Commanders call late pass for Terry McLaurin in blowout loss to Cowboys so he can reach 1,000-yard mark

It wasn’t going to win them the game, but Terry McLaurin and Sam Howell made sure that he hit the 1,000-yard benchmark on Sunday afternoon.

The Washington Commanders wide receiver caught a 15-yard screen pass with just more than a minute remaining in their 38-10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys at FedEx Field on Sunday. That brought him to 56 yards on the day, and over 1,000 yards on the season.

McLaurin had to fight for the final five yards, too, and nearly came up short. The Commanders then ran just one final play to run out the rest of the clock and end the game.

McLaurin entered Sunday’s game with 946 receiving yards on the season. His 56 yards in the blowout loss brought him to 1,002 on the year, and officially gave him his fourth straight 1,000-yard campaign. McLaurin, who the Commanders selected in the third round of the 2019 draft out of Ohio State, only missed the 1,000-yard mark during his rookie season, when he finished with 919 yards and a career-high seven touchdowns. McLaurin, 28, is in the second year of a three-year, $68 million deal with the team.

Howell finished throwing 19 of 27 for 153 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions in the loss. Dak Prescott threw four touchdowns, two of which went to CeeDee Lamb, and had just five completions in the win for the Cowboys. That clinched them the NFC East title and the No. 2 seed in the conference.

The Commanders’ season didn’t go as planned by any means. They finished the year just 4-13, and lost their last eight games to finish with one of the worst records in the entire league. They missed the playoffs for the seventh time in the last eight seasons, too, and head coach Ron Rivera's job is undoubtedly at risk.

McLaurin, however, still managed to hit the all-important 1,000-yard milestone once again. That has to count for something.