After Dak Prescott's touchdown pass to CeeDee Lamb late in the first half on Sunday, helping the Dallas Cowboys claim the NFC East title and the conference's No.
2 seed, the quarterback pumped his right fist and ran to the end.
Go meet his star, shake his hand and hug him.
Meanwhile, the thousands of Dallas fans who filled Washington Commanders Stadium shouted, "Let's go, Cowboys!
" For Prescott, his club, and the fans, the atmosphere, the performance, the atmosphere.
It was clearly improved compared to last year.
Unlike last time out in Week 18, when the regular season ended with a loss against Washington, Prescott, Lamb and the Cowboys accomplished their goal Sunday against the rival Commanders, winning 38-10 and advancing to the postseason.
It broke in.
"Look at last year, we didn't get this far and finish the season the way we wanted, but here we are," said Prescott, who scored two of his four touchdowns.
.
He finished the game 31-for-36 with 279 yards.
"growth.
To all the coaching staff.
player.
responsibility.
communication.
Clarity.
Dallas leads 12-5 for the third time in a row and will host the Green Bay Packers on Sunday at 4:44:30 p.m.
, a team that current Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy once called This is the team we met.
He led them to a Super Bowl victory.
European summer time.
This is a big deal for a club that was 8-0 in Dallas this season and won 16 straight games there.
"I think you're going to love this drama," McCarthy told reporters about the game against Green Bay.
At the other end of the spectrum are Washington (4-13 overall, 0-6 in the NFC East), who is in last place, and Ron Rivera, who is likely to leave the team, tied for the most losses in a season.
Rivera is scheduled to meet with owner Josh Harris on Monday.
"We're going to have a conversation and go from there," Rivera said.
The manager's losing streak has reached 8 games.
That includes going 0-6 after Rivera fired defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio and became a ball-side playmaker.
Good news for commanders?
Sunday's result ensures they will have the No.
2 overall pick in April's draft and may look to replace quarterback Sam Howell, who had two interceptions Sunday and leads the NFL with 21 picks this season.
I can't.
He was also fired four more times, resulting in a league-worst total of 65 games.
Last season, Prescott led the NFL with 15 interceptions and 23 touchdown throws.
This season?
He led the league with 36 TD throws and just nine picks.
"He's playing better than I've ever seen him play," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said.
And Prescott's relationship with Lamb is truly elite.
Lamb had 13 catches on 13 targets Sunday for an NFL-high 135 receptions.
"I don't think there's any other quarterback and receiver that spent as much time in the offseason as me and Sheedy," Prescott said.
“He understands what I expect from him.
He understands where I put the ball.
He understands the trust I have in him.
I said I think he's the best receiver in the game.
''
