Washington Commanders

The Cowboys aren’t being shy about going for it on fourth down against the Commanders and so far it’s worked well.

Javonte Williams capped a 17-play drive with a 4-yard touchdown to put the Cowboys up 14-3 with 12:06 left in the second quarter.

So far, the Cowboys are 4-of-4 on fourth down in the contest. The club is just 1-of-5 on third down.

On this possession, Prescott and George Pickens converted fourth-and-1 from midfield with a 19-yard completion down to the Washington 31.

Then Dallas converted fourth-and-2 with a Prescott pass to receiver Jalen Tolbert for 4 yards to get into the red zone.

Finally, Williams converted fourth-and-1 from the 10 with a 1-yard run up the gut, evading a couple of defenders in the process.

Washington safety Jeremy Reaves was flagged for unnecessary roughness with a hit to Pickens’ head on an incomplete pass to make it first-and-goal at the 4. From there, Williams put the ball in the box for his 11th rushing touchdown of the season.

The Cowboys got off to a hot start against their division rival on Christmas.

Dak Prescott connected with tight end Jake Ferguson for a 6-yard touchdown to cap Dallas’ opening drive, giving the club a 7-0 lead over Washington.

Javonte Williams showed some tough running, converting fourth-and-1 from the Dallas 44 with a 4-yard run from the Dallas 44.

Then Malik Davis had the chunk play on the possession, taking a handoff up the middle 21 yards to the Washington 31.

George Pickens got involved early as well with a 19-yard reception on third-and-5 to put the club at the 7-yard line.

A play later, Prescott hit Ferguson in the back of the end zone. Ferguson bobbled the ball a bit before securing the catch for the score.

It was Ferguson’s eighth touchdown of the season and Prescott’s 29th touchdown pass.

It turns out the Commanders will not have one of their key offensive contributors for their Christmas Day game against the Cowboys.

Running back Chris Rodriguez is inactive with an illness. He was added to the injury report earlier on Thursday as questionable.

Rodriguez is second on the team with 435 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns. He’s appeared in 12 games with seven starts.

Quarterback Josh Johnson is set to start for the Commanders with both Jayden Daniels and Marcus Mariota ruled out for the game.

Quarterback Sam Hartman, left tackle Laremy Tunsil, linebacker Nick Bellore, and defensive tackle Daron Payne are also inactive for Washington. Hartman is Washington’s emergency third QB.

For the Cowboys, linebacker DeMarvion Overshown, receiver Ryan Flournoy, cornerback Caelen Carson, running back Jaydon Blue, defensive tackle Jay Toia, and defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey are inactive.

The Commanders made a late addition to their injury report for Thursday’s game against the Cowboys.

Running back Chris Rodriguez is now listed as questionable to play. An illness is the reason for Rodriguez’s change in status.

Rodriguez has 96 carries for 435 yards and five touchdowns in 12 games for Washington this season.

Jacory Croskey-Merritt is the Commanders’ leading rusher on the season. Jeremy McNichols and Chase Edmonds are the other running backs on the team’s 53-man roster.

The Commanders ruled out quarterbacks Jayden Daniels (left elbow) and Marcus Mariota (hand, quad) on Wednesday. Josh Johnson will start with Jeff Driskel and practice squad elevation Sam Hartman also on hand. Linebacker Nick Bellore (concussion), defensive tackle Daron Payne (back), and left tackle Laremy Tunsil (oblique) are also out on Thursday.

Last year’s Christmas games, at least on paper, were good. (The games themselves, not.)

This year, the NFL’s three-pack of December 25 offerings are roughly the equivalent of a bowling ball, a can of Simoniz, and mismatched dress socks.

Despite the relentless hype, the games have no inherent appeal. Cowboys-Commanders, which starts the day, includes two teams that have been eliminated from playoff contention. It also features a 39-year-old, third-string quarterback (Josh Johnson) for the home team. Yes, it’s the Cowboys. But who really cares?

The second game has the Lions, who are clinging to wafer thin playoff hopes, against a Vikings team led by a rookie free agent (Max Brosmer) whose only other start was a 26-0 disaster in Seattle.

Then comes the night game, starring the Chiefs — who suddenly look like anything but the Chiefs. Patrick Mahomes is out. His backup, Gardner Minshew, is out. The quarterbacks for the home team will be Chris Oladokun and Shane Buechele. The Broncos, at 12-3, are favored by 13.5 points in the first game to be played at Arrowhead Stadium since the team’s eventual move to Kansas was announced on Monday.

Whatever the audience numbers may be for the three games, the P.R. execs will try to find a way to paint the glass of eggnog as half full. Even with the new Nielsen metric that has pumped up numbers across the board, it’s hard to imagine anyone stopping what they’re doing to watch any of these games.

They’ll probably still beat the NBA games easily. But the NFL games may not win by the usual wide margin.

The Cowboys will not have left tackle Tyler Guyton in the lineup for the final two games of the regular season.

Guyton was placed on injured reserve Wednesday due to the ankle injury that has kept him out of their last four games. Tyler Smith is expected to play left tackle for the rest of the season.

The Cowboys also ruled linebacker DeMarvion Overshown (concussion), cornerback Josh Butler (knee), running back Phil Mafah (shoulder), and defensive end Payton Turner (ribs) out for Thursday’s game against the Commanders.

Defensive tackle Quinnen Williams (neck), guard Tyler Booker (ankle), cornerback Caelen Carson (hamstring), and wide receiver Ryan Flournoy (knee) are all listed as questionable for Thursday.

The Cowboys filled Guyton’s roster spot by signing defensive back Corey Ballentine from the practice squad to the active roster. They also elevated linebacker Justin Barron from the practice squad for the Christmas game.

When the NFL scheduled the Commanders to play on Christmas, the hope was that they’d be showcasing quarterback Jayden Daniels against the Cowboys.

They’ll have to settle for Josh Johnson. Commanders head coach Dan Quinn confirmed on Wednesday that Johnson will be getting the start in the first of the three games scheduled for Thursday.

Daniels was shut down for the season last week due to a left elbow injury and Marcus Mariota has been ruled out due to the hand and quad injuries he suffered in last Saturday’s loss to the Eagles. Jeff Driskel will serve as Washington’s backup quarterback.

Johnson will be making his first regular season start since he was with the Ravens in 2021. He’s started eight other NFL games, including three for Washington during the 2018 season. He also started games for the Bucs in 2009 and 2011, which makes for one of the more unusual career records in league history.

The Commanders have also ruled out linebacker Nick Bellore (concussion), defensive tackle Daron Payne (back), and left tackle Laremy Tunsil (oblique).

The Cowboys are out of the playoffs for a second consecutive season and for the fifth time in Dak Prescott’s 10 seasons. They have not made the NFC Championship Game, much less the Super Bowl, since 1995. It is the longest title game drought in the conference.

Prescott, though, has issued a guarantee for 2026.

“We won’t be back here in this spot,” Prescott said Tuesday, via Todd Archer of ESPN.

The Cowboys were 7-10 last season. They are 6-8-1 this season and need to beat the Commanders and Giants to avoid back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since going 5-11 for three consecutive seasons from 2000-02.

“I feel like the last few times I’ve said that were playoff losses,” Prescott said. “Each year has its own troubles. Each year has its own highs, lows, ebbs and flows and everything within it. The importance is controlling what you can. . . . I’m going to do my damnedest, controlling what I can and as you get older, I think having more input, having more say so and being asked more questions from the front office. Maybe there’s a little bit more that I can do, and it’s not physically or me getting better at my game. Maybe it’s speaking up and saying that this will help or I think this can help. Whatever it takes, once again I’m going to do my damnedest and make sure that I’m influencing and encouraging everybody else around me, not just the players, to do the same.”

Despite the Cowboys and their final two opponents having been eliminated from the postseason, Prescott said he plans to play the final two games.

He has thrown for 4,175 yards with 28 touchdowns and 10 interceptions this season, earning him a fourth Pro Bowl. Prescott, though, has only two playoff wins. The clock is ticking.

“My success, that accolade is 100 percent is shared with each and every one of those guys in there,” Prescott said. “It’s pretty cool to be a Pro Bowler, but at the end of the day, it’s not what we’re going for.”

It’s looking more like Josh Johnson will start at quarterback for the Commanders against the Cowboys on Thursday.

Quarterback Marcus Mariota was listed as a non-participant on Washington’s Tuesday injury report, the club’s second of the week. Mariota suffered hand and quad injuries on the same play in last Saturday’s loss to the Eagles, with Johnson coming on in relief.

In his 18th pro season, Johnson is in his second stint with Washington. He has appeared in seven games with three starts for the franchise. He completed 5-of-9 passes for 43 yards with an interception on Saturday.

While Jayden Daniels has not been placed on injured reserve to continue to practice, head coach Dan Quinn noted earlier this week that he is not an option to start.

The Commanders also have Jeff Driskel on their 53-man roster and Sam Hartman on their practice squad.

Linebacker Nick Bellore (concussion), defensive tackle Daron Payne (back), and offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil (oblique) also were listed as non-participants.

Daniels (elbow) remains limited.

Offensive lineman Brandon Coleman (shin), offensive tackle George Fant (knee), linebacker Bobby Wagner (knee), and tight end Colson Yankoff (ankle) were full participants.

Additionally, Washington waived receiver Jamal Agnew with a failed physical designation.

Cowboys wide receiver Ryan Flournoy’s practice participation moved in the wrong direction on Tuesday.

Flournoy was listed as limited on Monday’s estimated practice report due to the knee injury he suffered in Sunday’s loss to the Chargers, but he was out of practice on Tuesday. The Cowboys will give a final update on his status for Thursday’s game against the Commanders on Wednesday.

Left tackle Tyler Guyton (ankle) and linebacker DeMarvion Overshown (concussion) remained out of practice.

Right guard Tyler Booker (ankle), cornerback Josh Butler (knee), cornerback Caelen Carson (hamstring), running back Phil Mafah (shoulder), defensive end Payton Turner (ribs), wide receiver KaVontae Turpin (shoulder), running back Javonte Williams (neck), defensive tackle Quinnen Williams (neck) and safety Donovan Wilson (hip) remained limited participants.

Defensive tackle Kenny Clark (hand) and running back Malik Davis (toe) joined cornerback Shavon Revel (knee), guard T.J. Bass (thumb), and offensive tackle Nate Thomas (shoulder) as full participants.