By Jamal Baker
NDG Contributing Writer
After not playing up to their standard in last week’s disappointing loss to the Carolina Panthers, the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Washington Commanders 44-22 on Sunday at AT&T Stadium.
Franchise quarterback Dak Prescott and the Cowboys’ offense put on a masterful performance against a helpless Washington defense.
Prescott completed 21 of his 30 passing attempts for 264 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.
“It was great. It was explosive. It was fun,” Prescott said. “You saw the big plays; saw some drives we put together. Our standard expectations for ourselves is very high. We understand we’ve got guys that, the playmakers that we have, the offensive line, the love that we have for one another, and you see it just the way that guys finish plays, guys cover the ball and defense played very well tonight.
“When you do that, I think more of our games are going to look like this.”
In his first game back since suffering a high-ankle sprain in Week 3 against the Chicago Bears, Cowboys star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb put on his usual show stopping performance.
Lamb recorded five catches for 110 yards and a touchdown—becoming the fastest wide receiver in franchise history to reach 7,000 scrimmage yards (85 games).
“It’s exciting, man,” Lamb said when asked about returning. “Watching my dog (George Pickens) go crazy for the last few weeks, I’m pretty sure he enjoyed it. But just taking the load off of him a little bit, making him play true to the offense and what we’ve got going. It’s fun…”
“I’ll always be motivated, but I love to see him do his thing. That’s why we brought him here. I feel like he’s having so much fun here.”
The dynamic duo of Lamb and Pickens is arguably the best in the entire league, and will cause opposing defenses to constantly pick their poison—you can’t double them both.
Pickens had 84 yards on four receptions, including a 44-yard deep shot that helped the Cowboys score before halftime.
“This one is the best one I’ve been on, and I’ve been on some great ones,” Lamb said about the Dallas offense. “It’s just the way that we can move around these pieces, these players, and everybody everywhere. We can line up faster than any. It’s tough.”
With the offense firing on all cylinders, let’s talk about the defense.
If the Cowboys get the type of performance they received from the defense on Sunday every week, they will always have a chance to win.
The defensive unit recorded five sacks, forced two turnovers and scored a defensive touchdown.
Pick-Six King Daron Bland made history on Sunday with his sixth career pick-six. The Fresno State product now has more pick-sixes than any NFL player throughout the first four seasons of a career.
“I was like, ‘Oh, I got it, We’ll get this one,’” said the All-Pro cornerback. “Even though the sun was beaming in my face a little bit, it was good. … I was more so just telling myself to not drop it because it was just me and the end zone.”
The Dallas defense just needs to be average and not be a liability, as Dak Prescott and the offense have proven they can take over games.
With the 21-day practice windows now open for linebacker DeMarvion Overshown and rookie cornerback Shavon Revel, the defense might—dare I say—actually be above average?
The Cowboys will look to keep their momentum rolling this Sunday against a tough Denver Broncos team at Mile High Stadium.
