Dallas Cowboys vs Washington Commanders: Know Thy Enemy

What We’ve Seen and Possible Gameplan Against Dallas

Don’t let their record fool you, this Washington Commanders team is very dangerous on offense. Last week against a formidable Philadelphia Eagles defensive front, their new starting quarterback Carson Wentz’s propensity to hold the football led to their drubbing by the Eagles.

The Commanders are banged up along the offensive line and they know it. In order to overcome those injuries, we’ve seen a lot more quick passes and running plays with Antonio Gibson, Curtis Samuel, and J.D. McKissic.

Wentz and this offense have been using this dink and dunk method quite well until last week, bringing defenders closer to the line in order to set up play-action passes to McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, and Logan Thomas down the field for large gains.

This week, they will be facing another tough defensive front and a defense that leads the league in sacks (13). If the Commanders want to win they are going to need better play from quarterback Wentz who has either been running into sacks or just holding the football too long.

The Cowboys should come into this game expecting more quick passes and screens to get their speedy receivers out in space to make plays and take pressure off Wentz and this offensive line. Dallas did a nice job of slowing down the Giants in that aspect but they still gave up chunk plays including a Saquon Barkley 36-yard touchdown run.

We should also expect to hear Samuel’s name called a lot as he’s been their go-to man on third downs thanks to his quickness off the line and route running ability. In the red zone, look for Wentz to key in on Thomas and Dotson if he doesn’t decide to run it himself.

This offense has a lot to prove after their performance last week against the Eagles and they are going to come out fired up and ready to prove a point against the Cowboys. The Dallas defense needs to be ready to take their best shots early in this game.