Dak Prescott came into this game having simply dominated the Washington Commanders on his home field, posting a 7-0 record. And he continued that streak, leading the Dallas Cowboys to a much-needed 37-20 victory over their NFC East rivals.
The quarterback was simply brilliant, completing 26 of 31 passes for 279 yards and four touchdowns for a 143.8 passer rating. In doing so, he surpassed Tony Romo for the most touchdown throws in franchise history, totaling 249. In addition, Prescott posted his 79th career multi-touchdown effort, which also tied Romo's team record.
The primary target on the other end of those passes was CeeDee Lamb, who eclipsed the century mark with 153 receiving yards and two touchdowns for his ninth career multi-score game. Tight end Jake Ferguson also got into the act, catching all four of his targets for 43 yards, two of which were touchdowns as well.
The only negative with the offense was perhaps its continued struggles on the ground. Javonte Williams managed just 2.5 yards per carry for a total of 30 yards, as the Cowboys rushed the ball 21 times for 66 yards, a 3.1 average.
On the other side of the ball, the depth of the Dallas defense was tested. DeMarvion Overshown, Malik Hooker and James Houston were all ruled out before the game due to injuries with P.J. Locke (foot) and Cobie Durant (hamstring) leaving in the first half.
But while the unit did struggle, particularly early on when trying to contain Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels, Christian Parker's troops showed improvement. Prior to leaving the game due to injury, Daniels had run for 69 yards and thrown for 96, including a touchdown. And the Commanders as a team racked up 182 rushing yards for the game.
In fact, Washington outgained Dallas overall, 389 to 332, and held a slight edge in time of possession, 31:29 to 28:31. But as they say, a win is a win.
First Quarter
After stumbling out of the gate in last week's season opener, Prescott and the offense came out firing on all cylinders in this one, jumping out to a 10-0 first-quarter lead.
The team's first series saw the quarterback complete five of six passes for 53 yards and add another 11 on a scramble to account for 64 of the 66 yards during the 10-play drive. The score came with a 3-yard strike to Lamb in the back of the end zone.
That was quickly followed by Dallas reaching the Washington 6-yard line on its next possession before settling for a Brandon Aubrey 25-yard field goal.
Second Quarter
Unfortunately, the Commanders soon found their offensive form and proceeded to put up 10 points of their own. Their initial points came with a 27-yard field goal to get on the board. Then on their next possession, Washington traveled 66 yards in eight plays, with Daniels scrambling for a 20-yard gain early in the series before finishing things off with a 4-yard toss to Stefon Diggs for the touchdown.
But in between those drives by the visitors, the home side added another score to remain in front, 17-10. Prescott stayed hot, completing all six of his passes for 49 yards, including three straight to Ryan Flournoy, although it was Ferguson who got the touchdown, grabbing a 10-yard dart in the end zone.
Still, the Commanders seemed to have the momentum and, with a tick over five minutes left in the half, had plenty of time. And they found themselves with a first-and-goal at the Dallas 1-yard line with 12 seconds on the clock. But the Cowboys defense held its ground, preventing Washington from crossing the goal line before time ran out.
Even worse for the Commanders, Daniels suffered what appeared to be a significant left elbow injury on the final play of the second quarter and was lost for the rest of the day.
Third Quarter
Despite the setback, Washington turned to backup quarterback Marcus Mariota and opened the second half with three more points after a 47-yard field goal. But Dallas caught a bit of a break when what appeared to be a Commanders touchdown by Dyami Brown was ruled incomplete with video replay upholding the call.
The Cowboys answered. The offense used nine plays and ticked 5:30 off the clock to reach the Washington 22-yard line, but a sack on third down brought on Aubrey, who was good from 44 yards to maintain the seven-point advantage.
Which soon increased to a 14-point lead, thanks to the Dallas defense. Mariota dumped a pass off on the left side to Brown, who had the ball knocked loose by rookie Jaishawn Barham. Dee Winters then dove on the fumble, setting the Cowboys up at the Washington 13-yard line.
Two snaps later, Prescott again found Ferguson alone in the end zone, the 12-yard connection pushing the score to 27-13. That also marked the third time in his career the tight end has recorded two touchdowns in a game.
Fourth Quarter
Anything yours can do, ours can do better. After Washington missed a field goal from 51 yards late in the third quarter, the Cowboys took possession at their own 41-yard line but only gained 17 yards to the Commanders' 42. No worries. Out came Aubrey, who split the uprights on a 60-yarder for his seventh career field goal from at least 60, extending his NFL record.
Given the 30-13 lead, the outcome was basically decided, although Washington wasn't giving up the fight. The Commanders came right back and went the 73-yard distance on 10 plays with Diggs getting his second touchdown of the game. This one was a 20-yard throw to the back-right corner of the end zone that Diggs pulled down between two Dallas defenders.
But Prescott stepped up again with a pair of beautiful passes to Lamb. He dropped the first one perfectly into the arms of his wideout down the right sideline for a 35-yard gain. Then Prescott capped off the drive by going back to Lamb, who made a leaping grab over the defender for a 24-yard touchdown to wrap up the day's scoring.
