Cowboys win starts with Trevon Diggs' 11th interception and ends as biggest beatdown in history of WFT rivalry
The Washington Football Team's offense opened its game with a historic interception for Trevon Diggs. It didn't get much better from there.
The Dallas Cowboys cornerback's 11th interception of the season, tying the team record, was the opening act of an all-time beatdown on Sunday night. The final score: 56-14, the biggest margin of victory in either direction of the two teams' storied rivalry.
That first pass, intended for Terry McLaurin, hit Diggs in stride:
The Cowboys turned that turnover into the lead via a nine-play, 71-yard drive, capped by a 5-yard pass from Dak Prescott to Ezekiel Elliott. Seven more touchdowns would follow.
Trevon Diggs is already in historic territory
With that pick, Diggs matched a Cowboys record held by Everson Walls since 1981. That was also the last time any NFL player posted 11 or more interceptions in a single season before Diggs.
The 23-year-old Diggs has plenty of time to capture sole possession of the team record with two more games remaining against the Arizona Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles. He could approach Dick "Night Train" Lane's NFL single-season record of 14 interceptions, which has stood since 1952.
It has been a revelatory season for Diggs, whom the Cowboy drafted in the second round (51st overall) in 2020. There has been criticism of his aggressive coverage, which has led to more than a few big offensive plays, but it's a package that has worked for the Cowboys, who are in the top 10 in points allowed per game.
Micah Parsons approaching NFL rookie sack record
Diggs isn't the only Cowboys defender chasing history, as rookie pass rusher Micah Parsons continued a season that has all but sealed Defensive Rookie of the Year honors for him.
Parsons brought down Heinicke in the second quarter for his 13th sack of the season, 1 1/2 behind Jevon Kearse's NFL rookie record.
That's 13 sacks for @MicahhParsons11! #DallasCowboys
📺: #WASvsDAL on NBC
📱: https://t.co/RVn6kdfzlm pic.twitter.com/HNU59Q58mE— NFL (@NFL) December 27, 2021
Like Diggs, Parsons is finishing up a breakout season and has plenty of time to chase a record.
Burn this tape, Washington
Unfortunately for the WFT, the biggest fight they showed all night was on their own sideline, when former Alabama teammates Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen came to blows while everything was falling apart for the team.
How silly did this game get? Here are some fun facts:
Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence (265 pounds), offensive lineman Terence Steele (310 pounds) and defensive end Chauncey Golston (277 pounds) all scored touchdowns.
Five different Cowboys finished with more than 50 yards receiving.
The score was 42-7 at halftime.
Prescott became the first QB in NFL history to throw touchdowns to a running back, wide receiver, tight end and offensive lineman in a regular-season game, per ESPN Stats & Info. Kurt Warner did the same in the 1999 playoffs.
The whole thing was a historic embarrassment for a team with plenty of experience in that department, putting up next to no resistance as the Cowboys affirmed themselves as one of the most dangerous teams in football.