Washington Commanders vs Dallas Cowboys Round 2: Five Questions with Blogging the Boys

Will the Commanders stumble again to an out-of-contention Cowboys team?

It’s week 18 of the NFL season and the 11-5 Washington Commanders will be facing a 7-9 Cowboys team at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX this Sunday at 1:00 pm ET. The Cowboys have had a tumultuous season, starting out 3-2, then losing 5 straight games to get to 3-7, then winning 4 of their next 5 games to get to 7-8 before finally getting blown out by the Eagles last week. The one constant of the Cowboys season has been injuries, as they are tied for the 5th-most week 1 starters on IR in the NFL.

The Cowboys offense and defense were broken down in more detail in our last 5Qs with them. At the time, the Cowboys offense ranked near last in the league in rushing, but has since rebounded somewhat as the defense improved and as Cooper Rush took over for an injured Dak Prescott, forcing the Cowboys to run more to keep balance in their attack. Although Cooper Rush performed admirably as a backup QB at distributing the ball, he relied heavily on CeeDee Lamb as a receiver, as Lamb absorbed a hefty 27% of Cowboys targets. What’s more, Lamb was Rush’s security blanket, as throwing a quick pass to CeeDee Lamb was Rush’s most effective way to counter a blitz. Now CeeDee Lamb is on IR and the Cowboys passing attack has lost its star power.

I asked David Halprin of Blogging the Boys five questions to better understand the state of the Cowboys and what to look for in this game.

1) What did you learn about both our teams the last time they faced off?

I’m not really sure what I learned about the Commanders, but what I learned about the Cowboys was they weren’t ready to throw in the towel on the season. We entered that game against the Commanders at 3-7 and had just been blown out by the Texans. Honestly there was a lot of talk about tanking and draft positioning and punting on the rest of 2024. The Cowboys were terrible up until that point, losing by large margins sometimes. Somehow Mike McCarthy managed to pull the team together and pull off the upset. From that point until the recent Eagles calamity, Dallas looked like a competent football team and that started the buzz about keeping McCarthy (which I am against, by the way).

2) Since our last matchup, the Cowboys went on to win 3 out of 4 games before getting blown out by the Eagles last week. What do you think changed for the Cowboys to change their momentum and have them playing better football?

As for what happened, it’s hard to say exactly. We did get healthy at some spots and having guys like Micah Parsons and DaRon Bland back on defense really helped. Also, it’s said that it takes a team a while to learn Mike Zimmer’s scheme and that seemed to be true. On offense Cooper Rush settled down, and the Cowboys offensive line finally started to click. That coincided with the team deciding to ride Rico Dowdle and the run game. It all came together to make them play like a real football team instead of what they were through the first 10 games.

Rico Dowdle has emerged as the Cowboys primary RB, though he is in a contract year and will likely demand a significant raise in order to stay with Dallas in the offseason.

3) What are the Cowboys biggest weaknesses right now and how should the Commanders gameplan for them on both sides of the ball?

The Cowboys cornerback position has been decimated by injury and they had to rely on practice squad call up Andrew Booth last week. The Eagles exploited that matchup mercilessly, avoiding DaRon Bland and Jourdan Lewis and going after Booth and the rest of the secondary. Whoever the Cowboys play as the third corner this week, scheme to take advantage of that matchup. On defense, just make sure the Cowboys run game doesn’t get going. Without CeeDee Lamb, the Cowboys passing attack is very suspect so force Rush to beat you, don’t let Dowdle start running wild.

Cowboys cornerback Andrew Booth Jr. (25) was a 2nd round pick by the Vikings in 2022. Acquired through trade by the Cowboys, he was roasted by DeVonta Smith last week to the tune of 120 receiving yards and 2 TDs.

4) What changes do you want to see made for the Cowboys in the offseason?

I would like for them to move on from Mike McCarthy. They need an upgraded offensive scheme that takes full advantage of multiple shifts before the snap, the ability to integrate a player like KaVontae Turpin in more, and does a better job of scheming receivers to get greater separation. Our offense feels very conventional and from a decade or so ago. We should also start making a real effort in free agency to try and improve the roster that way. Jerry and Stephen Jones need to get a lot more creative with how they build the roster using free agency and trades instead of just the draft.

5) For an outside perspective, what do you think about where the Commanders are and where they are going?

I can’t say too much about it since I don’t follow the inner workings of the team, so I can only talk on a surface level. But they have done two important things. First they got a head coach who has had success in the league and seems to really connect with his players. We know that firsthand with Dan Quinn over the previous few years. But most importantly, you found a quarterback. Sometimes it feels like 90% of success in the NFL is down to having a talented quarterback. You guys now have that so anything is possible moving forward.

Thanks again to David Halprin for taking time out of his day to answer our questions about the Cowboys, even during a busy holiday period.