Their fate already sealed on this 2025 season, the Dallas Cowboys came into their matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers with nothing to play for but pride. Thanks to the Philadelphia Eagles defeating the Washington Commanders yesterday, the Cowboys had already been officially eliminated from the playoffs.
Regardless, Dallas certainly gave L.A. all it could handle, but in the end, much like the season as a whole, the Cowboys offense couldn't keep pace with that of their opponent's, which resulted in a 34-17 loss to the playoff-bound Chargers.
The Cowboys saw a bit of a shakeup along the offensive line with Pro Bowler Tyler Smith kicking out to left tackle to start the game and T.J. Bass taking his place at left guard. That didn't seem to bother Dak Prescott at all as the Dallas quarterback was again stellar, completing 70% of his passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns for a 116.5 passer rating.
Following two relatively quiet weeks, wideout George Pickens made his presence known in this one, topping the squad with 130 receiving yards and a touchdown on seven catches. CeeDee Lamb chipped in another 51 yards while Ryan Flournoy scored the Cowboys' other touchdown. On the ground, the Cowboys didn't test the Chargers' staunch run defense much as Javonte Williams and Malik Davis combined for just 57 yards on 17 carries.
On the other side of the ball, defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus called the game from the coaches' booth, but unfortunately the results were largely the same. Without star defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, who was sidelined due to stiffness in his neck, and linebacker DeMarvion Overshown leaving the game in the first half due to a concussion, Dallas struggled to slow down the Chargers.
So despite the L.A. offensive line having given up the second-most sacks on the season, quarterback Justin Herbert was rarely pressured and had an easy time picking apart the Dallas secondary. He completed 79.3% of his throws for 300 yards and two touchdowns, giving him a 132.8 rating. Four different Chargers recorded at least 40 yards receiving, TCU product Quentin Johnston leading the way with 104 yards and a touchdown.
Overall, the Chargers held the upper hand, outgaining the Cowboys 452 to 340, while converting more of their third down opportunities, 64% to 44%, and finding greater success in the red zone, 50% to 33%. L.A. also dominated the time of possession, 34:27 to 25:33.
First Quarter
The game couldn't have started much better of the Cowboys as the offense took the opening kickoff and marched 79 yard in 10 plays for the score. Prescott complete six of his first seven passes for 69 yards, which included a 28-yarder along the left sideline on fourth-and-2 at the Chargers' 39-yard line. The quarterback then capped off the drive by throwing a 5-yard strike to Flournoy for the touchdown and an early 7-0 lead.
Of course, getting on the board didn't take long for the visitors either. Herbert had completions of 23, 11 and then 23 again during the six-play series with Johnston making a one-handed grab in the end zone for the score.
However, Prescott and company picked up right where they left off, and on the last two snaps of the opening quarter, a pair of Cowboys milestones were set. First, tight end Jake Ferguson set a career high with his 78th catch of the season, which was then followed by Lamb hauling in a 6-yard completion to top the 1,000-yard receiving mark for the 2025 campaign. In doing so, he joined Hall of Famer Michael Irvin as the only two players in franchise history to post five consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.
Second Quarter
That catch by Lamb set Dallas up with a first down at the Chargers 11-yard line, but this time the Cowboys couldn't reach pay dirt. Prescott and Flournoy appeared to connect on their second score of the game, but a holding penalty nullified the touchdown. That left it to Brandon Aubrey to make a 33-yard field goal for another three points.
But just like the previous two games, settling for field goals wasn't going to win this one. Especially with Herbert having such an easy time of it. He came right back with completions of 14, 18, 10 and 15 yards before connecting with Ladd McConkey streaking down the right sideline for a 25-yard touchdown.
The Cowboys offense wasn't about to slow down, though. After two lengthy drives, Prescott made quick work of L.A. on the team's third possession. Flournoy picked up 13 yards with an unnecessary roughness penalty on the Chargers adding another 15 more. Prescott then threw a perfect 38-yard pass to Pickens in the end zone to go back on top, 17-14.
But any hopes Dallas could add more points before the half were squashed when L.A. nearly ran out the clock with a 16-play, 81-yard drive that ate up 7:49. The Chargers faced third-and-9 and a third-and-7 during the series, but on both occasions the Cowboys couldn't get them off the field. That eventually allowed Herbert to power his way into the end zone on a 1-yard quarterback sneak, giving his side a 21-17 advantage at the break.
Third Quarter
With the Chargers now getting the ball to start the third quarter, the Cowboys defense needed to somehow stop the parade of touchdowns. And they did, although L.A. did kick a 37-yard field goal to extend its lead to seven.
After both sides punted, a rarity in this game, the Cowboys offense got back on the move with Prescott hitting Pickens for gains of 22 and 9 yards as well as Lamb for an 18-yard completion. But on fourth-and-1 at the Chargers 16-yard line, fullback Hunter Luepke was stuffed for no gain, Dallas turning the ball over on downs.
Fourth Quarter
As the clock ticked over into the final frame, the Chargers were working their way out of their own end. But on the second snap of the quarter, Herbert avoided a blitz by linebacker Kenneth Murray and scrambled loose down the middle for a 34-yard gain into Dallas territory. The Cowboys were again able to keep L.A. out of the end zone, but Cameron Dicker was good on his 27-yard field goal to make it a two-possession game.
When the Cowboys then failed to convert on a fourth-and-10 at their own 46-yard line, the Chargers were set up with great field position. And once they were able to convert on third-and-9 with a 25-yard pass to Johnston, L.A. then needed only three more carries from Omarion Hampton to reach the end zone.
With a 34-17 lead and just under five minutes left on the clock, the game was basically over, so out came backup quarterback Joe Milton. It was a forgettable opportunity for Milton, though, as at the tail end of a 12-yard scramble, he had the ball punched out with the Chargers recovering the fumble.
The Cowboys will now have a quick turnaround as they'll head to our nation's capital to face the rival Commanders on Christmas Day, a matchup that will feature two teams with bigger hopes for next year.
