ARLINGTON, Texas – This game saw the Cowboys improve in all three phases, having big plays on offense, defense and even special teams. We also saw some milestones as Dak Prescott became the Cowboys' all-time leader in touchdown passes.

But this game turned with a couple of hidden plays you might have forgotten. Here are a handful that might have changed the outcome:

3rd play … 3^rd down … No. 3 – OK, so this will never make the highlight film in a game like this, but on the first series of the game, once again the Cowboys faced third down on their third play of the game, just like last week. This time, Prescott connected with George Pickens on a simple 4-yard pass to the sideline on third-and-2. Nothing flashy, but it moved the chains, something the offense didn't do last week. It also got Pickens in the flow early, which was needed after a game in which he had a couple of drops. Pickens moved the sticks, and then CeeDee Lamb took over from there as the Cowboys drove the field for a touchdown. That early first down showed just enough progress to get the offense going in a way they couldn't last week.

Fumbled handoff leads to a field goal – The Commanders were driving towards the end zone early in the second quarter, trailing 10-0. Washington had second-and-5 at the Dallas 9-yard line, but a mishap between quarterback Jayden Daniels and running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt resulted in a fumbled exchange that resulted in the ball finally being recovered back at the 20. On the next play, the Commanders couldn't convert the third-and-long and settled for a field goal, keeping the Cowboys up 10-3.

Second-to-last play of the half – By now, the final offensive play of the first half has been replayed maybe too much for the squeamish, but the play before Daniels' gruesome elbow injury was a big one in terms of the flow of the game. On second-and-goal from the 1-yard line, Daniels missed on a throw to Dyami Brown, who had a step on his defender in the end zone. That missed chance led to the final play, in which Daniels tripped and braced himself, injuring his left elbow in what appears to be another serious injury. But reaching the 1-yard line and not scoring any points was a game-changer in momentum, a stop the Cowboys couldn't get last week.

Commanders nearly get touchdown catch – While it wasn't called a touchdown on the field, the Commanders thought they had tied the game early in the third on Brown's reception down the left sideline. Washington head coach Dan Quinn quickly threw the challenge flag, thinking Brown had secured the pass and got his knee down. Instead, the replay officials upheld the call on the field as incomplete. The Commanders settled for a field goal, and instead of starting the half with a game-tying touchdown, Washington settled for three points, trailing 17-13.

Trickery nearly works  – And it should've worked for the Commanders, who called a throwback pass that nearly cut the Cowboys' lead in half. Washington wide receiver Antonio Williams had fellow wideout Terry McLaurin open in the end zone for a trick pass, but he missed his target just a tad, and so the Commanders missed the chance for a touchdown. Washington later missed a field goal on the drive, so Dallas continued to lead by 14.