There were also encouraging signs for the future, as multiple younger players stood out. Johnny Newton, who got the start in place of an injured Daron Payne, racked up three sacks with five quarterback hits. Ben Sinnott caught three passes for 30 yards, while Jacory Croskey-Merritt had 105 yards and averaged 9.5 yards per carry with a 72-yard touchdown.
Still, Washington’s struggles to execute popped up in costly moments. The defense struggled to get Dallas off the field, particularly on fourth down. The Cowboys were a perfect 6-of-6 on such plays, which helped them run 87 plays and dominate the time of possession by more than 17 minutes. The offense, meanwhile, stalled at the 5-yard line twice and had to settle for field goals. Both managed to keep the Commanders in the game, but they missed out on eight points that would have swung things in their favor.
The Cowboys largely looked like themselves on offense, despite not having starting running back Javontae Williams for much of the afternoon. They marched down the field on their opening drive, covering 78 yards on 13 plays. They converted a fourth-and-1 and a third-and-5 to help them get to the Commanders’ 7-yard line, and two plays later, Jake Ferguson made a one-handed touchdown grab.
The Commanders responded with a field goal, helped in large part by a 41-yard catch-and-run from Samuel that ended with him knocking Donovan Wilson’s helmet off with a hit, but the Cowboys were back in the end zone on their next drive. This time, they moved down the field in 17 plays, converting three fourth downs along the way. After an unnecessary roughness call on Jeremy Reaves moved the ball to the Commanders’ 4-yard line, Williams plowed across the goal line to make the score 14-3.
Then came the big play; after the Commanders were forced to punt following a five-play drive, Prescott connected with KaVontae Turpin for an 86-yard touchdown throw to put the Cowboys up by 18.
Samuel injected some new life into the Commanders’ offense on the next possession with a 29-yard run that moved them into Cowboys territory. They got some help with two penalties that moved them to the Cowboys’ 10-yard line, which led to Croskey-Merritt running for his seventh touchdown of the season. Brandon Aubrey tacked on a 42-yard field goal to make the score 24-10 at halftime, but Croskey-Merrittbroke loose for a 72-yard run the third quarter, putting the Commanders within seven points of tying the score.