Fortunately, the Dallas Cowboys have committed to at least one more game and maybe more. We are approaching a precarious period where everything is at stake and our aspirations depend on every play of every game. Really, what more could one want for?
It’s unclear how America’s Team’s season will turn out in the end, but a victory on Sunday would improve the situation on the surface. The Cowboys will be the NFC East champions and the #2 seed in the conference if they defeat the Washington Commanders.
Even though Dallas is a heavy favorite over their division rivals, anything can happen in the NFL, a fact that is usually more evident in the last week of the regular season. We used Madden 24 to run a simulation in an attempt to predict how Sunday may pan out, and the outcomes were very dramatic. 32–31 is a surprising victory for Dallas.
Please be aware that this simulation was conducted before the news or injury updates on Friday.
Notable Madden statistics
Dak Prescott: 18/22, 347 passing yards, 2 passing touchdowns
Tony Pollard: 17 carries, 68 yards, 2 rushing touchdowns
CeeDee Lamb: 7 receptions, 146 yards
Michael Gallup: 5 receptions, 129 yards, 1 touchdown
Luke Schoonmaker: 3 receptions, 39 yards, 1 touchdown
Micah Parsons and Damone Clark both had critical sacks
The majority of the opening quarter saw the Cowboys trailing, and they didn’t really get close until the middle of the third quarter. Although they made a lot of blunders along the way, they did win in the end.
Dallas trailed 28-20 going into the third quarter, but they scored a touchdown and missed the two-point conversion to tie the game, so they were behind by two at 28-26. After Dallas scored to take the lead, Washington kicked a field goal and then missed a second two-point conversion try that would have ended the game with a field goal. That is the last reason for the 32-31 score.
In the closing minutes of the game, Dallas faced a 4th and 1 in Washington territory with no timeouts remaining, which was perhaps their biggest mistake. With just over a minute left in the game, the Cowboys attempted a go-ahead play, but Tony Pollard was unable to convert, giving Washington life and an opportunity to win the game.
Fortunately, Damone Clark stepped up and forced Sam Howell to give up a crucial sack on third down, forcing them to miss any chance of a field goal. After one more play, Dallas managed to hold on and win.
The Madden simulations have been erratic overall this season, but they almost got last week’s game versus the Detroit Lions just right.
Donovan Wilson’s interception of Jared Goff should have been the final play of the game, but nobody wants to revisit the events that transpired at the end. Had it not, the simulation would have predicted a final score of 17–13, but inevitably, more football was played, and Dallas prevailed 20–19.
Madden predictions this season and game result:
Week 1: Madden predicted Cowboys win 23-20, Cowboys won 40-0
Week 2: Madden predicted Cowboys win 27-14, Cowboys won 30-10
Week 3: Madden predicted Cowboys win 14-7, Cowboys lost 28-16
Week 4: Madden predicted Cowboys win 41-14, Cowboys won 38-3
Week 5: Madden predicted Cowboys win, 27-19, Cowboys lost 42-10
Week 6: Madden predicted Cowboys lose, 21-17, Cowboys won 20-17
Week 8: Madden predicted Cowboys lose, 30-27, Cowboys won 43-20
Week 9: Madden predicted Cowboys win, 28-10, Cowboys lost 28-23
Week 10: Madden predicted Cowboys win, 31-3, Cowboys won 49-17
Week 11: Madden predicted Cowboys lose, 34-31, Dallas won 33-10
Week 12: Madden predicted Cowboys win, 20-17, Dallas won 45-10
Week 13: Madden predicted Cowboys win, 23-20, Dallas won 41-35
Week 14: Madden predicted Cowboys lose, 23-20, Dallas won 33-13
Week 15: Madden predicted Cowboys win, 28-3, Dallas lost 31-10
Week 16: Madden predicted Cowboys win, 31-10, Dallas lost 22-20
Week 17: Madden predicted Cowboys win, 17-13, Dallas won 20-19
Overall Madden Accuracy so far this season: 7-9
Hopefully the simulation is nowhere near accurate this week and the Cowboys win a very boring game that they are in control of from the very beginning!
