4 Cowboys studs (and 1 dud) after carving up the Commanders on Thanksgiving

Dallas Cowboys Stud: Osa Odighizuwa, Defensive Tackle

For the past couple of years, the Cowboys defense has been vastly improved but they've still had one weak spot — run defense. They attempted to shore this up by trading for Johnathan Hankins last year and then selecting Michigan nose tackle Mazi Smith in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. They've each done their part in helping to clean up the run defense but they haven't been alone.

Osa Odighizuwa entered this game as the No. 8 defensive tackle according to PFF and is top-20 in run defense. He's still an effective pass rusher from the interior but he's also rounded into an all-around defender. In this one, he stood out once again, especially when it came to stopping the run.

A perfect example of this came early in the third quarter. Washington was moving the ball in an attempt to cut into the 20-10 Dallas lead and had a second-and-two from the Cowboys 39. Brian Robinson took the hand-off but Odighizuwa stuffed him for just a one-yard gain.

Sam Howell threw an incompletion on third-and-one and the Commanders then went for it on fourth down. Again, it was Robinson who got the ball but Odighizuwa made another play. This time, he stuffed the running back for no gain, giving the ball back to Dallas.

Hankins also deserves a ton of praise for his performance, as he recorded two sacks including one on fourth down. The entire Dallas defensive line was feasting but this felt like a break-out party for Odighizuwa who was constantly causing problems in the offensive backfield. He was instrumental in stopping Washington from cutting the lead to one score and allowed the defense to pin their ears back and get after Howell — which they did to the tune of four sacks.