As a person, he is such a competitive athlete,” McCarthy said. “He loves the opportunity. He never blinks. So, he is exactly what you’re looking for.”

Lamb leads the NFL in receptions, targets (168), yards from scrimmage (1,757), 20-plus yard receptions (29) and receiving yards from the slot (870), while being second in the league in receiving yards and tied for second in overall touchdowns (12) and is third in yards after catch (638).

Lamb has worked his magic from four different positions this season – backfield (8 snaps), on the end of the offensive line (2 snaps), out wide (419 snaps) and in the slot (501 snaps). And it is that versatility that has made it harder for defenses to matchup against him, even when they are game planning to stop him.

“The year has been phenomenal,” offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said. “What amazes me is how you see the constant ascension. He’s doing different things every week at a high level, but he is doing different things every week that just makes you think, ‘wow!’ And as long as I have been around the game, I can honestly say there has not been a year of production, that I’ve ever been around, by a receiver that is doing it as consistent as he is. What I think makes it so amazing and impressive is the opponents are trying to take him away. Let’s be honest, they are doing things to try and take him away – trying to double him and do all those things, and he is still able to go out there and do that.”

McCarthy added, “When you look at CeeDee, obviously he is extremely gifted in so many ways. Physically, there is nothing he can’t do. But that is just how you have to play the wide receiver position. From my personal experience … if you lineup in the same spot, you make it so much easier on the defenses to identify, double you and roll some form coverage, because obviously he is seeing some form of double weekly. Whether it’s the Cover 1 double, or the quarter-quarter halved, where they are rolling the half safety to him – his ability to play inside or outside is the point I’m making. It just makes him so versatile. And I think his versatility is a big part of his success, because he has an extensive route menu.”

Lamb has become his most effective this season after having to raise his voice to quarterback Dak Prescott, Schottenheimer and McCarthy about the ball distribution during the Bye Week.

It has paid off.

Since the bye, Lamb has produced five games with 10 or more catches, six games of 100 or more receiving yards and eight of the 10 games with a touchdown catch. Over that span, he is averaging 11 catches and 117.6 yards per game.

“He is extremely talented – route running ability, great hands, really good after the catch,” Schottenheimer said. “I’m always going to talk about the work ethic, the practice ability and then, I say it every week and I wouldn’t be doing him justice if I didn’t, but he is one of the most instinctive football players I have ever been around. … He’s just a dynamic player. A dynamic person. I love coaching the guy. ”

WHAT’S UP WITH WHERE THIS TEAM IS AT?

It has been a roller coaster of a season for Dallas, but with one game left to play they are in position to be the No. 2 team in the NFC.

“It is just a great reminder to focus on what is right in front of you,” McCarthy said. “I like to think we have been doing that, week in and week out. But we definitely have to do it this week.”

They have scored 40 or more points six times. They have beaten teams by more than three touchdowns six times this season. They finished unbeaten at home in the regular season and have a chance to add to that in the playoffs.

However, their toughest stretch of the season has come over the last five weeks. They have gone 3-2 – beating Seattle, Philadelphia and Detroit, while losing to Buffalo and Miami. Four of those games were decided by six points or less.

“If you look at the way our season has gone, our football team needed adversity,” McCarthy said. “I think that clearly, we’ve been put in those positions the last three weeks. When we came out of the Philadelphia game, had the mini bye or whatever you want to call it – we had a couple days off there, that was really the message coming out of the Seattle game. Adversity in tight ballgames is what playoff football is all about. So, obviously we would have liked to have won them all this past month. But I think clearly the adversity of the types of games we have been in will serve us well moving forward.”

The Cowboys are ranked sixth in offense, eighth in defense, seventh in turnover ratio (+8) and third in scoring offense (29.4) and fifth in scoring defense (19.1).

However, the Cowboys, with 113 flags against, are the second most penalized team in the NFL this season, behind only the New York Jets (123). Left guard Tyler Smith leads Dallas with 16 flags.

“I trust the locker room,” McCarthy said. “We are far enough along as a team. Our younger players, sometimes they still make a few mistakes here late, but we have played our young guys since September. So, I think being healthy is the most important statistic going into the playoffs.”

WHAT’S UP WITH THE HISTORY AGAINST WASHINGTON?

In 125 regular season games, the Cowboys and Washington have had 45 games decided by two-or-more touchdowns, 50 games decided by less than a touchdown and seven games decided by just one point. The Cowboys longest winning streak was 10 games, from 1997-2002.

The largest Cowboys win (42) came on Dec. 26, 2021, when the Cowboys beat Washington xx-xx. The largest win for Washington (28) came on Dec. 12, 2005. There have been four shutouts in the series, all won by Dallas.

The two have met 17 times on Monday Night Football, 11 times on Thanksgiving Day, nine times on Sunday night, and once each on Thursday and Saturday night.

The Cowboys are 43-17-2 at home, and 34-31 on the road.

Currently, the Cowboys are 11-4 against Washington at AT&T Stadium – the most wins for Dallas against any NFC East team in the building.

WHAT’S UP WITH THE BIG HANK?

After a couple of rough outings, the run defense may get a shot in the arm on Sunday with the return of defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins.

Hankins injured his ankle in the Cowboys win over Philadelphia in Week 14 and has not played since and the Dallas run defense has paid the price.

“Johnathan had a good workout (Tuesday),” McCarthy said. “We will see how he feels … and then we will start to work him (today), that is the hope.”

In the three-plus games without Hankins, the Cowboys defense allowed 106 rushing yards to the Eagles, 266 to the Bills, 91 to the Dolphins and 125 more to the Lions. They have also allowed runners to average 4.59 yards per carry on the 129 carries in the same time span.

Hankins missed four games earlier in the season – a Week 5 loss to San Francisco, a Week 6 win over the Chargers, a Week 9 win over the Giants and a Week 12 win over Seattle, with a knee injury, but the Cowboys were still able to slow down the run to the tune of 101.5 yards per game and a 3.72 yards per carry average in that four-game stretch.

WHAT’S UP WITH A COLLINS REUNION?

After a workout on Tuesday morning, the Cowboys signed offensive lineman La’El Collins to the practice squad.

Collins, who played with the Cowboys from 2015-2019 and 2021, gives the Cowboys some experience in their depth on the offensive line heading into Week 18 and the playoffs. Dallas has rolled with inexperience as backups to the current starting five of Tyron Smith, Tyler Smith, Tyler Biadasz, Zack Martin and Terence Steele.

The Cowboys have used Chuma Edoga, T.J. Bass, Brock Hoffman and Asim Richards at different times this season. Edoga had the most experience coming into 2023 and has played the most snaps – 406, over 11 games in relief of Tyron Smith and Steele. Bass has played 209 snaps at guard for Tyler Smith and Martin during the year, while Hoffman has played 149 snaps at center and Richards has seen 32 snaps at left tackle and left guard.

Tyler Smith, who was injured with a full plantar fascia tear in his left foot in Saturday night’s win over Detroit, still has a chance to play on Sunday, but there is no certainty that he will be available.

Collins has not played a snap since Week 16 last season with Cincinnati.

WHAT’S UP WITH THE PLAYOFF PICTURE?

After 17 weeks and 16 games, the Cowboys are in the driver’s seat to win the NFC East title.

The Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles are tied at 11-5 going into the final week, with Dallas playing at Washington, a team that has lost seven-straight games. If the teams are tied at 12-5 or 11-6 after this weekend, the Cowboys hold the tiebreaker and will win the NFC East thanks to a better record against NFC opponents. It would continue the trend of having a new division champion every season since Philadelphia won the East from 2001-04.

If the Cowboys win on Sunday afternoon in Washington, then they are the division champs for 2023, no matter what happens with the Eagles against the Giants.

“Clearly, where we are today, we have put ourselves in position to win the division and get the No. 2 seed,” McCarthy said. “So, that is a good place to be.”

The Cowboys could also win the East with a tie in Washington and the Eagles tie or lose to the Giants.

Philadelphia will win the NFC East with a win over the Giants and a Dallas loss or tie in Washington, or the Eagles tie New York and the Cowboys lose.

The Cowboys are also currently the No. 2 seed in the NFC and a win will lock that in place and see them host a first-round playoff game.

WHAT’S UP WITH A FEW QUICK HITS?

Mike McCarthy now has 41 wins as the Cowboys head coach, the most for any coach in franchise history in his first four seasons. … The Cowboys have blasted NFC East opponents in their five games this season, earning a +122-point differential while going 4-1. That is the second most against division opponents in a season since 2000. … Quarterback Dak Prescott leads the NFL with 32 touchdown passes this season, with just eight interceptions. His 4.0 TD-to-INT ratio ranks second in the league behind on C.J. Stroud (4.2). … Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb has 382 career receptions, which is third-most by a player in his first four seasons in NFL history behind only Michael Thomas (470) and Jarvis Landry (400). … Punter Bryan Anger leads the NFL in net punting average (44.9) and has a chance to break a franchise single-season NPA record (44.6), which he set in 2021. He is also second in the league in gross punting average (51.4), which would also break a franchise record (48.4) he set in 2022. … Kicker Brandon Aubrey has made all 35 field goals he has attempted this season, which is tied with Gary Anderson (1998) for the second-most makes without a miss in a season in NFL history. Mike Vanderjagt holds the record with 37 (2003). … Linebacker/edge Micah Parsons has a career best 102 quarterback pressures on 495 pass rush snaps this season to lead the league. His 20.6-percent QB pressure rate is first among all NFL defenders.

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NEXT OPPONENT: WHAT’S UP WITH THE COMMANDERS?

The Commanders are in a tailspin, losers of their last seven straight games. After benching quarterback Sam Howell, the first-year starter returned to the lineup last week and will be there again against Dallas on Sunday. Howell has thrown for 3,793 yards with just over a 63-percent completion rate this season and 20 touchdowns. But it is the 19 interceptions that got him benched in favor of Jacoby Brissett, who is now injured. For now, Howell leads an offense that is 21st in total yards per game (321.1), 18th in passing yards per game (224.7) 24th in running yards per game (96.4) and 23rd in scoring per game (19.9). Wide receiver Terry McLaurin still leads the team with 946 yards on 73 catches, followed by Curtis Samuel (598 yards), Jahan Dotson (501 yards) and tight end Logan Thomas (487 yards). Brian Robinson Jr. leads the running game (708 yards on 169 carries). Defensively, the Commanders are the very worst in the NFL, allowing 385.8 yards per game. They are 31st in passing yards allowed (259.3), 25th in rushing yards allowed per game (126.5) and dead last in scoring per game (30.0). Defensive tackles Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen still anchor the defense. Allen has 53 tackles and leads the team with 5.5 sacks, while Payne has four sacks and 50 tackles. Safety Kamren Curl leads the team with 115 tackles, one sack and three tackles for loss. Depending on who plays for the Commanders, it could be a tough afternoon at home to finish off the season.