Merry Christmas from the Dallas Cowboys. To kick off the first game of the NFL Christmas Day triple-header, the Cowboys pulled off an absolute statement victory against the Washington Commanders in Week 17, which provided a silver lining amid a year that hasn't been very fun in the Lone Star State.
America's Team might not be playing for playoff seeding, but that didn't stop them from gifting their hated NFC East rivals a lump of coal. Despite leading 24-10 at halftime, the Cowboys prevailed 30-23, which led Brian Schottenheimer to admit on the air that no postseason doesn't change the end goal.
Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer on @netflix broadcast on being aggressive offensively in the first half (289 yards, 24 points): “We trust our guys. We trust Dak. We got playmakers everywhere. That's the way we’re gonna play the rest of the year."
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) December 25, 2025
Schottenheimer has the Cowboys sitting at 7-8-1 in his first season as head coach, but the long-term foundation is certainly in place. Things are finally headed in the right direction in Dallas with Dak with an explosive offense, and it's why they boast one of the most dangerous passing attacks in football.
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The offense surpassed over 400 total yards in our nation's capital, so it's clear his words didn't fall on deaf ears. Dak Prescott completed 19 of 37 pass attempts for 307 yards and two touchdowns, while Malik Davis surpassed the 100-yard plateau after Javonte Williams went down with a shoulder injury.
The offense lost both Williams and Jake Ferguson due to injury, yet remained in complete control the whole game. Both George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb weren't overly productive against Washington's defense, but KaVontae Turpin more than picked up the slack with an 86-yard touchdown reception.
Given Ryan Flournoy was inactive, Turpin stepped up big time beyond his usual return man duties However, the run game was the most impressive part of the offensive masterclass, as Dallas surpassed 200 rushing yards between Dak, Williams, Davis, and third-string RB Hunter Luepke.
It's alarming that rookie RB Jaydon Blue has fallen out of favor this much on the depth chart, but no fan should complain about the outcome. The Commanders had no answers for whatever Schottenheimer threw at them, so it's no surprise the 52-year-old wants games like this to be the standard.
And on defense, their spark finally returned. Commanders' rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt had a big game (most of which game on one run), but Jadeveon Clowney recorded 1.5 sacks and Matt Eberflus' unit held Washington signal-caller Josh Johnson to under 200 passing yards on the game.
Like Schottenheimer said, this roster has no shortage of playmakers, so they'll take every modicum of momentum they can get before their season ends.