National Football League

Are Dak Prescott's Dallas Cowboys the best team in NFC?

Updated Dec. 27, 2021 3:20 p.m. ET

Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys eased a lot of tension with a dominant performance against the Washington Football Team on Sunday.

The 56-14 shellacking was a 180-degree turn from the time the teams met just two weeks prior in Week 14. That Dec. 13 contest ended 27-20, with the Cowboys watching a 24-0 halftime lead get pushed to the limit.

Despite getting the win, Prescott received a heavy dose of criticism in the aftermath of the nerve-wracking finish.

That was not the case Monday, as pundits sang the praises of the Cowboys from top to bottom. One of the most ardent critics of the Cowboys, Shannon Sharpe of "Undisputed," gave the Cowboys a perfect 10 on a scale of 1-10 for their demolition of WFT.

"I thought they dominated an inferior opponent in all three areas," Sharpe said. "... A lot of times we've seen the Cowboys play inferior opponents, Skip, and it comes down to a field goal. It comes down to late in the ballgame. They left no doubt. ... Give them credit. I gave them a 10."

Shannon Sharpe: Dallas gets a 10 for dominating WFT in all three areas

Shannon Sharpe explains how the Cowboys left no doubt about their superiority against the Washington Football Team.

Sharpe's cohost, Skip Bayless, took it a step further.

In his mind, the 'Boys broke the scale in their demolition of WFT to clinch the NFC East crown.

"Impressive scale of 1-10? I'm going all the way to an 11 in honor of 11 from heaven, my man, Micah Parsons," Bayless said. " … He might just be the best defensive player in football right now. … I believe ‘America’s Team' sent a resounding message to America: ‘We have arrived!'"

Skip Bayless celebrates his Cowboys' first NFC East title since 2018

Skip Bayless breaks down the Dallas Cowboys' win against Washington, including why his score breaks the one-to-10 scale.

The 42-point margin of victory, Dallas' biggest of the season, is evidence of an overwhelming victory, but a deeper look into the final box score shows just how comprehensive a performance it was.

Prescott played arguably his best game of the season, completing 71.2% of his pass attempts for 330 yards, four touchdowns and a 131.4 passer rating before handing the reins over to backup QB Cooper Rush at the end of the third quarter.

The 28-year-old Prescott toyed with Washington's defense, becoming the first player in NFL history to throw a touchdown pass to a running back, tight end, wide receiver and offensive lineman in a single game.

Yes, you read that right. Prescott hit offensive tackle Terence Steele for a score.

On defense, the Cowboys forced a pair of turnovers, including another interception for ball-magnet cornerback Trevon Diggs, giving him a franchise-record-tying 11 INTs for the season.

Then, later in the first quarter, Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence rumbled for a 40-yard pick-six to extend Dallas' lead to 21-0.

The pair of turnovers improved Dallas' season total to 33, the highest mark in the league. Furthermore, Dallas' D held Washington to just three third-down conversions and racked up a season-high five sacks.

Dallas' special teams got in on the act, too, blocking a punt for a touchdown in the third quarter.

With 14 points from their defense and special teams alone, the Cowboys matched Washington's point total without factoring in the offense.

The last time the Cowboys scored in all three phases was at Philadelphia in 2012, according to the team's public relations department.

Come Monday, the well-rounded effort begged the question: Are the Cowboys the best team in the NFC?

Nick Wright of "First Things First" said Monday the Cowboys certainly have the most upside of the NFC's upper-echelon squads, but he stopped short of calling them the team to beat in the conference.

"They have, right now, the highest upside of any team in the NFC," Wright said. "Because their offense can score with Green Bay or Tampa, and their defense, flatly, is better than Green Bay's and Tampa's. They have elite playmakers at every level of the defense."

Nick Wright: The Cowboys have the highest upside in the NFC

Nick Wright weighs in on the Dallas Cowboys after the blowout win against Washington.

Meanwhile, Chris Broussard was hesitant to put Dallas ahead of the likes of Aaron Rodgers' 12-3 Green Bay Packers and Tom Brady's 11-4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Instead, Broussard ranked them just below the Packers and Bucs, on a level alongside the 11-4 Los Angeles Rams.

"They looked good, but I'm not putting them above Tampa," Broussard said Monday. "I'm not putting them above Green Bay, and the Rams are dangerous. If you want to put them with the Rams, OK, maybe, but not above the two Bays."