Washington Football Team studs and duds from Thanksgiving 2020 win

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ARLINGTON, TEXAS – NOVEMBER 26: Terry McLaurin #17 of the Washington Football Team is brought down on a carry by Chidobe Awuzie #24 of the Dallas Cowboys during the third quarter of a game at AT&T Stadium on November 26, 2020 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

Stud No. 2 – WR Terry McLaurin

We’re running out of one-liners to use for emphasis of Terry McLaurin‘s sheer greatness. The man does something new every week, and in Week 12, it seems as though he ran out of things to do on offense, because he made a crucial play on defense, diluting what would have been a momentum-changing play for the Cowboys.

More than two quarters into McLaurin’s seven-catch, 92-yard Thanksgiving outing, Alex Smith threw an interception to Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith. The pick was caught near the line of scrimmage, and Smith had a wide open field ahead of him. He sprinted down the sideline, inching closer and closer to the end zone, when McLaurin came out of nowhere from behind and brought him down inside the ten-yard line.

McLaurin’s voracious pursuit would wind up having a four-point swing on the game’s outcome, and potentially more. After McLaurin held Smith out of the end zone, the defense followed his example, shutting down the Cowboys’ red zone offense and forcing them to settle for a field goal. Instead of Dallas tying the game at 20-20, it was now 20-16, and Washington remained in control.

McLaurin is one of the best receivers in the league. He leads the NFL in receiving yards after yesterday’s game, and he’s searing toward the 1,000-yard mark, with 69 catches, 963 yards, and three scores through eleven games. All this, and McLaurin’s impact somehow expands beyond that. The second-year player isn’t just a star, but a team leader who sets the example with his play. As we’ve seen with Alex Smith, players who lead by example are perhaps the most valuable to a culture.

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