Player of the Game: It has to be someone from that defense. Although Washington had a few standouts on the other side of the ball, the tone was set early by a menacing defense. The entire D-line was all over the Cowboys' banged-up and inexperienced offensive line. But the player who benefitted for Washington was linebacker Cole Holcomb, who had a sack, an interception and a tackle for loss.

Nemesis: Monetz Sweat isn't the highest profile among the defensive line, but he made a big impact, getting two sacks, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble. Sweat is one of five first-round picks on Washington's D-line and made his presence known throughout the game.

Unsung Hero: Running back Antonio Gibson didn't start the game, but he was hard to stop for the Cowboys. The rookie led all rushers with 128 yards, a career-high. He averaged 6.4 yards per carry, thanks to a 40-yard run early in the game. Gibson's tough running allowed Washington to possess the ball for over 36 minutes of game clock.

Turning Point: The Cowboys were able to survive another slow start but trailing just 9-3 in the second quarter, the offense had a fourth-and-1 at the Washington 45. Instead of attempting a run, the Cowboys opted for a pass and Andy Dalton had nowhere to throw or run before heaving a desperation pass down the middle of the field that fell incomplete. Washington took over and scored two plays later on a bomb to Terry McLaurin to build a 15-3 lead.

Don't Forget ...The Cowboys were down 22-3 in the final drive before halftime and CeeDee Lamb had the ball in his hands in the end zone but couldn't come down with a tough catch in traffic. Still, the Cowboys needed some points and if they could've entered halftime down 12 with the ball coming out of the half, it might've changed some things and put more pressure on Washington. Instead, the pass was incomplete and Andy Dalton was intercepted on the next play.

Need More From ...Since the answer is basically every player and position, let's go with the coaching staff, particularly Mike McCarthy and the coordinators Mike Nolan and Kellen Moore. Constantly, the Cowboys are finding themselves trailing in the first half of games. Since the Week 1 game against the Rams, the Cowboys have allowed 20+ points in six straight games, an NFL record. And for the team to come out with so much on the line against a struggling Washington team and to play this way, it has to be a reflection of the coaching staff and the preparation.

So, That Happened: Andy Dalton was running for his life the entire game. In the third quarter, he rushed up the middle and slid down to avoid contact but was hit by Washington linebacker Jon Bostic in the head, suffering a concussion. His helmet was knocked off by the hit, which caused an immediate ejection for Bostic. Dalton was helped off to the sideline and then to the locker room before being ruled out of the game. Bostic will likely be fined by the NFL if not more, while Dalton will continue to be monitored by the team for his status this week. Meanwhile, rookie Ben DiNucci finished the game and could be the team's starter next week.

Stat of the Game:The Cowboys could only rack up just 142 yards total yards, averaging only 2.6 yards per play. That's the worst offensive output in a game for the Cowboys since the 2001 season opener against Tampa Bay, started by rookie Quincy Carter. Overall, it was the 10th-lowest offensive output in a game in franchise history.

Milestone: While there's not much to get excited about from either side of the ball, including the offense, receiver Amari Cooper caught seven passes on all seven targets. Cooper was the only wide receiver on the team to actually catch a pass against Washington. That puts him at 53 receptions, the most by any Cowboys player through the first seven games in team history.