DALLAS — The Dallas Cowboys beat the Washington Commanders 25-10 to extend their winning streak to three games, and if you’re counting, that’s also three straight wins for backup quarterback Cooper Rush. With the victory, the Cowboys have built momentum and confidence as they move closer to getting starting quarterback Dak Prescott back.
However, this game was about the Cowboys who took the field and beat a division rival for a second consecutive week. It wasn’t a carbon copy of the Monday night script, but the win had a familiar tone. Dallas had everything under control, and even when the Commanders briefly took the lead, the Cowboys rose to the occasion and seized it back.
The Cowboys played a complimentary brand of football to grab their eighth consecutive win against an NFC East opponent dating back to last season. Rush didn’t have a perfect outing and got away with a few errant throws that could’ve been a disaster, but he was efficient enough to lead the offense to 25 points. The veteran signal caller threw for 223 yards and two scores, while managing to avoid committing a turnover to keep the offense on track.
Rush’s best play came on a 3rd & 6 from the nine-yard line with Dallas trailing 7-6 before halftime. The QB was flushed to the right and found wide receiver Michael Gallup streaking across the back of the end zone for the score. The touchdown came on Gallup’s first game back from his ACL injury and capped a 15-play, 75-yard drive that gave Dallas a lead that they wouldn’t relinquish.
Fellow wide receiver CeeDee Lamb continued trending upward with his second consecutive big game, catching six passes for 97 yards and a score. Lamb’s beautiful route on his 30-yard touchdown saw him haul in one of the easiest touchdown’s he’ll have this season.
While the offense did enough to pull away from the Commanders, it was the defense, once again, that was the most impressive unit. Dallas’ defense forced two turnovers, collected two sacks, and held quarterback Carson Wentz to just 170 yards passing. The rush defense struggled early, but a second half adjustment led to a much tighter 30 minutes after halftime.
The Commanders ran for 142 yards, but just 36 of those yards came in the second half. In total, the Cowboys produced six tackles for a loss, and hit Wentz 11 times in the game.
In giving up just 10 points, the Cowboys managed to keep a fourth straight opponent under 20 points to start the season. That’s something Dallas’ defense hasn’t done in close to 50 years.
Part of the reason the Cowboys were able to slow the Commanders was the play of cornerback Trevon Diggs. The All-Pro cornerback picked up his second interception in as many weeks, but his most impressive plays were two fingertip deflections to keep the Commanders off the scoreboard.
In the fourth quarter, with the Cowboys leading by 12 points, Ron Rivera chose to go for it on fourth & 15 from the Dallas 16-yard line. Wentz lofted what looked like a perfect pass to his top wide receiver, Terry McLaurin, but it was knocked away by Diggs to save points and give the ball back to the offense.
A few possessions later, with the Cowboys leading by 15, the Commanders and Wentz tested Diggs again on a fourth down call. And again, Diggs managed to tip the pass away, effectively ending the game.
Both passes looked to be on target, and both times Diggs was able to make the big play.
Despite a modest final score, it felt like the Cowboys were in control of the game from the start despite settling for field goals early and falling behind midway through the first half. After trailing, Dallas answered with a touchdown drive of their own and never looked back. It was a familiar script from the Monday night win over the Giants where it never seemed as though the Cowboys were in trouble but settling for field goals provided drama.
The response from the Cowboys in both games was to put a drive together to take back the lead, grab control of the game, and put their foot on the gas. After going down 7-6, Dallas scored on three of their next four possessions – not counting the kneel down before halftime – to force the Commanders to play catchup against a defense that wasn’t having any of it.
The Cowboys are now 3-1, just one game back in the NFC East, and have beaten two rivals in back-to-back weeks. What was once thought of as a season that could be lost after Week 1, is now back on track thanks to Cooper Rush’s cool demeanor and a defense that is playing lights out.
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