Washington Commanders title berth ends longest NFC title drought, Dallas Cowboys take over
The Washington Commanders snapped a 33-year NFC title game appearance drought Saturday as they defeated the Detroit Lions in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. That’s sweet enough on its own, but what it means for one of their biggest rivals, the Dallas Cowboys, makes it even better.
Prior to their 45-31 win against the Lions, the Commanders owned the longest active conference championship appearance drought in the NFC. That distinction now belongs to the Cowboys, who last made the NFC Championship Game in 1996, or 29 years ago.
Washington won Saturday evening behind a big performance from rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, who finished with 299 yards passing and a pair of touchdowns in addition to 51 yards rushing. He also became just the sixth rookie QB in league history to lead his team to a conference title game appearance.
The last time the Commanders were in the NFC Championship, they not only won that game, but also went on to win the Super Bowl. They’ll hope for similar results this year as they await either the Philadelphia Eagles or Los Angeles Rams in their next game.
The Cowboys also won the Super Bowl the last time they were in the NFC Championship. However, nearly three decades have passed since and the team is coming off of a 7-10 finish this past season, choosing to part ways with coach Mike McCarthy.
Dallas Cowboys coaching search: Jimmy Johnson reveals surprising ‘key figures,’ impact of Dak Prescott
As the Dallas Cowboys work through their coaching search, a franchise legend weighed in. Jimmy Johnson addressed the looming decision for Jerry Jones, including how Dak Prescott impacts things.
Johnson pointed out two “key figures” in the search to replace Mike McCarthy after he and the Cowboys parted ways this week. Current Dallas offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer is on Johnson’s list, as is Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, who interviewed virtually on Friday.
The reason Johnson would start with those two names is simple. Prescott thrived in the current offensive scheme, first run by Moore and called by McCarthy the last two years. Schottenheimer moved up to OC after Moore’s departure, and that familiarity with Prescott could be important.
“This decision is tied directly to the quarterback, Dak Prescott,” Johnson said Saturday ahead of the Detroit Lions vs. Washington Commanders playoff game. “He signed a $240 million contract, got a no-trade clause. He’s had tremendous success in this system, so it doesn’t make sense to bring in a new offensive system.
“The two key figures here – Brian Schottenheimer, the offensive coordinator for Dallas. Like I said, Dak’s done a great job in that system. The other key figure is Kellen Moore, offensive coordinator for Philadelphia. He is very close to Dak, he was the offensive coordinator prior to Schottenheimer. Now, Jerry, he can surprise us with a decision. But I think those two key guys are the ones you start with.”
On3’s Nick Schultz contributed to this report.
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