The Cowboys didn’t get the start they wanted, but Week 2 offers a much friendlier setup. Dallas is back at AT&T Stadium after a 28-20 loss to the New York Giants, and Washington is rolling in with the same 0-1 record after falling 24-22 to the Philadelphia Eagles. That means Sunday’s home opener already has a clear edge: somebody in the NFC East is going to leave 0-2.
For Dallas, the biggest reason for optimism starts with Dak Prescott and the Commanders. Prescott has carved them up for years, going 13-2 in 15 career games against Washington with 3,716 passing yards, 32 touchdowns, five interceptions and a 107.4 passer rating.
At home, he has been even more ruthless. In seven games against Washington in Dallas, Prescott is 7-0, has completed 68% of his throws, piled up 20 touchdowns without an interception and posted a 126.4 passer rating.
That history got a fresh reminder last October, when Washington came to AT&T Stadium and Dallas rolled to a 44-22 win. Prescott went 21 of 30 for 264 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, good for a 130.4 passer rating. The Cowboys finished with 409 yards and scored on three of their four red-zone trips.
That game was a full-team beatdown. Javonte Williams ran for 116 yards and a touchdown on 6.1 yards per carry.
CeeDee Lamb caught five passes for 110 yards and a score. George Pickens added 82 receiving yards.
Jake Ferguson was especially sharp, hauling in all seven of his targets for two touchdowns.
That tight end production matters again this week. Philadelphia just attacked Washington the same way, with Dallas Goedert catching four passes for a team-high 77 yards and two touchdowns, including a 43-yard score.
Jalen Hurts finished with three touchdown passes and no interceptions. Ferguson already showed he can punish this defense around the goal line, and Washington’s recent trouble against tight ends gives Dallas another path.
There was encouragement for the Cowboys in the way they finished against the Giants, too. Dallas only had two offensive possessions in the second half because New York dominated the clock, but both ended in touchdowns.
One drive went 12 plays and 75 yards, capped by a Williams rushing score. The next time the Cowboys touched the ball, Prescott quickly marched them downfield and found Williams for a 17-yard touchdown catch.
Williams ended Week 1 with two total touchdowns, one on the ground and one through the air. Lamb scored Dallas’ other touchdown, and Prescott threw for two scores. The final offensive numbers weren’t pretty because Dallas barely had the ball, but the late-game rhythm was real.
The defense also produced a couple of useful flashes. Rookie safety Caleb Downs recorded his first NFL sack, hitting Jaxson Dart and forcing a fumble that New York recovered. Quinnen Williams later forced Dallas’ first takeaway of the season, and Shavon Revel came up with the recovery.
That could matter against Washington, which is already missing its most accomplished blocker. Five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil is on injured reserve after a torn triceps, and Brandon Coleman has moved back outside to replace him.
Jer’Zhan Newton is also on injured reserve, along with cornerback Trey Amos. Tunsil’s absence gives Dallas a real opening up front.
Jayden Daniels did not light up the Eagles in Week 1, either. He completed 18 of 34 passes for 164 yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
A lot of that production came late, during Washington’s comeback push. Dallas has shown before that it can make Daniels uncomfortable.
The Cowboys do not need a perfect defensive performance. They just need more disruption, more stops, and more chances for Prescott and the offense to work.
Washington has its own injury questions after Week 1. Tight end Chig Okonkwo left the Philadelphia game with a hamstring injury, while linebacker Frankie Luvu and special teams standout Tyler Owens also got hurt.
Their status for Dallas will become clearer later in the week. Luvu is the one worth watching most closely, especially with Tyler Smith still on injured reserve.
There’s also the simple scheduling edge. Dallas opened on the road in a primetime divisional game.
Now it gets its first home game of the year. Washington, on the other hand, is going from one divisional road trip in Philadelphia straight into another tough NFC East setting.
Prescott has never lost to the Commanders at home, and that’s the kind of history Dallas would love to keep rolling.
In Other News...
Former Cowboys Pass Rusher Returns With Something To Prove In Dallas
Dorance Armstrong is set to make his 2026 debut Sunday against the Cowboys, a familiar opponent for a pass rusher who spent years in Dallas before moving on to Washington. After serving a one-game suspension and working back from the torn ACL that wiped out most of last season, Armstrong enters the matchup with a fresh chance to reestablish himself in a game that still carries some extra edge for everyone involved.
Washington's staff has said it is confident Armstrong is ready to go, and the plan is to rotate him with the rest of the pass-rush group to keep his workload manageable. For Dallas, that means facing a former defensive end who knows the building, the personnel and the stage, even if the bigger question now is how much of Armstrong's old burst has returned after such a long absence. [Read more 🡒]
Jerry Jones Just Raised The Stakes For Dallas' Shaky Defense
Jerry Jones didnt sound interested in pretending the Cowboys defensive performance in Week 1 was anything close to where it needs to be. The team owner acknowledged Dallas underestimated the Giants in the opener, and with Washington up next, he pointed to the defense as the area most likely to show a better version of itself in a game that already feels important for setting the tone of the season.
The challenge for Dallas is that belief and execution are two different things, and the defense has given plenty of reasons for skepticism already. Jones is framing the Commanders matchup as a chance to reset, but until the Cowboys actually string together a cleaner outing, every promise of improvement comes with a layer of doubt that the schedule will quickly test. [Read more 🡒]
Jerry Jones May Soon Face A Cowboys Decision He Hates
Brian Schottenheimers second season in Dallas already carries the sort of early pressure that tends to come with this franchise, even if the Cowboys have historically shown more patience with head coaches than most. After going 7-9-1 in his first year, Schottenheimer watched the team open a new defensive chapter by moving on from Matt Eberflus and turning the unit over to Christian Parker, a change meant to steady a side of the ball that has been a major point of concern.
Instead, the defense stumbled in Week 1 against the New York Giants, and that is where the unease begins to creep in for a team that cannot afford another losing year. There is already speculation about Schottenheimers seat if the record goes the wrong way again, and for Jerry Jones, the uncomfortable part may be less about making a change than having to consider one at all. [Read more 🡒]