{"id":304048,"date":"2025-10-15T01:03:15","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T01:03:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/304048\/"},"modified":"2025-10-15T01:03:15","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T01:03:15","slug":"5-things-to-know-about-the-dallas-cowboys-week-7-opponent-the-washington-commanders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/304048\/","title":{"rendered":"5 things to know about the Dallas Cowboys\u2019 Week 7 opponent, the Washington Commanders"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Commanders suffered a tough loss Monday night at the hands of the Bears.<\/a> On Sunday, they\u2019ll look to bounce back when they visit the Cowboys <\/a>at AT&T Stadium.<\/p>\n

With a 3\u20133 record, Washington sits in second place in the NFC East and has yet to suffer back-to-back losses this season.<\/p>\n

Here are five things to know about the Cowboys\u2019 upcoming opponent, the Washington Commanders:<\/p>\n

Red zone success<\/p>\n

Cowboys<\/p>\n

Be the smartest Cowboys fan. Get the latest news.<\/p>\n

By signing up, you agree to our\u00a0Terms of Service<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n

The Commanders will be a major headache for the Cowboys once they reach Dallas\u2019 20-yard line. Washington ranks fifth in the NFL with a 73.3% touchdown rate in the red zone. <\/p>\n

The Commanders have reached the red zone on approximately 33.3% of their offensive drives, according to fantasypros.com<\/p>\n

A strong ground game and the mobility of quarterback Jayden Daniels are key factors behind Washington\u2019s efficiency inside opponents\u2019 20-yard territory.<\/p>\n

Defensively, however, Washington struggles in the red zone, allowing touchdowns on 58% of opponent trips (15th in the league). The Cowboys fare even worse, ranking 24th in red zone defense with a 65% touchdown rate allowed.<\/p>\n

Scorching rookie<\/p>\n

The Commanders unearthed a gem in this year\u2019s draft with the selection of Arizona Wildcats running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt. The 24-year-old, 208-pound back has totaled 344 yards on 60 carries, averaging 5.7 yards per carry and scoring four touchdowns.<\/p>\n

The seventh-round pick has showcased exceptional speed and agility to avoid being tackled. He also displays impressive shiftiness in tight spaces, using quick cuts and deceptive footwork to slip past defenders and generate explosive plays.<\/p>\n

Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury<\/a> believes Croskey-Merritt can still improve significantly.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has to keep working to become a complete back, but since day one, when he touches the ball, he does good things with it,\u201d Kingsbury said in a recent press conference.<\/p>\n

Croskey-Merritt was named NFL Rookie of the Week for Week 5 after his performance against the Los Angeles Chargers. In that game, he rushed for 111 yards and two touchdowns in his team\u2019s 27\u201310 victory.<\/a><\/p>\n

Odds favor Washington<\/p>\n

Although they\u2019ll be on the road at AT&T Stadium, Washington enters the game as a slight favorite by 2.5 points, with the over\/under set around 53.5.<\/p>\n

Historically, the rivalry tilts heavily in Dallas\u2019 favor \u2014 the Cowboys lead the all-time series 79\u201349\u20132.<\/p>\n

According to 10,000 simulations run by Dimers\u2019 NFL model, the Commanders have a 56% chance of winning, with a projected final score of 25\u201323.<\/p>\n

Shaky defense<\/p>\n

Linebacker Bobby Wagner continues to anchor Washington\u2019s defense. He leads the team in total tackles (65) and remains one of the league\u2019s top run-stoppers. In 2024, Wagner recorded 132 tackles and led the team in several defensive categories. Defensive end Dorance Armstrong, a former Cowboy<\/a>, led the team in sacks with 5.5 in 2024.<\/p>\n

Overall, Washington\u2019s defense has struggled this year, allowing an average of 357 yards per game (26th in the NFL). That number jumps to 392 yards per game when playing on the road. The Commanders ranked 17th in opponent third-down conversions, allowing an average of five per game.<\/p>\n

The Kingsbury factor <\/p>\n

Kliff Kingsbury is doing a good job in his second year as offensive coordinator.<\/p>\n

Washington\u2019s offense ranks 13th in the NFL, averaging 346 yards per game, and is one of the league\u2019s most prolific scoring units with 26 points per game (7th overall).<\/p>\n

Kingsbury has deep Texas roots, born in San Antonio and serving as head coach at Texas Tech from 2013 to 2018. <\/a><\/p>\n

He\u2019s built a reputation for blending aggressive offensive schemes with a keen understanding of individual player strengths.<\/p>\n

He has earned widespread recognition for his role in developing a remarkable lineup of quarterbacks, including Case Keenum, Johnny Manziel, Baker Mayfield, Patrick Mahomes, Kyler Murray, Caleb Williams, and now Jayden Daniels.<\/p>\n

Kingsbury also served as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals from 2019 to 2022.<\/p>\n

Daniels has credited Kingsbury for his evolution as an NFL quarterback.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s meant a lot, obviously, for my development and my growth\u201d, Daniels said in an interview with ESPN. <\/p>\n

\u201cJust to be able to see and get to learn the type of person Kliff is on and off the field, it\u2019s only helped our relationship grow.\u201d<\/p>\n

Find more Cowboys coverage from The Dallas Morning News here<\/b><\/a>.<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Commanders suffered a tough loss Monday night at the hands of the Bears. On Sunday, they\u2019ll look…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":304049,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5135],"tags":[5229,7311,1596,8998,1232,62,358,10928,3187,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-304048","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dallas","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-cowboys","10":"tag-dallas","11":"tag-dallas-cowboys","12":"tag-nfl","13":"tag-sports","14":"tag-texas","15":"tag-things-to-know","16":"tag-tx","17":"tag-united-states","18":"tag-united-states-of-america","19":"tag-unitedstates","20":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","21":"tag-us","22":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115375492601305419","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/304048","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=304048"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/304048\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/304049"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=304048"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=304048"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=304048"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}