FRISCO, TEXAS –The Commanders (7-4) are hosting the Cowboys (3-7) this Sunday. All three of Dallas’ wins this season have been on the road, only one of those against their own division—will this weekend be their fourth win of the season, and second in the NFC East?
A winning Washington:
Dallas has won five of the last six meetings with Washington, beating them in both of their games last season, but this is a new Commanders team. Although they are coming off back-to-back losses for the first time this year, Washington has had a lot of success with new head coach Dan Quinn and rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. With a win on Sunday, the Commanders would become 5-1 at home this season, their best record at home since 1992 through 12 games. They would become 8-4 on the season, another best record through 12 games since 1996, and would be 3-1 in the division for the first time since 2012. Four of the Commanders’ final six games are against teams under .500. Washington has not played Dallas yet, and will match up with them twice over the last third of the season, still awaiting their BYE in Week 14.
Losing last week:
Both teams lost last week: Dallas at home, on Monday, to their in-state foes, the Houston Texans, 34-10, and Washington at the Philadelphia Eagles, on Thursday, a 26-18 defeat. Dallas held Texans QB C.J. Stroud to just one touchdown and an interception, but gave running back Joe Mixon three TDs and 109 yards. Cowboys QB Cooper Rush threw 55 times for more than 350 yards, and got sacked five times. Wide receiver KaVontae Turpin scored Dallas’ lone touchdown, a 64-yarder of his 86 yards total. Washington has given up 26 points in their two-straight losses. Daniels averaged only six yards per attempt last week for a total of 191 yards with both a touchdown and interception. While WR Terry McLaurin leads the team in receiving yards with 721 and receiving TDs with six, he only had one reception on two targets for 10 yards last week. As for RBs, Austin Ekler had eight catches for 89 yards, while Brian Robinson has been on a roll, leading the team in rushing yards (524) and rushing TDs with seven, scoring all of them within eight games played. With Dallas coming in on a five-game losing streak, and only one team giving up more points than the Cowboys this year, they will have their hands full with Washington’s offense.
Jayden Daniels:
Welcome to the NFL, Daniels. Commanders’ offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury has him feeling comfortable as a rookie quarterback, according to Cowboys’ head coach Mike McCarthy. He also commended Daniels for his arm talent, saying that’s what separated him when thinking back to this year’s Draft. He said “[Daniels] can make all the throws. He’s athletic, he’s [a] great fit for Kliff’s system.” McCarthy described Daniels as “dynamic” in “his ability to throw on the move,” and is impressed with how he’s taken care of the football as a young QB, giving credit to Kingsbury’s clean plays to work with.
Coaching reunions:
Dallas will face their former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn for the first time on Sunday. McCarthy says there is “a lot of similarity” in Washington now to when he was in Dallas the past few years. Commanders defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. also has a tie: McCarthy hired him back in 2008 as a defensive quality control coach for the Green Bay Packers.
Comebacks for the Cowboys:
Tight end Jake Ferguson has been ruled out with a concussion, and right guard Zach Martin is doubtful after their game versus the Texans on Monday. However, Cowboys fans do have some players to be on the lookout for: cornerback DaRon Bland and veteran receiver Brandin Cooks. Bland is expected to make his season debut at the Commanders on Sunday, after undergoing foot surgery at the end of preseason. Defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer said “when you get two corners in there, it helps the pass rush, it helps the run game; it helps a lot of things,” when talking about what kind of impact Bland’s return could have. Cooks, on the other hand, has been sidelined for most of this season due to his knee and is looking to make a return to gameplay sooner rather than later this season.–
