The Dallas Cowboys need a response, and they need it fast.
After the Week 1 loss to the New York Giants, Dallas heads into its home-opener against the Washington Commanders with plenty to clean up on both sides of the ball. The defense looked vulnerable, the offense left opportunities on the field, and the overall performance raised real questions. Sunday gives the Cowboys a chance to start answering them.
One of the biggest names to watch is Von Miller, who made his Cowboys debut this weekend but was brought along slowly. He played just 11 snaps and didn’t show up in the stat sheet, but that figures to change soon. In this matchup, the bold call is that Miller starts settling in and logs his first sack of the season against his former team.
Javonte Williams is another player in line for a bounce-back showing. He was penalized late against the Giants and was fined Wednesday, then accepted responsibility for it and said it wouldn’t happen again.
Against Washington, the matchup has been kind to him before. He put up 116 yards and a touchdown in Week 7 last year, then added another 54 yards and a touchdown in Week 17 before leaving early with a shoulder issue.
The prediction here is that he gets back to that level, topping 100 rushing yards and scoring once more.
Cobie Durant also enters the game with momentum after being one of the few bright spots in Dallas’ secondary in Week 1. He allowed just one catch on three targets across 26 coverage snaps and posted a 73.4 coverage grade, which ranked 17th among all cornerbacks that week. Even with Terry McLaurin and Stefon Diggs in the Commanders’ receiving mix, the expectation is that Durant keeps his side of the field under control and continues making his case as one of the Cowboys’ best offseason additions.
And then there’s Dak Prescott, who has long handled Washington well. He carries a 13-2 career record against the NFC East rival into this one, averaging 247.7 passing yards per game and just over two touchdown passes in those meetings. That track record makes him the cleanest bet of the group: a strong outing with at least 300 passing yards and two touchdowns as he gets the Cowboys’ offense moving.
In Other News...
Commanders Lose Key Piece Of Jayden Daniels Attack Before Cowboys
A hamstring injury will keep Chig Okonkwo out of the Commanders Week 2 trip to face the Cowboys, taking away one of Jayden Daniels more useful early-season targets just as Washington tries to build on its opener. Dan Quinn confirmed the tight end will not play, and the timing stings with a divisional game on deck.
John Bates and Ben Sinnott are expected to absorb the added snaps at tight end, giving the Commanders a different look in an offense that was already sorting out roles in the passing game. For Daniels, it means another adjustment before facing Dallas, and for Washington, it adds one more layer of uncertainty to a matchup that rarely needs any extra help becoming complicated. [Read more 🡒]
Terry McLaurin's Quiet Opener Has Commanders Fans Watching One Problem
Terry McLaurins Week 1 line was a quiet one by his standards, with just two catches for 14 yards in Washingtons loss to the Eagles, and it immediately put a familiar question back on the table for the Commanders. When defenses spend extra attention on McLaurin, the rest of the passing game has to do more than simply hope he gets loose a few times.
Jayden Daniels said Washington has answers for the coverage McLaurin is seeing, and he stressed the need to make the most of those moments when the receiver does get free. That is the tension hanging over the offense now: McLaurin remains the player opponents are built to stop, but the Commanders need the rest of the operation to turn those openings into something more before another tight game slips away. [Read more 🡒]
Stefon Diggs Faced A Defining Commanders Moment After Eagles Mistake
After a touchdown catch in a tight game, Stefon Diggs found himself at the center of the Commanders frustrations when an unsportsmanlike penalty changed the complexion of a drive that had been building toward a tying opportunity. For a team still trying to establish its identity and standards, the moment mattered as much for the reaction afterward as it did for the flag itself.
Diggs addressed his teammates directly and took responsibility for the mistake, speaking candidly about what it meant to him and his role in the room. The follow-up was the important part for Washington, because the way a veteran handles a miscue can say plenty about the culture a team is trying to build, and this one was framed as a step toward accountability rather than avoidance. [Read more 🡒]