NFC East Week 17 Wrap: Cowboys Survive Scare, Eagles and Commanders Do Not

Let's recap the action from Week 17 in the division.

It was another wild weekend in the NFC East as the Dallas Cowboys barely survived their game against the Detroit Lions, the Commanders fell to the 49ers, the Philadelphia Eagles fell to the Cardinals, and the New York Giants barely lost to the Rams.

Let's round up the action.

Detroit Lions safety Ifeatu Melifonwu (6) tackles Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard (20) during the second half at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Saturday, Dec. 30, 2023 :: Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

Cowboys 20, Lions 19

The Dallas Cowboys extended their home winning streak to 16 games by narrowly defeating the Detroit Lions, 20-19.

Despite being outgained in total yards 420-384, the Cowboys rode an electric performance from wide receiver CeeDee Lamb to victory. At the same time, their defense intercepted two passes and stopped the Lions on a potential game-winning two-point conversion attempt.

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott completed 26 of his 38 passes for 345 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception, finishing the night with a 103.5 passer rating to add to his MVP case. His top target was Lamb, who had the best performance of his career with an incredible 227 yards on 13 catches, including a 92-yard touchdown.

Fellow wide receiver Brandin Cooks caught five passes for 60 yards and a touchdown. Dallas needed every bit of yardage from the passing game, as they mustered only 61 rushing yards, 49 of them from Tony Pollard on 16 carries.

Lions quarterback Jared Goff completed 19 of 34 passes for 271 yards and a touchdown, with two interceptions. Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown caught six passes for 90 yards and a touchdown, while tight end Sam LaPorta had seven catches for 84 yards. 

The Lions also accumulated 125 rushing yards, most of which came from the running back tandem of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. However, Gibbs had only 43 yards on 15 carries, and Montgomery fared better with 65 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.

The first half saw both teams combine for just 10 points and several missed opportunities. Detroit began the game with an 11-play, 52-yard drive to strike first with a 41-yard field goal from Michael Badgley and denied a Cowboys scoring chance when safety Ifeatu Melifonwu intercepted Prescott at the Lions’ 19-yard line. But after the Lions were forced to punt, Dallas was pinned at their 8-yard line on 3rd and 13 when Prescott avoided a sack and launched a deep ball to Lamb, who easily trotted into the end zone for a 92-yard touchdown bomb and a 7-3 Cowboys lead.

Despite plenty of chances for both teams, that score would hold up at halftime. After an exchange of punts, Dallas had favorable field position after cornerback Jourdan Lewis intercepted Goff at the Cowboys’ 46-yard line; however, they would turn the ball over at the 1-yard line when Lamb fumbled the ball out of bounds in the end zone, resulting in a touchback and Detroit possession. 

The Lions responded with an 11-play, 76-yard drive that featured a fake punt 31-yard completion from linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin to cornerback Khalil Dorsey, but facing 4th and-4 at the Dallas 4-yard line, Detroit wound up with nothing when Goff’s pass to LaPorta fell incomplete. Both teams punted on their next two drives before the first half ended.

After Dallas punted to begin the second half, both teams’ offenses got into sync and combined for 20 points. The Lions took a 10-7 lead when Montgomery’s 3-yard touchdown run finished a 13-play, 74-yard drive that chewed up 7:26 of the clock, but the Cowboys responded with a 51-yard field goal by Brandon Aubrey that was set up by a 14-yard reception by Lamb on 3rd and 11. 

Detroit struck right back when a 63-yard catch by Jameson Williams set up Badgley’s 30-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter, but Dallas retook the lead with a 9-play, 75-yard drive that featured a 21-yard catch and an 8-yard touchdown catch by Cooks to make it 17-13 Cowboys.

Both teams punted on their next possessions to give Detroit the ball with 2:32 left in regulation. But Dallas safety Donovan Wilson made a key interception of Goff at the Lions’ 29-yard line, and the Cowboys’ offense forced the Lions to use their remaining timeouts while extending their lead to seven with Aubrey’s 43-yard field goal.

The interception and the field goal would immediately become important as the Lions charged down the field without any timeouts and in just one minute and 18 seconds. With 23 seconds left, Goff threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to St. Brown, putting the Lions an extra point away from tying the game and forcing overtime; however, Lions head coach Dan Campbell elected to go for the win and attempt a two-point conversion despite putting his team at risk of losing if the conversion fails.

Detroit seemed to get the game-winning two-point play when Goff completed a pass to offensive tackle Taylor Decker on a tackle-eligible play. Still, the score was negated by one of the most controversial calls of the season. However, it appeared that Decker had reported as eligible to the referees, but he was still penalized as an ineligible receiver.

Dallas then appeared to make the stop by intercepting Goff, but Micah Parsons was penalized for being offsides to give the Lions another chance. Despite the two attempts undone by penalties, Campbell stuck with his decision to go for two; it finally backfired when Goff’s short pass to James Mitchell fell incomplete, and the Cowboys recovered the ensuing onside kick to seal the victory.

Dallas moves to first place int he NFC East thanks to their win and the Eagles' loss to the Cardinals.

Dec 31, 2023; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell (14) attempts a pass against the San Francisco 49ers during the second half at FedExField.   / Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

49ers 27, Commanders 10

The Washington Commanders fell to 4-12 on their lost season, defeated by the heavily favored San Francisco 49ers at home, 27-10. It was their seventh straight loss.

With quarterback Jacoby Brissett sidelined with a hamstring injury, the struggling Sam Howell was forced to start again. It would be to no avail as the Commanders had only 225 total yards and two turnovers, while their defense allowed 408 yards to the juggernaut 49ers, who clinched the top seed and home-field advantage throughout the NFC with their win and the Philadelphia Eagles’ loss.

Howell remained ineffective under center, completing 17 of 28 passes for 169 yards and a touchdown, with two interceptions; he leads the NFL with 19 picks. His top target was Terry McLaurin, who caught four passes for 61 yards and his team’s only touchdown. Running back Brian Robinson Jr. returned from injury and was fairly productive, with 44 rushing yards on nine carries and four receptions for 32 yards.

49ers quarterback Brock Purdy had no problems carving up the Commanders’ defense, completing 22 of 28 passes for 230 yards and two touchdowns, with a 124.7 passer rating. 

Brandon Aiyuk was the game’s leading receiver with seven receptions for 114 yards and a touchdown, while Elijah Mitchell was the game’s leading rusher with 80 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. MVP candidate Christian McCaffrey rushed for 64 yards on 14 carries and caught four passes for 27 yards.

The first half was surprisingly competitive despite the 49ers jumping to a 10-0 lead. They scored on the game’s opening possession when Jake Moody kicked a 38-yard field goal and drove 63 yards in nine plays on their second possession to score with Deebo Samuel’s 2-yard touchdown catch.

But the Commanders fought back, as Robinson’s 22-yard reception on their ensuing drive set up a 47-yard field goal from Joey Slye. After forcing a punt, Washington tied the game with a 9-play, 84-yard touchdown drive featuring a 42-yard catch by McLaurin before he hauled in a 3-yard touchdown pass from Howell. Nevertheless, San Francisco took a 13-10 lead at halftime by moving 71 yards in 10 plays, as Moody concluded the half with a 22-yard field goal.

The 49ers dominated the second half, scoring touchdowns on their first two possessions and forcing two interceptions and a turnover on downs to put the game out of reach. 

First, they marched 83 yards in 12 plays, and Mitchell finished with a 2-yard touchdown run. The Commanders looked to return the favor with a drive to the San Francisco 11-yard line, but cornerback Charvarius Ward intercepted Howell at the 2-yard line. San Francisco’s offense parlayed this into a 10-play, 95-yard touchdown drive that featured a 38-yard strike and a 17-yard touchdown pass to Aiyuk.

Those two touchdowns would conclude the scoring, as the 49ers defense controlled the rest of the game. The Commanders would run just nine plays over their final three drives, which ended in an interception, a punt, and a turnover on downs.

With the loss, Washington fell to 4-12 as they remain in last place in the NFC East and hold the second pick in the 2024 draft.

Dec 31, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner (6) runs for a touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles during the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Cardinals 35, Eagles 31

The Arizona Cardinals delivered possibly the biggest upset of the season by knocking off the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field by rallying from a 15-point deficit in head coach Jonathan Gannon’s return to Philadelphia, where he was their defensive coordinator a year ago.

The Cardinals dominated the stat sheet to fuel their stunning comeback, outgaining the Eagles in total yards 449-275 and holding the ball for 39:39. It was a devastating loss for the Eagles, who not only lost the top seed in the NFC (along with San Francisco’s victory) but fell to second place in the NFC East due to Dallas’s victory the night before.

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts completed 18 of 23 passes for 167 yards and three touchdowns against one interception, submitting a 118.4 passer rating while rushing for 25 yards. 

Nonetheless, it was a somewhat down game for the Eagles regarding yardage as A.J. Brown was the team’s leading receiver with only four catches for 53 yards, while D’Andre Swift was Philadelphia’s leading rusher with 61 yards on 13 carries. Nonetheless, veteran wide receiver Julio Jones turned back the clock for this game, scoring touchdowns on both of his receptions for 34 yards.

The Cardinals racked up an incredible 221 yards on the ground, with James Conner leading the way with 128 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries; Michael Carter had 61 yards on seven carries, while quarterback Kyler Murray had 24 yards on five carries.

Murray also had a great game, completing 25 of 31 passes for 232 yards and three touchdowns, with one interception; he finished the game with a 116.7 passer rating. Greg Dortch was the game’s leading receiver with seven catches for 82 yards.

After the Eagles punted to begin the game, the Cardinals drove 64 yards in 14 plays, eating 7:46 of clock to score on Matt Prater’s 28-yard field goal. But Philadelphia struck back with a 9-play, 75-yard drive, sparked by a 23-yard reception by tight end Dallas Goedert and finished by Hurts’s 12-yard touchdown pass to Jones.

The next time Arizona had the ball, they made their biggest mistake of the game and allowed the Eagles to take control. At the Philadelphia 24-yard line, Murray threw a deep pass intended for Michael Wilson, intercepted by safety Sydney Brown at the 1-yard line, who returned it 99 yards for a touchdown to increase Philadelphia’s lead to 14-3.

The Cardinals responded with a massive 16-play drive that ate up a staggering 9:54 off the clock, but could only manage a 34-yard field goal from Prater. In direct contrast, the Eagles needed just 1:34 to drive 75 yards and tack on more points, as Hurts threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Jones to make it 21-6 at halftime.

But in the second half, Arizona’s offense erupted and scored touchdowns on all four drives. First, they drove 75 yards in 10 plays and 6:18 to score with Murray’s 6-yard touchdown pass to Michael Carter. Then, after forcing a three-and-out, the Cardinals drove 77 yards in nine plays and just over five minutes, as Conner ripped off a 22-yard run and scored on a 5-yard touchdown reception; Murray followed with a successful two-point conversion pass to Wilson to tie the game at 21.

After spending most of the third quarter without the ball, the Eagles retook the lead with a lengthy possession of their own, driving 75 yards in 13 plays in just over seven minutes. 

Swift rushed for 44 yards on the drive before Hurts finished it with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Goedert. But the Cardinals continued to show their resilience. They drove 77 yards in eight plays, sparked by a 29-yard pass interference penalty on Philadelphia safety Kelee Ringo, and tied the game at 28 with Murray’s 5-yard touchdown pass to Wilson.

Arizona’s confidence was brimming at this point, and Gannon showed it by taking a massive gamble; he elected for an onside kick from Prater to get the offense back onto the field as soon as possible. The Eagles ultimately recovered the onside kick, but the Cardinals defense forced them to settle for a 43-yard field goal by Jake Elliott, giving the Cardinals two minutes and 33 seconds to respond.

This was enough time, as the Cardinals put together a 7-play, 70-yard drive in two minutes for the game-winning score. The biggest play was a short pass to Dortch that suddenly became a 36-yard reception to the Philadelphia 5-yard line; two plays later, Conner’s 2-yard touchdown run gave the Cardinals their first lead of the day with 32 seconds left.

The Eagles drove to midfield with 14 seconds to give themselves two shots at a Hail Mary play; however, the second attempt was intercepted by Cardinals safety Joey Blount in the end zone as time expired, putting the finishing touch on a massive upset that sent shockwaves through the NFL’s playoff picture.

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