It was ugly at first, real ugly, but in the end it was oh, so beautiful as the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Washignton Commanders, 34-26, to snap their five-game losing streak.
To say this was an up and down game for the Cowboys' special teams would be an understatement. A blocked field goal, a blocked punt and a missed field goal had Dallas in a precarious position in the first half. But over the final two quarters, all that changed as the special teams units contributed 15 points in the fourth frame alone to give Dallas the win.
Also give credit to the Dallas defense. Facing former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, now the head coach in Washington, the Cowboys were simply fantastic in keeping their NFC East rivals largely in check. Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels threw for 275 yards and two touchdowns, but also had two interceptions for an 82.7 passer rating. In all, the Cowboys recorded three takeaways and four sacks, including two by Micah Parsons, while cornerback Josh Butler had a career day with three pass breakups, 12 tackles and one sack.
On the other side of the ball, although playing up front with backups at both guard positions and rookies at center and left tackle, the Cowboys actually were able to generate some offense against the Commanders, putting up 332 yards of offense while dominating the time of possession, 35:12 to 24:28.
Quarterback Cooper Rush, looking more comfortable each week, completed 75 percent of his passes for 247 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions for a 117.6 rating. CeeDee Lamb was his primary target, hauling in 10 passes for 67 yards with Rico Dowdle keeping the Washington defense honest by tacking on 86 rushing yards on 19 carries, a 4.5 yards per attempt mark.
First Quarter
Everything seemed to be going great. The Cowboys got a nice 38-yard return on the opening kickoff from KaVontae Turpin and promptly sprinted to the Washington 13-yard line in five plays. But then Lamb was tackled for a 4-yard loss, Jalen Tolbert dropped a potential first down and Brandon Aubrey's 35-yard field goal attempt was blocked.
Things then only got more frustrating when on the team's next possession, Rush moved his troops down to the Commanders' 21-yard line only to have Aubrey's second field goal try, a 42-yarder, clip the right upright, no good.
In between those breakdowns, Washington managed to make its own field goal attempt. This came after the Commanders scooped up the block and returned it to the Dallas 40-yard line. The Cowboys defense kept them out of the end zone, but Washington's 41-yard field goal was good, giving the home side an early 3-0 lead.
At least the Commanders missed their next field goal opportunity as Austin Seibert mishit his 51-yard shot. Of course, on the Cowboys very next snap, Washington linebacker Bobby Wagner ripped the ball out of the hands of running back Rico Dowdle for the takeaway.
Second Quarter
The craziness continued. Despite starting their second drive in Dallas territory, the Commanders came away with nothing. And later in the quarter, when the Cowboys this time had a punt blocked, Washington again got great field position at the Dallas 39-yard line.
But on first-and-10 at the 28, Daniels' pass attempt to Brian Robinson was instead stolen by Cowboys defensive end Chauncey Golston. The Dallas offense couldn't do much with the gift, forced to punt, but at least the Commanders weren't having any better luck with their offensive endeavors.
In fact, Washington had one more chance before the half, but the Cowboys defense forced another punt, giving the ball back to Dallas with 45 seconds left. After narrowly avoiding an interception, Rush then launched a 41-yard bomb to Jalen Brooks down the right sideline to the Washington 28, which allowed Aubrey to kick a 46-yard field goal with six seconds left to tie things up, 3-3, at the break.
Third Quarter
New half, more special teams woes. Aubrey kicked the ball short of the landing zone, so the Commanders started at their own 40-yard line. And unfortunately, this time the Cowboys couldn't get the stop. Washington stuck to the ground on eight of its 10 plays during the drive with Daniels keeping the ball around the left end and running untouched the final 17 yards for the game's first touchdown. The extra-point was missed, so Dallas found itself down only six.
Soon enough, though, the Cowboys found themselves up by one. Rush marched the offense 80 yards in eight plays, throwing three passes for 40 yards with Dallas getting help from a pass interference penalty that set them up with first-and-goal at the Washington 3-yard line. Two plays later, the quarterback hit wideout Jalen Tolbert in the end zone for the touchdown and 10-9 lead.
Fourth Quarter
After a trade of punts, the Cowboys got the ball to start at the 50-yard line and inched up 20 yards on six plays. They appeared to convert a third-and-9 at the Washington 35, but rookie left tackle Tyler Guyton was flagged for illegal formation for the second time in the game to negate the play. Unable to move the chains on third-and-14, Dallas settled for a 48-yard field goal from Aubrey to up their advantage to four points.
Would the lead hold?
In the end, it did … barely.
On the Commanders' ensuing first down, Daniels connected with tight end John Bates over the middle, but safety Donovan Wilson punched the ball loose with linebacker Eric Kendricks falling on the fumble. Five plays thereafter, the Cowboys were back in the end zone. Rush found tight end Luke Schoonmaker alone behind the defense for an easy pitch and catch, Dallas now up 20-9.
Washington wasn't done yet, though. The Commanders came right back with a nine-play, 69-yard drive that saw Daniels complete all seven of his pass attempts, the last of which was a 4-yard dart to tight end Zach Ertz for the touchdown. Daniels then ran around the right end to pick up the two-point conversion, the score narrowed to just a three-point edge.
No problem, said Turpin. The speedy return man muffed Washington's kickoff, picked up the ball, waited, executed a honey of a spin mood and then burst through the Commanders coverage unit for a 99-yard touchdown, the Cowboys now ahead 27-17.
Still, this one was going down to the wire as Washington quickly tacked on another three points off a 51-yard field goal. The Cowboys recovered the onside kick, but were forced to punt, the Commanders getting one more shot.
Daniels had already engineered a Hail Mary victory against the Bears earlier in the season, and he struck lightning again. Terry McLaurin hauled in a pass on the right side, then dodged the Dallas secondary to run 86 yards untouched to the end zone. But somehow Washington missed the extra point, allowing the Cowboys to maintain their one-point lead.
And then came the on-side kick, which bounced straight into the hands of Juanyeh Thomas, who immediately bolted through the Commanders line and all the way to the goal line for the unlikely touchdown. In the end, Dallas' special teams undoubtedly came through.
Finally, the Cowboys had their victory, 34-26.
