This may not have been the holiday showdown we'd hoped for with the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Commanders having already been eliminated from the playoffs, but in the end, the good guys came out on top with the Cowboys winning, 30-23.
Dak Prescott wasn't in top form as he completed only 51.4 percent of his passes, a season low, but he still managed to throw for 307 yards and two touchdowns for a 97.5 rating. He also earned his 30th touchdown pass of the season, which was the fourth time in his career he's reached the mark, tying Tony Romo for the most seasons in club history.
At times, Prescott seemed to struggle with his accuracy, partly because he was sacked on six occasions and regularly faced pressure. Case in point, CeeDee Lamb was targeted 10 times but only had five catches for 46 yards, although George Pickens caught four of his five targets for 78.
However, the Cowboys' rushing attack picked up the slack despite Javonte Williams leaving the game at halftime due to a shoulder injury. He had 13 carries for 54 yards in the first half with the team posting 127 yards on the ground overall through two quarters. With Malik Davis then taking over, he finished the game with 103 yards on 20 carries, both of which were easily personal bests. Overall, Dallas rushed for a season-high 211 yards.
On the other side of the ball, the Dallas defense surrendered 138 rushing yards with Jacory Croskey-Merritt picking up 105 yards and two touchdowns. But the Cowboys held third-string quarterback Josh Johnson to 198 passing yards and no touchdowns to ruin the Commanders' hopes for a comeback.
Where the Cowboys really excelled was on fourth down as they converted all six of their attempts. Add on a 40 percent conversion rate on third down and they were simply able to keep drives alive, stay on the field and eat up the clock. The Cowboys dominated the time of possession, 38:44 to 21:16, while outgaining Washington, 480 to 328.
First Quarter
The Cowboys' ground attack came out of the gate on all cylinders as Wiliams and Davis combined for 44 rushing yards on the game's first possession. Prescott then got into the action with a 19-yard completion to Pickens that set up a first-and-goal. Two snaps later, a 6-yard pass to Jake Ferguson, who made a nice grab in the back of the end zone, gave Dallas an early 7-0 lead.
Deebo Samuel lit a fire under the home side on Washington's first series as he hauled in a short pass and rumbled 41 yards down to the Cowboys 6-yard line. But there the defense held the line, a sack by Jadeveon Clowney on third down forcing the Commanders to settle for a 29-yard field goal.
Second Quarter
When the second quarter got underway, the Cowboys were already at the Washington 23-yard line, thanks in part to another 19-yard catch by Pickens on a fourth-and-1 at the 50. Dallas, in fact, would convert three fourth-down attempts during the series before capping off the 17-play drive with a 4-yard run by Williams for the touchdown and a 14-3 lead.
Following two lengthy drives, the Cowboys didn't waste any time reaching the end zone on their next possession. That's because Prescott found a streaking KaVonte Turpin, who hauled in the long throw and then outran the defense for a career-high 86-yard touchdown.
Their combined effort tied for the ninth longest pass play in franchise history, and the longest for the team since Prescott and Lamb connected on a 92-yard touchdown on Dec. 30, 2023, vs. Detroit.
Despite the Cowboys now being up 21-3, the Commanders weren't going to go away quietly. They crossed the goal line for the first time with a five-play, 60-yard drive that was helped by a pair of Dallas penalties. Croskey-Merritt got the score on a 10-yard up the middle.
But with 4:31 left in the quarter, that was plenty of time for Prescott and company to add to their point total. Brandon Aubrey split the uprights on a 42-yard field goal at the 19-second mark to give Dallas a 24-10 advantage at the break.
Third Quarter
Things got a little more interesting when on its second possession of the third quarter, Washington got back in the end zone. A Dallas punt was immediately followed by Crosky-Merritt taking the handoff on the Commanders' first snap, the speedster breaking off right tackle and sprinting untouched 72 yards for the touchdown.
The two sides then traded field goals. Aubrey was good from 52 yards but Washington kept pace by converting its own 23-yarder to narrow the score to 27-20 heading into the final frame.
Fourth Quarter
The longer the game wore on, the more the momentum seemed to be shifting to the Commanders. Even worse, when Aubrey then missed wide right on a 58-yard field goal attempt, Washington now had the ball at its own 48.
However, the Dallas defense forced a quick three-and-out, which was followed by the team's offense going on a 14-play drive that ate up a hefty 7:33 off the clock. The Cowboys couldn't get the ball in the end zone, but this time Aubrey was good on a 51-yard try to up the lead to 30-20.
The Commanders came right back and decided to kick a 51-yard field goal on third-and-11 at the Dallas 33 in order to hopefully set themselves ups for one final push. Meaning, with a seven-point lead and just over two minutes remaining, the Cowboys offense desperately needed to 1) hang onto the ball and 2) preferably put more points.
While they couldn't do the latter, they were able to take care of the former, posting a pair of first downs and using the final 2:04 on the clock to seal the 30-23 victory.
