One game down, two more to go for the Dallas Cowboys as they take on a stretch of three games in 11 days following their matchup with the Houston Texans on Monday night.
Now, the Cowboys (3-7) turn their attention to a Sunday meeting with former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and the Washington Commanders (7-4).
Washington is entering their new era with a new coach, new coordinators, and a new quarterback with rookie Jayden Daniels leading the way. However, Dallas has dominated the recent history between the two as they've won five of the last six meetings against the Commanders, including wins of 35 points and 28 points from their two meetings last year.
Here are 10 more notable 'big facts' to remember ahead of Sunday's Noon CT kickoff on FOX.
Here are 10 notable 'big facts' to remember ahead of Sunday's noon CT kickoff on ESPN.
Turpin Times Two
With his 64-yard TD catch, KaVontae Turpin became the first Cowboys player to have a pair of 60+ yard touchdowns in the same season on offense and special teams. Turpin had a 60-yard punt return against the Browns in Week 1 and then grabbed his career-long against the Texans on Monday night. He's the first Cowboys player to do that – and just fifth overall - since Patrick Crayton had an 80-yard TD catch and an 82-yard punt return in the 2009 season.
Long Shots
During their matchup with the Texans, Cooper Rush found KaVontae Turpin on a 64-yard touchdown. This is the third-longest touchdown pass between two undrafted Cowboys players in franchise history. Only Tony Romo to Miles Austin (80 yards in 2010) and Jason Garrett to Billy Davis (69 yards in 1998) were longer.
What's the Difference?
The 2024 Cowboys are only the third team since the 1970 merger to have a point differential of -100 or worst in the first 10 games of a season after winning 12 games or more. They join the 1999 San Francisco 49ers (-118) who finished 4-12 and the 1999 Atlanta Falcons (-108) who finished the season 5-11.
Lamb Chasing History
Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb has now recorded at least four receptions in 43 consecutive games. This is tied with Michael Thomas for the longest such streak in NFL history. Thomas did so from his debut season in 2016 until
Lamb and the Bullet
CeeDee Lamb is just 81 receiving yards away from reaching the 6,000-yard milestone in his first five NFL seasons. Once he reaches that milestone, he would surpass Bob Hayes as the fastest player to the 6,000 receiving yard mark in Cowboys history. Hayes did so in 81 career games, while Lamb will play his 77th career game on Sunday.
Dialing Back Daniels
Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels has been nursing a rib injury since Week 7 against the Panthers and his number show it is impacting him as a runner. Following Week 7, Daniels was averaging 53.1 rushing yards per game with 5.3 yards per carry and four touchdowns. Since Week 8, his numbers have dropped to 27.5 rushing yards per game and 4.2 yards per carry without a rushing touchdown.
Beginner's Luck
Sunday will mark the 10th time that Dallas has faced a rookie starting quarterback for Washington. Dallas is 2-6-1 as a franchise in those games. During Troy Aikman's time at quarterback, he was 2-0 against rookie starters while all other Dallas quarterbacks are a combined 0-6-1. The most recent instance was Sam Howell in Week 18 of 2022.
Familiar Faces
Dan Quinn faces the Cowboys this week as the head coach of the Commanders. But he's not the only familiar face on the opposing sideline. Quinn leads the charge of 10 former Cowboys players and coaches on Washington's team, including five players and five coaches. Of those 10, seven were with the Cowboys last year, including players Tyler Biadasz, Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler Jr.
New Era of Dallas Defense
With 34 points allowed against the Texans in Week 11, the Cowboys defense has allowed 30-points or more in five games this season. Dallas never allowed 30-points more than three times in a single regular season under Dan Quinn as defensive coordinator.
Offense Off a Kliff
Since 2013, Kliff Kingsbury holds a record of 52-36-1 from August to October as a head coach or offensive coordinator in College or the NFL. However, he is a combined 18-45 from November to January. His point differential goes from +442 to -379 between the two separate time periods.
