Good, bad and ugly doesn't even begin to cover everything that happened in DC on Sunday. To paint a true picture you would have to invent some completely new adjectives because wild, crazy and completely crazy wouldn't even come close to doing justice to the Cowboys' stunning 34-26 victory.
While Cooper Rush, Rico Dowdle and CeeDee Lamb all had solid performances, the afternoon really belonged to the Cowboys' defense, which kept Washington well under control for most of the contest and – although it faltered badly towards the end – managed not to break it was most important. There were even unexpected heroes like Josh Butler and Luke Schoonmaker who came to the rescue on a day when most of Dallas' obvious playmakers were sidelined with injuries. This ragtag group of substitutes gave Cowboys fans their first lead to celebrate in a long time and gave them their first win since early October.
But it certainly wasn't easy. While special teams scored the two game-winning touchdowns in the final three minutes, they were also responsible for the game's most frustrating moments before the thrilling climax. Brandon Aubrey in particular has his lucky stars to thank for the fact that the trip to Washington only takes place once a year. Tyler Guyton added his own insane contributions that Cowboys fans have grown accustomed to…and are deeply sick of. And it's to be expected that many of those fans will now start arguing about whether future Cowboys wins are ultimately even a good thing, now that many of them have adopted the tanking philosophy.
However, that debate is for another day as it marks a rare win Monday for Cowboys Nation. Here's a look at the wild, the crazy, and the downright crazy…the good, the bad, and the ugly that made Week 12 one to remember.
Cowboys fans can be forgiven for not remembering what it's like to have a bigger number on the scoreboard than the other team. (Refresher: It says a trace (In NFL parlance.) When Cooper Rush found Jalen Tolbert in the end zone with 4:40 left in the third quarter, the score was 9-9. When Brandon Aubrey connected on the ensuing PAT attempt (certainly not a suggestion for either team's kickers on Sunday), it not only gave the Cowboys a 10-9 lead, but also put them in some unfamiliar territory. Before that moment, the Cowboys had never led in a game since the opening minutes of their Week 9 loss in Atlanta. And in the five complete games following the team's last win – in Week 5 against Pittsburgh – the Cowboys had held the lead for a total of less than 20 minutes.
The first-round draft pick entered Sunday's game as the NFC's most reported player, with 12 calls against him. (Not all were counted or accepted.) Against Washington, he again drew four draws – a season high: holding, two illegal formation violations and a false start. One of those penalties negated a 17-yard deep-ball catch by CeeDee Lamb that would have put Dallas in the red zone early in the fourth quarter. After his false start in the next series, the coaches pulled him off the field and replaced him with Asim Richards. The big 22-year-old showed promise in his rookie season and is certainly continuing to develop, but his penalty problem (he averages more than one per game) continues to cost the team yardage, momentum and even points.
John Fassel's unit has been a bright spot for most of his tenure in Dallas, despite some high-profile mistakes of late. On Sunday they were everywhere. A Bryan Anger punt was blocked, and Brandon Aubrey missed a field goal, had another blocked and cost the Cowboys valuable field position in the fourth quarter by missing the landing zone on a kickoff. KaVontae Turpin obviously made up for a lot of that bad juju with his ridiculous kick return for a touchdown, and Juanyeh Thomas came in with an onside kickback for the final dagger. But even these were mixed. Turpin's return began with a frightening muff and seemed destined for disaster, and the smarter play by Thomas would have been to go to the ground so the offense could kneel until the end (instead of giving the ball back to the Commanders for that nail). Biter of a Hail Mary attempt). “Bones” has to refine a lot of things with his boys for the home stretch of the season.
The Cowboys' defense has been a liability in several games this season, but Mike Zimmer's unit showed up and showed up against their former coordinator. Highlights include: scoring three takeaways (and another forced fumble), holding Washington to just 4 of 12 on third down, forcing four three-and-outs on the day (including three such drives in a row in the second). halftime) and limiting commanders to less than 20 yards on nearly half of their possessions. They gave Jayden Daniels & Co. some free rein in the final quarter, but got it done in the end. Cornerback and USFL product Josh Butler had a great game, leading Dallas in tackles by a wide margin and adding a sack and three passes defended. He could be the next surprise star of a Cowboys defense that suddenly made a statement on Sunday.
Since moving from the USFL, Brandon Aubrey has been almost automatic… anywhere but the Commanders' home stadium. The Cowboys kicker's only two missed field goals of the entire 2023 season came at what was then called FedEx Field – a miss and a block. It's now called Northwest Stadium, but Aubrey missed two more in his return there Sunday – again a miss and a block. In his short NFL career, Aubrey shot an impressive 62 of 69 (playoffs included) on field goals; he missed one in New York, one in Pittsburgh, one at home in Dallas… and, incredibly, four in Washington.
Coming into kickoff, things looked terribly bleak for the Cowboys, with a significant portion of their squad missing due to injury. In addition to the obvious missing people like Dak Prescott, DeMarcus Lawrence, Markquese Bell and Sam Williams, there were many others. Brandin Cooks' return was delayed for at least one game, and Trevon Diggs, Caelen Carson, Zack Martin, Tyler Smith and Jake Ferguson were all declared inactive late Sunday morning. To some, it certainly seemed like the tank job was in order for Dallas. But the team only had a short week to prepare for this upset win in Washington, and it will have even less time to reload for the Giants on Thursday. Were some of these players simply held off to give them a better chance of getting fit on Thanksgiving? Will the Week 12 win change any long-term roster strategies? A postseason berth remains highly unlikely and a top-10 draft pick still seems likely no matter what happens from here on out, but it will be fascinating to watch how the Cowboys manage their many rehabilitating players over the next six weeks .
