ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Jayden Daniels is a bit terse these days with his Washington Commanders in a win-lose-win-lose rut, and Dallas owner Jerry Jones is as optimistic as ever despite the Cowboys so far squandering MVP-type play from Dak Prescott.
The NFC East rivals are at an early-season crossroads as the Commanders visit the Cowboys (2-3-1) on Sunday, with Daniels looking for a worthy encore to a fabulous rookie season that included a trip to the NFC championship game and a porous Dallas defense facing questions about how to keep a season from spiraling out of control.
“Our job is to find solutions and that’s what this staff is committed to doing,” first-year Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said. “Whether we win or lose, we’re always looking for solutions. And that was the other message I said to the guys, we have to be solution-oriented. And that’s coach to coach, coach to player, player to player. That’s how you win this league.”
The Commanders (3-3) are coming off a 25-24 loss to Chicago on a last-play field goal set up by Daniels' fumble on a botched handoff to rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt.
At this point in Daniels' rookie year, Washington was in the middle of a 7-1 stretch that sparked its first trip to the playoffs since 2020 as the Commanders saddled Dallas with the ignominy of being the only NFC team not to reach a conference championship game in the past 30 years.
“We still got some way to go,” said Daniels, who opened this week's meeting with reporters following the Monday night loss with a series of one-sentence answers. “We’re not a finished product, but we know in this league that you want to get hot at the right time. So, whatever that looks like, but we just have to keep stacking days and taking one day at a time and one game at a time.”
Dallas has a losing record because the league's 32nd-ranked defense can't get the stops needed to back Prescott, who has 11 touchdowns (10 passing) without a turnover but a 1-1-1 record over the past three games.
The Cowboys let their leading rusher from last season, Rico Dowdle, go for more than 200 scrimmage yards in Carolina's 30-27 win last weekend — also on a last-play field goal — despite his warning that his former teammates should “buckle up.”
A defense having trouble with the zone scheme of new defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, and therefore letting receivers run free all over the secondary, also got pushed around at the line of scrimmage by the Panthers. None of which deters the ever-optimistic Jones.
“If we should have some good go of it here over the next weeks ahead with our injury situation and return of injury, and we can get some wins, then this thing with Dak playing the way he’s playing and with the way some of the guys have played that are playing with these guys out right now, I’m encouraged,” Jones said. “The last thing that I’m thinking about is in any way being out of the hunt.”
Washington can’t seem to get out of its own way in the early stages of games. In four of its first six outings, Dan Quinn’s team has fallen behind by at least 10 points — and three of those were defeats. That includes trailing 14-0 in a Week 2 loss at Green Bay, 10-0 in a Week 4 loss at Atlanta, and 13-0 in the loss to the visiting Bears.
“I’m digging in to try and find an edge to try and find something to (fix) that,” said Quinn, who is in his second season following three years as the Dallas defensive coordinator. “It’ll likely include something at practice, some type of competition that will go back and forth. Generally, that’s where we find our best improvement — going against one another, trying to find something.”
A cloudless forecast raises the prosect of Schottenheimer's first game in charge with his home team having to navigate blinding sunlight coming through the huge sliding glass doors on the west end of AT&T Stadium. There have been some infamous moments of players losing sight of the ball, including star receiver CeeDee Lamb calling out Jones and agreeing the curtains should be used after he said he lost a throw in the sun on an interception last season.
“We have satellite imaging, we have pictures of the sun, when it’s coming down. There’s a big plan and process,” said Schottenheimer, who was offensive coordinator the past two years. “But I think when you look at historically at what’s happened, it really hasn’t affected many situations. We plan for it. The opponents plan for it. But at the end of the day, it’s something that we’re aware of. It’s very beautiful. It’s majestic when the sun comes through there.”
Washington is tied for 25th in the NFL with a minus-3 turnover differential. A big part of the problem is that the Commanders’ defense — which has displayed many deficiencies, particularly when it comes to missed tackles and trouble in pass coverage — has just three takeaways so far.
Cornerback Mike Sainristil has accounted for two of those with his pair of interceptions. Only two clubs have generated fewer turnovers than Washington.
It appears Lamb and rookie right guard Tyler Booker will return after missing three games with high ankle sprains. Dallas receiver and kicker returner KaVontae Turpin should be back after a two-game absence for a foot injury. Cornerback Trevon Diggs is out with a concussion after an accident at his home Thursday night, Schottenheimer said.
Daniels will be missing his top three wideouts: Deebo Samuel was ruled out Saturday with an injured heel, Terry McLaurin will miss a fourth consecutive game with a bad quadriceps, and Noah Brown, a former Dallas receiver, was placed on injured reserve and will miss at least another four games after sitting the previous four with knee and groin issues.
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