Rank'Em
Rank'Em: Writers Pick Annual All-Opponent Team
This year's annual All-Opponent Team had its share of Washington players, both from Seattle and the Football Team.
QB: Russell Wilson, Seattle
While the Cowboys had their issues with running quarterbacks all year, such as Kyler Murray and Lamar Jackson, it was Russell Wilson who "cooked" them back in Week 3. Wilson used his mobility to keep the play alive. He bombed the Cowboys for five touchdowns with 315 yards and made every play necessary to get the 38-31 win.
RB: Antonio Gibson, Washington Football Team
Gibson was one of several breakout stars in Washington's season sweep of the Cowboys. Across two lopsided wins, he rushed for 243 yards and four touchdowns.
RB: Kenyan Drake, Arizona Cardinals
Who could forget Drake busting through the Cowboys' defense in the fourth quarter for a back-breaking 69-yard touchdown run. But he was hurting the Cowboys all night, finishing the game with 164 yards and two touchdowns.
WR: Odell Beckham Jr., Cleveland Browns
Before an ACL injury sidelined him for the season, OBJ had one of his best-ever games against the Cowboys. In Cleveland's Week 4 win, he caught five balls for 81 yards and two touchdowns, and he put the game away with a 50-yard touchdown run on a well-timed reverse.
WR: Tyler Lockett, Seattle SeahawksWeek 3 of 2020 feels like a lifetime ago, so it's easy to forget that Lockett and Russell Wilson picked on the Dallas secondary to the tune of nine balls for 100 yards and three scores. All three of Lockett's touchdowns came before halftime.
WR: Adam Thielen, Minnesota VikingsIt was a winning effort for the Cowboys, but Thielen did his best to change that. The two-time Pro Bowler caught eight passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns – one of which was a one-handed circus grab.
TE: Logan Thomas, Washington Football Team
Another breakout for Washington. The converted quarterback easily had his best pro season in 2020, catching 72 passes for 670 yards and six touchdowns. Two of those scores game in his two games against the Cowboys.
LT: Jake Matthews, Atlanta Falcons
On a day that Matt Ryan threw the ball 36 times, the longtime left tackle held his side of the line and didn't allow a sack.
LG: Bradley Bozeman, Baltimore Ravens
The second-year starter helped the Ravens dominate the trenches on a night that they would allow zero sacks and pave the way for 294 rushing yards.
C: J.C. Tretter, Cleveland Browns
If an offense runs for 300 yards, their line should get some credit. The decision to sign Tretter from Green Bay has clearly paid off, as he hasn't missed a start in four seasons and anchors one of the best offensive lines in football.
RG: Brandon Scherff, Washington Football Team
Scherff has long been one of the better guards in football, and he helped Washington's ground game demolish the Cowboys' front seven in both WFT wins in 2020.
RT: Jack Conklin, Cleveland BrownsConklin was named an All-Pro for his efforts in his first season in Cleveland. Against the Cowboys, he helped the Browns rush for 307 yards without allowing any sacks.
DE: Montez Sweat, Washington Football TeamSweat announced himself to the league – and definitely to the Cowboys. In two games this season, he racked up five tackles, two sacks and a pass breakup. Oh, and his pick-six of Andy Dalton put an exclamation point on a big Thanksgiving win.
DT: Jonathan Allen, Washington Football Team
Honestly, the entire WFT defensive line could have made this list. In two games this year, Allen notched six tackles, a QB hit and a big recovery of an Ezekiel Elliott fumble on Thanksgiving.
DT: Cameron Heyward, Pittsburgh Steelers
Heyward made life difficult on Garrett Gilbert, finishing with a half-sack, a tackle for loss and tying for the team lead with three quarterback hits in the Steelers' 24-19 win.
DE: Leonard Williams, NY Giants
While Dak might be atop the list of free agents this offseason, Leonard Williams won't be far behind. And he can think the 2020 season finale as a big reason why. He dominated the Cowboys in Week 17, recording three sacks, including the game-changing play in the fourth quarter.
LB: Haason Reddick, Arizona Cardinals
Reddick made some money as an edge rusher in 2020. Reddick had 12.5 sacks this season, and two of those came in Arizona's Week 6 win at AT&T Stadium.
LB: Cole Holcomb, Washington Football Team
Yet another breakout Washington player. The former fifth-round draft pick was everywhere during the two games against Washington. He finished with 15 tackles, 1.5 sacks, three quarterback hits and a red zone interception that killed the Cowboys' chances of mounting a comeback.
LB: T.J. Edwards, Eagles
What a time to record his first NFL sack. The Cowboys were driving for the potential victory when Edwards blasted through the line, sacked Ben DiNucci, forcing a fumble that was recovered and returned for a game-clinching touchdown. Edwards also had 13 tackles that day and six more in the second meeting against the Cowboys.
LB: Patrick Queen, Baltimore Ravens
The rookie didn't exactly dominate, but his second quarter interception of Andy Dalton set the Ravens up to take the lead for good.
CB: Jalen Ramsey, L.A. Rams
A quiet game by Ramsey's standards, but his masterful sell job of offensive pass interference against Michael Gallup swung the Week 1 matchup, killing the Cowboys' hopes of winning or tying the game late in the fourth quarter.
CB: Dre Kirkpatrick, Arizona Cardinals
When Andy Dalton wasn't getting sacked by the Cardinals, he was averaging a measly 4.9 yards per attempt. One of the few times he did have time to go deep, Kirkpatrick was there to pick him off.
CB: Denzel Ward, Cleveland Browns
Even after Odell Beckham's long touchdown run, Dak Prescott led the Cowboys down the field for a chance to climb back into this game – until Ward undercut a slant intended for Amari Cooper and sealed things with a big interception.
S: Budda Baker, Arizona Cardinals
Baker showed off for a national audience in Week 6 against the Cowboys. He made seven tackles, adding a sack, two QB hits and a pass breakup. Most importantly, he picked off Andy Dalton in the Arizona red zone to snuff out a scoring opportunity.
S: Minkah Fitzpatrick, Pittsburgh Steelers
Another example of a great safety making impact plays. Fitzpatrick recovered a CeeDee Lamb fumble that led to a Pittsburgh field goal just before halftime. An hour later, he picked off Garrett Gilbert in the end zone to prevent the Cowboys from taking a two-possession lead in the fourth quarter.
Punter: Michael Dickson, Seattle Seahawks
In the fourth quarter, Dickson helped pin the Cowboys back three different times. Dallas' final three drives started from the 6, 11 and 6, forcing them to drive the length of the field and use too much of the clock to get back in the game. Dickson had seven punts for 383 yards with a 54.7 yard average for the day.
Kicker: Graham Gano, Giants
In two games against the Cowboys, he made all seven field goals. His four field goals in the first game nearly was enough to pull off the win, but he hit three more in the season finale. His last kick, gave the Giants a four-point lead and forced the Cowboys to score a touchdown, which they couldn't do, in the final minutes.
