The Cowboys ended a three-game losing streak and breathed a little life back into their season, drubbing the rival Washington Redskins 38-14 in Dallas. The win got the Cowboys back to .500 with a 6-6 record, keeping their slim playoff hopes alive for at least another week.
Alfred Morris and the Cowboys offensive line dominated the game. Morris had 127 of the Cowboys’ 182 total rushing yards. Both he and Rod Smith each put in a touchdown as Dallas finally got back to the winning formula they’ve missed since losing Ezekiel Elliott.
Dak Prescott only had 102 yards on 50% passing, but he did throw two touchdowns. The early part of the game looked scarily similar to the problems of the last three weeks, but once the run game got going it allowed Prescott to settle in and the offense to execute. Even after suffering an injury to his throwing hand, Dak played his best football as the game went on.
The Cowboys defense took advantage of Washington’s severely banged-up offensive line. DeMarcus Lawrence had two sacks, raising his season total to 13.5. David Irving and Taco Charlton also got to Kirk Cousins one time each. Washington only managed 56 rushing yards on 19 carries.
Despite being under duress, Cousins did have a strong game with 251 yards and two touchdowns. While he also had two picks (caught by Jeff Heath and Anthony Brown), one came on a drop by Jamison Crowder and then Kirk got hit on the other. The Cowboys “bend but don’t break” defense worked today, though, thanks largely to their rediscovered offense.
Other Notes
- Dez Bryant finally got the long-awaited touchdown that made him the franchise leader in receiving scores. His 72nd career touchdown put him ahead of “Bullet” Bob Hayes for the top spot in Cowboys history. You can read more about Bryant’s special moment here.
- Below Dez and Bullet Bob, Jason Witten broke his tie with Michael Irvin and claimed the third spot on the all-time TD list. His 66th career touchdown came in the early 2nd Quarter, putting Dallas up 7-0 and giving the offense its first sense of accomplishment in weeks.
- Ryan Switzer electrified things with an 83-yard punt return touchdown in the 2nd Quarter. The rookie has been flashing his skill the last few weeks, and now he’s finally taken one to the house. It’s especially impressive given the ankle issues he had all week, which at one point had his status for the game in question.
- Anthony Hitchens led the defense with 15 tackles, three of which were for a loss. Jaylon Smith also showed up with some nice stops. It was the first game where Sean Lee’s absence was not so painful.
- Rookie corner Chidobe Awuzie had a nice showing, deflecting several passes and looking like he’s been out there all season. Kavon Frazier also made some big plays in a rotation role.
- The Cowboys now get 10 days off before traveling to New York to face the Giants next Sunday. Will Geno Smith, Eli Manning, Davis Webb, Phil Simms, or Johnny Moxon be their quarterback by Week 14? Will Ben McAdoo still be their coach? We’ll find out.
