The Dallas Cowboys put together an impressive show on offense, defense, and special teams to steamroll the Washington Commanders 44-22. This win was a great turnaround win for the Cowboys, who were the talk of the town for all the wrong reasons in weeks prior. In the first half, cornerback DaRon Bland stood out with a terrific play on an interception. He took it the other way 68 yards for a touchdown, further solidifying his stamp all over this game.
Todd Archer, an NFL reporter at ESPN, has covered the Dallas Cowboys since 2003 and provided insights into the game. Archer has been covering the NFL since 1997 and joined ESPN in 2010, bringing extensive experience to his analysis of the team. He underscored the Cowboys’ commitment to playing to their defensive strengths. The examples shown above were all from times they played man coverage — 59% of the game.
The Commanders were handcuffed offensively, trotting out a roster without their top three receivers that cut their offensive capabilities immensely. Quarterback Jayden Daniels didn’t play the last four drives of the second half after suffering a hamstring injury. This left the team in a lurch and needing to find other options.
The Cowboys’ defensive line terrorized the Commanders all night, with 4 sacks. One of those emerging contributors was Donovan Ezeiruaku, who made his versatility known with a big third-down sack.
Bland’s INT ignited some much-needed momentum for the Cowboys. That’s why he was able to read the quarterback almost instantly and make a quick read-and-react decision. With this play, he electrified not just his teammates, but the fans in Indianapolis as well.
“The interception by DaRon was a really powerful moment for our football team,” – Schottenheimer
After the game, Cowboys QB Dak Prescott stated that he’s proud of the mental toughness that his team displayed. He said it was how they dealt with challenges, as well as criticism from outside that helped them respond.
“Proud of them — the coaches, everybody — for buckling down, and not only that, answering through the noise, through the adversity, right?” – Cowboys quarterback
He reiterated the team’s enthusiasm to continue from this momentum. They are hell-bent on repaying the defense by not doing them any favors and scoring more touchdowns.
“They’re not naive for what they’ve been doing and to what everybody’s been saying, and they answered the bell. So I most definitely think they can continue this. And that energy is electric. And for us on offense, all we want to do is repay them and go score touchdowns.” – Cowboys quarterback
His comments reflect a mature understanding of the long road ahead for his team as they strive to maintain their competitive edge throughout the season.
“You can’t take one game and think that’s the highlight of the season. We’ve still got a long way to go.” – DaRon Bland
“You know how much time and effort we’ve put into talking about ‘All about the ball’ and winning the turnover battle. That was really cool to see. We’ve been talking about it in terms of trying to manifest it to happen… It was kind of a stamp [on the game] for all the things the guys have done and gone through.” – Schottenheimer
He too looked back at Bland’s showing, comparing it to previous winning moments.
“Everyone was playing hard. And, I feel like tackling better.” – Osa Odighizuwa
As they move forward, the Cowboys will look to build on this victory while maintaining focus on their long-term goals. That Washington performance showed what they’re capable of, but it highlighted the need to do it week in and week out.
“Same team. At home. Kind of like a little flashback, and you know that’s what he’s capable of. So it’s cool to get a pick-six again.” – Osa Odighizuwa
As they move forward, the Cowboys will look to build on this victory while maintaining focus on their long-term goals. The performance against Washington demonstrated their potential but also underscored the need for sustained effort.
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