The Cowboys put out a week one performance that triggered the scars left by last year’s defense.
Dallas left New York with a 28-20 loss and plenty to clean up on both sides of the football. Christian Parker’s defensive debut was headlined by an inability to stop the run and get off the field consistently, while the offense struggled to find a rhythm from its opening possession.
But there isn’t much time to dwell on it.
Though fans are mad. Calling for a ‘must win’ game in week two, may be too quick of a jump into despair. The Cowboys for sure don’t want to fall into an 0-2 hole early but it’s still September. Regardless, Sunday gives the Cowboys an opportunity to respond, fix some of the problems that showed up against New York, and avoid digging themselves into an early divisional hole.
As the Voice of the Cowboys, Brad Sham says, “this week and last week have never met.”
On to Washington.
The Commanders are 0-1, too, but their Week 1 loss looked much different.
Washington went into Philadelphia and nearly erased an 11-point deficit, pulling within 24-22 late in the fourth quarter. The Commanders had an opportunity to tie the game, but a failed two-point conversion lost them the game. We won’t dive into the playcall…
That makes the 0-1 record a little deceiving. Washington showed it could hang around against a divisional opponent and gave itself a chance late, with Jayden Daniels and the offense finding some rhythm down the stretch.
So, while Dallas is looking to rebound from a frustrating opening performance, Washington comes to town looking to finish what it couldn’t a week ago. But what happened last week doesn’t matter as these two teams will test each other.
What Does This Team Look Like?
The Commanders’ offense is a zone running team, they like to utilize presnap motion and create a stronger presence inside. They will spend plenty of time in 11 personnel (58.8% of plays LW) with three receivers on the field.
(Also considered 11 when the QB is in shotgun)
What to watch for this week is if the Commanders decide to take a page out of the Giants playbook. The Cowboys struggled with the Giants heavier personnel packages which featured 2 running backs and 2 tight ends. The Commanders will utilize more of their tight ends, but don’t play with a traditional fullback, a position that gave the Cowboys fits last week.
Washington has leaned heavily on the short passing game, with nearly 60% of its attempts coming underneath. Tight ends Chig Okonkwo and John Bates have been involved there, while Terry McLaurin and Stefon Diggs give the Commanders established threats on the outside.
It all works together. Washington wants to establish a physical presence inside, force linebackers to respect the run and then create easy completions around it. After what happened against the Giants, expect the Commanders to find out very quickly whether Dallas has fixed its problems in the middle of the defense.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt
A name to know for the Commanders. Jacory Croskey-Merritt has taken an unusual path to becoming Washington’s lead back. A complicated eligibility issue limited him to just one game at Arizona in 2024, contributing to him falling to Washington at No. 245 overall in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft. As a rookie, he still led the Commanders with 805 rushing yards and eight touchdowns, despite playing only 38.5% of the offensive snaps. Now his role is growing. Croskey-Merritt led Washington with 16 carries for 63 yards and a touchdown in Week 1.
He is not the power runner that Cam Skattebo is, but JCR isn’t afraid to get physical. He can be shifty and is tough to bring down to the ground.
Jayden Daniels Is Always a Weapon
The Cowboys now face another quarterback capable of extending plays with his legs. In 3 games against Dallas, Daniels has 2 rushing TDs and over 70 scrambling yards. The most difficult part about preparing for Washington might be that everything can be defended correctly and Jayden Daniels can still make the play work.
Daniels doesn’t necessarily enter every snap looking to take off. But when a passing lane closes or the defense loses contain, he has the athleticism to turn a broken play into positive yardage. That puts even more stress on a Cowboys defense already tasked with staying disciplined against Washington’s inside running game.
Given his injury history, the Commanders have taken it a little more easy on the designed runs. But if they watched Jaxson Dart last week, it will be tempting to try their hand at some read options.
I will say, watching him develop in this division. Jayden Daniels won a Heisman at LSU by utilizing his legs. At the pro level, he has developed in a way that his running ability is a side superpower. His ability to stand in the pocket and deliver the football has evolved.
An Opportunity to Strike
Truth be told, the Cowboys offense did nothing to help the defense early on in the game last week. They had a sluggish start, but they finished strong. They need to carry that into week 2. The Cowboys failed to generate big plays in New York.
The Commander’s biggest vulnerability appears to be at corner, and with CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens on the outside, Dallas should be willing to test that matchup immediately. Get Dak Prescott comfortable, attack the secondary and force Washington to chase the game rather than allowing another opponent to dictate the terms.
There is a warning attached to that opportunity, though. Washington’s defense is designed to make things look much more complicated before the snap than they actually are. The Commanders will show aggressive fronts, move defenders around and use simulated pressures and stunts to make the offensive line question where the rush is coming from. Washington will have a lot of “mug” fronts with defenders standing around the line of scrimmage rather than clearly declaring who is rushing. Someone showing pressure may drop into coverage while another defender comes from somewhere Dak and the protection weren’t expecting.
That makes communication especially important for an offensive line already playing without Tyler Smith. Daron Payne provides a proven presence inside, while Washington can move players like Frankie Luvu around and manufacture pressure without necessarily sending everyone it shows at the line.
On a personal note, I am excited to see Sonny Styles play. He made some plays against the Eagles, and I know people were over critqing his ‘lack-luster’ preseason performance when he was on a snap-count limitation.
I am happy with Downs 100%…but I can’t pretend I wasn’t the biggest Sonny Styles advocate back in Feburary.
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