LANDOVER, Md. — When it mattered most in Thursday’s 30-23 win over the Washington Commanders, the Cowboys did what they needed to. Their ability to convert first downs during winning moments should be commended.
But a follow-up question: Should it have been that difficult? The way they started on offense would’ve suggested no.
The Cowboys offense started off fast against a Washington defense that’s struggled mightily this season. They scored touchdowns on their first three possessions, punctuated by quarterback Dak Prescott’s 86-yard touchdown pass to KaVontae Turpin. The Cowboys led 21-3 at that time.
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“It was huge, knowing going into this game teams, I guess you could say, not playing for anything, you wanted to get on top and not give them any hope,” Prescott said.
Ultimately, the Cowboys allowed Washington to rebuild hope as the game went on. Their defense allowed the Commanders and third-string quarterback Josh Johnson to claw back into the game, but it was their offense that struggled to put the Commanders away until Prescott found George Pickens for a 21-yard gain on third-and-1 with under two minutes left.
The Cowboys scored three Brandon Aubrey field goals after they went up 21-3. That sputtering performance, from a scoring perspective, came days after they were shutout in the second half in Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
“We’ve got to do a better job of finishing,” Prescott said after the game. “This game could’ve stayed lopsided.”
There were multiple reasons for it. Prescott said the Commanders deserve some credit for how they competed and executed after allowing three straight scores to start the game. Left tackle Tyler Smith said their early start was sparked by a “happy marriage” of running the ball and throwing it and playing a clean game devoid self-inflicted mistakes.
“I think where they got us was coming out of the half we kind of stalled ourselves a bit,” Smith said. “Kind of got ourselves behind the sticks. We didn’t convert the way we wanted to, so it’s about being consistent.”
The offensive performance overall was inconsistent. Prescott, for example, had the eighth-lowest completion percentage of his career (51.4%). He was also sacked a season-high six times.
Still, the Cowboys did just enough to win, even if was a stark difference from how they began. Smith said he recalled there being moments where it wasn’t easy for the offense to move the ball. He said he kept reminding himself to keep swinging, knowing they would be in for a battle in the second half — something that proved to be true. Ultimately, the switch from success to struggle didn’t affect that mentality.
“If you’re weak-minded, yeah, definitely I would say that,” Smith said about the second half struggles potentially affecting them. “You need a strong mind. When things are going your way in football, it’s like a movie … but how are you going to be on fourth and short? How are you going to be when you give up a sack? How are you going to be when you’re getting edged when you don’t want to get edged? You have to be a competitor through all phases of the game.”
The Cowboys showed that in the end — even if the beginning indicated it didn’t have to be that much of a struggle.
“Ultimately, us not finishing the way we wanted, but at the end of the day, we had the ball with two minutes and we needed a first down,” Prescott said, “and we did that and got the win.”
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