Do the Commanders have a comeback in them on Christmas Day?
After Washington’s defense finally got a stop on Dallas early in the second half, running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt narrowed the Cowboys’ lead to 24-17 with a 72-yard touchdown run.
Croskey-Merritt — better known as “Bill” — took a handoff to the right and used his speed to get down the field for the longest run of his young career.
It was Croskey-Merritt’s seventh rushing touchdown of the season.
On the injury front, Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson has been ruled out with a calf injury. He caught a touchdown in the first quarter.
The Cowboys have been on point offensively throughout the first half, with Dallas taking a 24-10 lead into halftime.
Dallas’ latest score came with 19 seconds left in the period, with Brandon Aubrey nailing a 42-yard field goal.
Quarterback Dak Prescott had a strong first half, with his best throw going for an 86-yard touchdown to KaVonte Turpin midway through the second quarter. He ended the half 11-of-20 for 174 yards with two TDs.
Prescott tossed a 6-yard touchdown to Jake Ferguson to open the scoring.
The Cowboys were quite aggressive and it paid off, going 4-of-4 on fourth down in the first 30 minutes. Three of the fourth-down conversions came on Dallas’ second possession.
Notably, Cowboys running back Javonte Williams is questionable to return with a shoulder injury. He rushed for 54 yards on 13 carries with a touchdown in the first half.
Malik Davis also has 50 yards on eight carries.
On the other side, Josh Johnson is 6-of-9 for 109 yards. Deebo Samuel is the leading rusher and receiver, gaining 25 yards on the ground and 68 yards through the air. His 41-yard catch-and-run early in the contest was punctuated by the big wideout knocking the helmet off of Donovan Wilson on contact.
Washington running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt put in a 10-yard touchdown in the second quarter. He’s rushed for 13 yards so far on Christmas Day.
Commanders center Tyler Biadasz went down midway through the second quarter on a Washington run play that went for no gain. He had to be helped off the field with trainers after his right leg was rolled up on. Nick Allegrettim moved over to center with Andrew Wylie coming in to play right guard. He is questionable to return with a knee injury.
Commanders cornerback Jonathan Jones was evaluated for a concussion but was cleared to return.
Washington will receive the second-half kickoff.
The Cowboys are firmly putting it on the Commanders.
Dak Prescott connected with receiver KaVontae Turpin for an 86-yard touchdown, putting Dallas up 21-3.
It was the longest reception of Turpin’s career and Prescott’s longest completion since 2023.
Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu jumped offside on the pass, giving Prescott a free play. The quarterback recognized it and Turpin ran himself open down the middle of the field, catching the pass in stride 42 yards ahead of the line of scrimmage.
With no one in front of him, Turpin ran the rest of the way 44 yards for a touchdown.
Dallas has now scored a touchdown on each of its three possessions.
On the injury front, Washington corner Jonathan Jones is being evaluated for a concussion and is questionable to return.
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.
