Dallas Cowboys studs and duds: Dak Prescott shines in record-setting night

Dak Prescott broke the franchise record for touchdown passes in a single season, which has him headling the Dallas Cowboys Week 18 studs and duds

Saturday night brought us a battle between the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles — and with both teams already locking up their playoff spots, this one ended up not having much impact on the postseason.

Or at least not on the postseason seeding. As for the actual impact on how the playoffs end up working out, Dallas thought this game was very important.

They elected not to rest their starters — whereas Philly was resting many of theirs — citing they preferred to sacrifice rest in order to avoid rust. They also said they wanted to get their offense clicking, and that was exactly what happened.

Here we look at which players stood out in the Week 18 studs and duds.

Dallas Cowboys stud: Ezekiel Elliott, RB

Before the game, Ezekiel Elliot referenced his rookie season when Dallas rested before the playoffs and then started flat. He preferred going all-in on this one and that’s exactly what he did. Zeke finished the night with 87 yards, which put him over 1,000 on the season.

He wasn’t alone either as Corey Clement ran well and caught a touchdown pass and even Ito Smith came in late and ran in a touchdown as did JaQuan Hardy who scored his first NFL touchdown. The Cowboys running backs were on fire and Elliott was the one who set the tone.

Dallas Cowboys dud: La’el Collins, OT

There was a time not long ago that La’el Colling appeared to be the best offensive lineman in Dallas not named Zack Martin. However, this season, he hasn’t been at his best.

Saturday night was another example as he found himself struggling and was even stood up and bullied at one point by rookie Milton Williams. Dallas will need more of Collins going forward and he’s capable of that if he can get back into a rhythm.