LANDOVER, Md. — Sunday’s game puts you in a strange spot as a fan. At 3-7, you assume your team’s season is over, so a part of you wants as many losses as possible, leading to the highest possible draft pick. But then your fandom kicks in. Your team has a chance to win a game they entered as double-digit underdogs.
The Dallas Cowboys outlasted the Commanders in a wild finish Sunday at Washington. It ended Dallas’ five-game losing streak, its longest in the last nine years. But it also provided a significant blow to those who were hoping for a chance at the No. 1 overall pick. And by the looks of the rest of the schedule, it’s unlikely that the Cowboys will end up in the top 5 and maybe not the top 10.
Cowboys, 4-7, remaining schedule:
vs. Giants (2-9)
vs. Bengals (4-7)
@ Panthers (3-8)
vs. Bucs (5-6)
@ Eagles (9-2, resting starters…?)
vs. Commanders (7-5, lost to Cowboys today)Could be a tough finish for #TeamTank
— Saad Yousuf (@SaadYousuf126) November 25, 2024
According to Tankathon.com, if the season ended today, Dallas would have the 11th overall pick. Heading into Sunday’s game, the Cowboys had worked their way up to ninth, a game and a half back of No. 1 overall. They’re now two games back of the Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders, who all seem committed to legitimately competing for No. 1 overall. Of the 10 teams currently ahead of the Cowboys, three are still remaining on Dallas’ schedule: Thursday vs. the Giants (currently picking second), Week 14 vs. the Cincinnati Bengals (10th) and Week 15 at the Carolina Panthers (fifth).
If your goal was to land Colorado superstar CB/WR Travis Hunter, the dream died in Landover, Maryland. The mock draft studying probably needs to shift to more of the 10-to-20 range. — Machota
ICYMI …
The first half Sunday was, well, not fun to watch. It prompted Jon to post this on X:
This is the worst half of football I’ve ever watched
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) November 24, 2024
That’s not to say the second half was great football, but it was entertaining. Here’s what we wrote after the game:
Machota: The final five minutes were wild, chaotic and unpredictable
Yousuf: One devastating spin move and KaVontae Turpin was gone
Serving turnovers
The Cowboys came into Sunday’s game as 10.5-point road underdogs, so it’s no surprise that the beat writers for both teams picked the Commanders in our Sunday edition of Cowboys Today. In my explanation for picking a 27-13 Washington win, I mentioned that the game being played away from AT&T Stadium at least gave Dallas a chance but without winning the turnover battle, it seemed “impossible” for the Cowboys to leave with a victory.
Well, the Cowboys won the game and the turnover battle.
The Commanders came into the game with just five turnovers this season. The Cowboys intercepted rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels a couple of times and recovered a John Bates fumble. On the other side, Cooper Rush kept a clean sheet, the pass protection held up despite a patchwork offensive line and the only Cowboys turnover was Rico Dowdle’s first lost fumble of his career.
🥊 @donlwilson6
🤲 @erickendricks6📺: #DALvsWAS on FOX
📲: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/LvklCbYJ1e pic.twitter.com/nkFqWu2Ems— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) November 24, 2024
Of course, there were wacky things that happened, too, such as a blocked kick, missed kicks and a block punt. The Cowboys’ defense showed the ability that we had grown accustomed to seeing the past three seasons in Dallas under — ironically — Dan Quinn’s direction. It’s something that’s been sorely missed this season: Dallas only forced nine turnovers coming into Week 12, which placed the Cowboys in the bottom third of the league. They also were minus-11 in turnover margin, which was tied for second-worst in the league.
Israel Mukuamu’s interception came on the final desperation heave for Washington, so we’ll put that aside, but Chauncey Golston’s second-quarter interception came on first down for Washington on the Dallas 28-yard line. Given the strange special teams showing Sunday, nothing was guaranteed but that likely took points off the board for the Commanders.
Midway through the fourth quarter, the Cowboys kicked a field goal to go ahead 13-9. On the first play of the ensuing drive, Daniels completed a pass to Bates that got the Commanders near midfield. Donovan Wilson forced the fumble and Eric Kendricks recovered. Five plays later, the Cowboys scored a touchdown and extended their lead to 20-9.
Not only did the Cowboys notch turnovers in the game, they did so in big moments and made a direct impact on the scoreboard. That’s something Quinn’s defenses in Dallas were known for during his three seasons as defensive coordinator. That’s been missing this season. — Yousuf
Rico’s rushing
With five minutes left in the fourth quarter and the Cowboys leading 20-9, Rico Dowdle had 79 rushing yards. It seemed like there was a good chance that he was going to get the opportunity to carry the ball in the home stretch to burn clock and possibly cross 100 yards.
With two kickoff returns for touchdowns, the offense only got the ball once the rest of the way. Dowdle got one more carry which went for seven yards. He finished the day with 86 yards on the ground.
Dowdle’s day and season
| TOTALS | ATT | YDS | YPC | TD | REC | YDS | YPR | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Sunday |
19 |
86 |
4.5 |
0 |
3 |
12 |
4 |
0 |
|
Season |
112 |
488 |
4.4 |
0 |
29 |
184 |
6.3 |
3 |
Although the Cowboys’ streak of games without a 100-yard rusher has hit 26 games (second-longest in the league), Dowdle’s performances this season, when he gets the proper opportunity, have been encouraging. He went for 87 yards in the Cowboys’ win in Pittsburgh. He had 75 yards in the loss in Atlanta, and 86 on Sunday.
Dowdle’s longest run against the Commanders was nine yards, so his 4.5 yards per carry average isn’t skewed by a huge outlier. His performance was efficient. The fact he was able to do it with the Cowboys missing their starting left guard and right guard, and playing musical chairs at left tackle, makes it even more impressive. — Yousuf
(Top photo of Eric Kendricks: Patrick Smith / Getty Images)
