What an absolutely wild game in Landover!
The odds were literally stacked against the Dallas Cowboys for Sunday's rivalry game versus the Washington Commanders. They were 10-point underdogs against the Dan-Quinn-led brigade for the first time in more than two decades and managed to pull out a thrilling 34-26 victory behind enemy lines.
As much as the victory may ruin Cowboys fans' hopes of landing a top-five pick, beating Quinn in Washington after all of the trash-talk that from former Dallas players during the week is without question the apex of an otherwise forgettable 2024 season.
It looked like Cooper Rush's touchdown to Luke Schoonmaker was the knockout punch. After Washington responded with a quick score, KaVontae Turpin seemed to ice the game with an electric 99-yard kickoff return.
The Cowboys tried to milk the clock after Washington kicked a quick field goal, but Jayden Daniels and Terry McLaurin connected for an 86-yard touchdown with 21 seconds left only for Austin Seibert to miss the game-typing extra point. Juanyeh Thomas then put the icing on the cake by returning the ensuing onside kick for a touchdown.
🚨 Juanyeh onside kick return TD 🚨
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) November 24, 2024
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Cowboys expose Dan Quinn, Commanders as frauds in stunning Week 12 victory
Not only have wins been hard to come by this season, but moral victories have been few and far between.
The Week 1 win in Cleveland proved to be a mirage as the Browns have one of the worst records in the league, even with their Thursday night win over Pittsburgh. Speaking of the Steelers, the Cowboys barely squeaked by them in Week 5. They played sloppy against the Giants the following week. Even in wins there hasn't been much to feel good about.
The injury bug is another miserable footnote on the 2024 season. Already without their franchise quarterback and Pro Bowl defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, the Cowboys ruled out future Hall of Famer Zack Martin, All-Pro guard Tyler Smith, star cornerback Trevon Diggs and Pro Bowl tight end Jake Ferguson for Sunday's game.
That makes this win all the more gritty and impressive.
That brings us to all of the off-field dramatics spawned by Jerry Jones. Threatening to have local radio hosts fired, overpaying for Jonathan Mingo, throwing Dak Prescott under the bus on more than occasion, blind faith in Ezekiel Elliott, refusing to put up curtains at AT&T Stadium. Beyond lousy week-to-week performances, the off-field distractions have been just as hard to put up with.
Losers of two in a row, the Commanders HAD to have this game. It wasn't a must-win by definition, but by dropping to 7-5 they have virtually handed the Eagles the NFC East crown. They have also breathed new life into teams looking up at them in the Wild Card race: the Rams, 49ers, Seahawks and Buccaneers.
There might not be many more wins left on the schedule, but exposing Quinn's Commanders as frauds and potentially derailing Washington's season is a remarkable result for Mike McCarthy's group.
Draft position be damned. Enjoy this win, Cowboys fans. We deserve it.