ARLINGTON, Texas — Hope has been replaced with pride and culture, as far as the Dallas Cowboys' motivation to try and end their 2025 regular season on a positive note. They were mathematically eliminated from playoff contention when the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Washington Commanders, but the goal remained to put on a show for fans in the final game of the year at AT&T Stadium.
Enter the Los Angeles Chargers, a team looking to avoid sliding in the playoff standings and, as such, needing to land a fourth consecutive victory when taking on the Cowboys. Dak Prescott and head coach Brian Schottenheimer were clear they wanted to play to win, and defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus moved from the sideline to the booth with the hopes of doing so.
Trevon Diggs finally returned to the field, but the Cowboys lost DaRon Bland to injured reserve, meaning one or more young cornerbacks would need to step up to make plays against Justin Herbert and his stable of weapons — without the benefit of All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams on the field, sidelined with a concussion and neck injury.
In the end, the offense played with their hair on fire, but the defense was simply outmatched by Herbert, but here are some players who left it all on the field against the Chargers.
[Note: This list is unranked.]
Dak Prescott
Talk about getting off to a fast start, there was the Cowboys' All-Pro quarterback cooking in the kitchen on the first couple of drives. Prescott made sure to get both George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb involved early, and his chemistry with Ryan Flournoy was again on full display (more on those three receivers in a moment). Never one to wave a white flag, Prescott was battling the Chargers as if the rent was due, and not anything like someone who viewed it as a meaningless game.
George Pickens
It took no time at all for the Cowboys to get Pickens involved in this one. He was targeted on the first play from scrimmage and it resulted in a 14-yard gain and first down conversion. He was off to the races from there in the first half, and I mean that literally. With eight minutes to play in the second quarter, Prescott dropped back and heaved a ball deep down the left sideline that required Pickens to get on his horse to go and get it, and he did — the separation from cornerback Cam Hart being a thing of beauty — for the 38-yard touchdown. A playmaker, he is.
CeeDee Lamb
Joining Pickens in getting the train moving for the Cowboys, as Lamb had his hand on the wheel as well. His assistance on the first drive helped move the chains on more than one occasion, and his bout with the Chargers led to the All-Pro receiver surpassing the 1,000-yard receiving mark for the fifth consecutive season, and despite having missed several games due to a high ankle sprain, becoming only the second WR in Cowboys' history to achieve the feat, the other being none other than Michael Irvin — both Lamb and Pickens having racked up 1,000+ yards this season.
Ryan Flournoy
Injuries suck, and particularly when they occur on what could objectively be labeled a dirty play. Flournoy was flat-out cooking the Chargers, including a sensational touchdown grab on the second drive by the Cowboys that was negated by a holding penalty on Tyler Smith; but Flournoy grabbed his fourth touchdown of the season to punctuate Dallas' first offensive drive, not to mention the chainmovers he delivered as well, prior to exiting the contest with a knee injury, not to return.
Honorable mention: Javonte Williams
Certainly, it wasn't the best outing by Williams but, in looking into why that was the case, it's impossible to ignore the struggles the offensive line had in opening up lanes for him to run through. His physicality often made something out of nothing against the Chargers, and his grit and determination, playing through a shoulder stinger that appeared reaggravated early in the game, and with no playoff berth on the line, is the kind of toughness that will always be appreciated by yours truly.
