Commanders Disappoint in Loss to Dallas, 34-26
Two missed extra points for Austin Seibert, who hasn’t missed one all season, capped a wild finish between the Washington Commanders and Dallas Cowboys ending in a 34-26 Commanders loss in Northwest Stadium.
A slow, mistake-prone game of poor special teams play by the Cowboys, an unusual number of Commanders penalties and weak offensive production, ended with a 3-3 score at the half. The game’s final minutes ended with a torrent of big plays that finally left the Commanders with their third consecutive loss and a 7-5 record.
Late in the fourth quarter, after Cooper Rush threw a 22-yard pass to Luke Schoonmaker with 2:47 remaining, the Cowboys moved into a prevent defense. The Commanders’ offense then started moving the ball down the field for the first time since the first drive of the half for a touchdown.
Jaylen Daniels fired a 4-yard pass to Zach Ertz. The two-point conversion was good after Austin Ekeler led the way for Daniels to score a two-point conversion for a 20-17 score.
Down by 3, a bobbled kickoff by KaVontae Turpin looked like it would back up Dallas behind their 20 yard line, but Turpin spun around, caught the kick coverage off guard, and was untouched for a 99-yard kick return and a touchdown that put the Cowboys ahead 27-17 with 2:49 remaining.
The Commanders received the kickoff and as they moved the ball to the 37 yard line, Seibert came in to kick a 54-yard field goal for a 27-20 deficit. By saving time on the clock, the Commanders defense held, the Cowboys punted and the Washington offense started at the 14-yard line with only 33 seconds left.
On first down, Daniels hit Terry McLaurin in stride at the Commanders 42-yard line and McLaurin raced to the end zone for an 86-yard touchdown and what looked like an early Christmas miracle. But the second missed extra point of the day by Seibert left Washington down 27-26. The onside kick dropped into the hands of Juanyeh Thomas for the Cowboys and Thomas raced untouched 43 yards for the touchdown, their second special teams touchdown of the day and the 34-26 final.
The Dallas Cowboys came into Northwest Stadium coming off an embarrassing blowout loss to the Houston Texans in front of a national audience. The same could be said of the Commanders against division opponent Philadelphia Eagles after a devastating fourth quarter on Thursday Night Football.
Following this loss, the Commanders will face the Tennessee Titans next week at home and then have a much needed bye week before the final four games of the regular season.
The Commanders started the game well. Quan Martin blocked a punt and returned it to the Dallas 40 yard line after a 34 yard return by Michael Davis.
A 16 yard option run by Jayden Daniels was one of the best plays of the half by the offense and it ended with a Commanders FG by Austin Seibert. Then, in the second quarter, Phidarian Mathis blocked a Dallas punt and the ball fell at the Dallas 39-yard line.
Just as the offense started moving with a first down pass to Brian Robinson, Jr., returning from a twisted ankle in the first quater, Daniels was pressured to his right and threw an errant pass, bobbled by Robinson, as Chauncey Golston stepped in to intercept the ball and take it to the 50.
The Commanders defense remained impressive, led again by Frankie Luvu and the Commanders received the ball again after 3 plays and a punt.
In their last two losses against the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Eagles in Philadelphia, the offense started to look anemic and receivers were covered. On Sunday, the Cowboys defense continued to confound the Commanders offense for most of the game.
With two minutes remaining in the first half and the score still 3-0, questions started to arise as to teams learning how to defend against a Kliff Kingsbury offense with Jayden Daniels at quarterback.
Stopped again on downs, Tress Way punted to Dallas. The Commanders defense gave up a long pass from Cooper Rush to Jalen Brooks over Benjamin St. Juste and Jeremy Chinn. Brandon Aubrey’s 46-yard field goal tied the score at the half, 3-3.
After a sloppy first half, Kingsbury and the Commanders offense had something to prove for next two quarters of the game. Special teams and the defense played well enough to hold Dallas to 3 points with 7 seconds in the first half.
In the first drive of the second half the offense turned from anemic to auspicious as a mix of the run, the RPO and a 17-yard touchdown run by Jayden Daniels gave the Commanders a 9-3 lead. But Seibert’s extra point missed left–something unusual this season for the Commanders.
Mistakes have been avoided by the Commanders but not against the Cowboys. Penalties, in particular, haunted the Commanders on Sunday and an interference penalty against Noah Igbinoghene at the Commanders goal line turned into a 5 yard touchdown pass from Rush to Jalen Tolbert.
Stepping back early in the fourth quarter the Commanders looked less like a playoff contender and both teams looked generally mediocre.
At 10-9, the bend but don’t break defense had contained the Cowboys offense and other than Daniels, the run was generally shut down. The Cowboys defense had receivers covered man-to-man.
The play of Daniels could reflect a ribbon injury that hasn’t healed or a sputtering Kingsbury offense that has been solved by elite defensive coaches.
With good field position following a punt, Dallas drove to the Commanders 31 yard line and a rejuvenated Brandon Aubrey kicked a 48-yard field to make the score 13-9 with 8:11 remaining in the game.
Even good things turned bad for the Commanders. A completed first down pass to John Bates was fumbled and lost to Dallas. It was again unusual for the Commanders offense this season.
Dallas took over against a Commanders defense that needed to hold the Cowboys to at least a field goal. But a 22-yard touchdown to a wide open Schoonmaker on a busted coverage put the Cowboys ahead 20-9 against the Commanders with a little more than five minutes to play. Then, the fireworks began until they fizzled out for the Commanders.
The loss to Dallas, the third loss in a row, was the result of an ineffective offense, unusually prominent mistakes and missed opportunities for mostly three quarters and 10 minutes. It has brought Washington fans down to earth in expectations with the team falling from 7-2 to a 7-5 record.
After another division loss, the Commanders are back to a team originally expected to be 9-8 at best. Granted, the playoffs and a 10-7 record would still be gravy for the season, but that gravy is running out.
However exciting the game ended on Sunday, after three consecutive losses, another loss to a division team–especially Dallas–has turned the month of November into a big turkey.