FRISCO, Texas – Week 12 Edition of Dallas Cowboys (3-7) am Washington commanders (7-4) is unlike any previous matchup in this storied NFC East rivalry.
According to CBS Sports Research, Sunday will be the first meeting between these two teams, with the Cowboys at least three games under .500 and the Commanders at least three games over .500. It will be like that too the Dan Quinn reunion game Because in Week 12, the Cowboys will face the defensive coordinator for the first time from their three straight 12-win seasons from 2021 to 2023, when he will be on the opposite sideline as Washington's head coach. In Quinn's three seasons, Dallas led the league in takeaways (93), interceptions (59), defensive touchdowns (15) and quarterback pressure rate (41.4%) while leading the league in scoring defense (19.9 points per game allowed) took fifth place.
“Just knowing Dan from the other side, I always had a lot of respect for him,” Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said Tuesday. “It was great having him here in Dallas. He has become a very good friend. I'm really pleased with the success he's had. He's done a great job for us and he's doing a great job now.”
To begin with, there will be a comprehensive exploratory process between both sides to test what has changed and what will remain the same from 2023.
“It's something unique because they know you and you know them,” Cowboys offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said Tuesday. “Sometimes it's a little playful when it comes to, 'Hey, are you still doing this?' There are always some fun things you do before the game, but once the ball is snapped, the game is the game.”
Quinn won't be the only ex-Cowboy on the Commanders' sidelines. He brought in Joe Whitt, the Cowboys' defensive back/passing game coordinator, by promoting him to defensive coordinator. Washington also signed center Tyler BiadaszEdge rusher Dorance Armstrong, edge rusher Dante Fowler Jr. and cornerback Noah Igbinoghene in free agency to join Quinn in the nation's capital. Fowler, whose 8.5 sacks are the fifth-most in the category Things are going well this season and he's on pace to surpass his career high of 11.5 sacks set in 2019 Los Angeles Rams.
“We have to block DA, and Dante has to stop the run, and DQ and Joe have to adjust for us,” Schottenheimer said. “And then we have to prepare for them because they actually had the advantage because they had a few extra days to prepare for us. We got the game on Monday night, they had the game on Thursday night, so there are some other things they have for us when you look at it from a Runes perspective, but you don't downplay it. As soon as the ball is kicked off, you just play.
Can the Cowboys end their five-game losing streak, their longest since the 2015 season, against Quinn? Or will the Commanders continue to bury Dallas in the conference standings? Let’s dive in and pick a winner.
Cowboys vs Commanders where to watch
Date: Sunday, November 24th | Time: 1 p.m. ET
Location: Northwest Stadium (Landover, Maryland)
Channel: FOX | Electricity: fuboTV (Try it for free)
Consequences: CBS Sports App
Sports betting Opportunities: Commanders -10.5, O/U 44.5 (above FanDuel)
Check out the latest FanDuel promo code to get into the game.
When the Cowboys have the ball
Eight-year veteran backup for the Cowboys Cooper Rush will make his third straight start following Dak Prescott's Despite losing his first two starts of 2024 by a combined score of 68-16, Dallas suffered a season-ending hamstring injury. This total comes from a 34-6 home loss in Week 10 against the Philadelphia Eagles and the 34:10 home defeat on Monday evening against the Houston Texans in week 11.
In his first start against the Eagles in 2024, Rush became just the third player in the last 20 years with over 20 pass attempts (23) and fewer than 50 passing yards in a game (45). per CBS Sports Research. On Monday, Rush's scoring stats improved: he threw for 354 yards (a career high), one touchdown (a 64-yard catch-and-run touchdown). KaVontae Turpin oblique) and an interception on 32 of 55 passes.
Rush and CeeDee Lambwho is listed on the injury report with a back and foot injury but is not yet eligible to play, is still struggling to find chemistry on the field. Lamb caught 14 of his 22 rushing targets (63.6%) for 114 yards.
“I want to say I missed two passes leading up to the deficit, but the rest was pretty good,” Lamb said of Rush after the loss to the Texans. “I feel like he’s going to get better and better as the season goes on. You can tell he's gotten better from week one to week two in terms of getting started. So he has the self-confidence, I'm happy for him. Obviously, we move the ball but at the end of the day we still have to score… We [the Cowboys as a whole] We haven't put our pieces together yet. We haven’t really figured it out yet, and that sucks.”
One thing Dallas could do on Sunday to get by offensively is to pass the ball over and over and over and over again. Washington is allowing 150.5 rushing yards per game and five yards per carry, both of which are third-worst in the entire NFL. In Week 11, the Eagles posted 228 rushing yards against the Commanders. However, with the nine-time Pro Bowl right guard, that's easier said than done Zack Martin (Ankle/Shoulder) was out and Pro Bowl left the guard Tyler Smith (Ankle/Knee) listed as questionable. That won't help a ground game that has averaged the second-fewest rushing yards per game (81.7) in the league this season. If Dallas wants to fight at all, that's where they have to win: up front. They have allowed at least 140 rushing yards in three of the Commanders' four losses this season.
When the commanders have the ball
Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury is the second-best quarterback overall for 2024 Jayden Daniels had a strong start to his rookie year and is listed as the betting favorite (-400 per Caesar's Sportsbook) to become the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. He did this by putting Daniels in positions where he could easily play. Washington has a solid running back duo Brian Robinson Jr. (524 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns on 117 carries) and Austin Ekeler (333 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns on 65 carries). Add to that a quarterback-friendly system that paces at the fourth-fastest rate in the NFL (33.9 seconds between snaps), uses screens on 14.8% of plays (fifth-highest rate in the NFL) and play-action 18, 6% of games (third highest rate in the nfl).
“I think the most important thing is that he makes sure they play without mistakes,” McCarthy said of Daniels. “I think uptempo definitely favors the offense. I think any offensive coordinator would love to play like that, so I think some of it was very helpful, but he's dynamic. You have to have that extra element of support because of him. “I'm so impressed with his ability to throw the ball in motion and hit all different quadrants [Kingsbury] throws a lot on you. He does a great job, so he’ll challenge you schematically, and Jayden is a big part of that.”
PPG | 28.0 | 4 |
Overall YPG | 366.7 | 6 |
yards/game | 5.9 | 6 |
Rush YPG | 148.0 | 6 |
Pace (average time between snapshots, measured in seconds) | 33.9 | Fourth fastest |
Screen percentage | 14.8% | 5 |
| Play-action percentage | 18.6% | 3 |
Three-time All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons Expect to see a large number of scripts on Sunday, especially after Washington signed Ekeler, one of the nfl's best running backs last offseason. In his seven seasons with the Chargers From 2017 to 2023, Ekeler ranked third in catches (440), third in receiving yards (3,884) and first in receiving touchdowns (30) among running backs. In his first year with the Commanders, he remains a great pass-catcher among running backs with 31 catches (ninth-most among running backs) for 344 yards (fifth-most among running backs), an average of yards per catch of 11, 1 (second best among running backs behind only that Lions' Jahmyr Gibbs).
If Daniels tries to get deep downfield, he will face a greater challenge than any opposing quarterback the Cowboys have faced this season with the 2023 NFL's interceptions leader DaRon Bland will make his debut in the 2024 season on Sunday. He missed the first 10 games of the season while dealing with a stress fracture in his foot that he suffered in the final week of training camp, but he practiced in full every day this week and has no game status on the injury report. McCarthy said Bland came out of practice well on Thursday and did it again on Friday. Between his absence and other notable absences like the four-time Pro Bowler DeMarcus Lawrence (foot injury, missed six games) and Parsons (high ankle sprain, missed four games) – plus a llonger than expected adjustment period Thanks to new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer's scheme, Dallas' defense hasn't been able to find the same rhythm it did under Quinn. While they get Bland back on Sunday, Trevon Diggs was demoted to retirement due to groin and knee injuries.
2023 PPG allowed | 18.5 (5th) | 30.5 (worst) |
2024 PPG allowed | 29.3 (31.) | 22.1 (14.) |
PPG allowed differential | +10.8 (worst) | -8.4 (second best) |
forecast
The Dallas defense should get a boost from Bland's return, and Parsons is feeling stronger the further he gets from his high ankle sprain. However, the Rush-led offense simply isn't deterring opposing defenses: Rush is averaging 5.1 yards per pass attempt, the fourth-lowest in the league since he was named to the starting lineup in Week 10 to replace the injured Prescott. Daniels will help Washington get out to an early, comfortable lead, and the Cowboys will score some points in garbage time to put lipstick on the hog in what will be their sixth straight loss.
Choose: Commanders 34, Cowboys 17
