The Washington Commanders traveled to Arlington, Texas, looking to bounce back against the Dallas Cowboys, a division rival, after their disappointing 25-24 Monday Night Football loss to the Chicago Bears. Instead, they left with even more bruises, another NFC loss, and a deepening injury crisis.
Washington now holds a 3-4 record on the season and are now 1-4 in the NFC after their 44-22 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
Playing without their top three wide receivers, Terry McLaurin (quad injury), Deebo Samuel (heel injury), and Noah Brown (groin injury), the Commanders’ offense leaned heavily on rookies and practice squad call-ups in Sunday’s matchup against the Cowboys.
Despite flashes of resilience, Dallas capitalized on the mounting injuries Washington had and the lack of scoring production, which ultimately put them on time in the division rival showdown.
“Injuries are not the reason that we lost. Others may talk about who we did have and didn’t have today, and I’m here to say, it doesn’t matter who you have or who is out, when you don’t give yourself a real chance at it. From turnover margin to penalties to missed tackles and drops, Dallas beat us, and we beat ourselves as well,” Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said in the postgame press conference.
Despite the division defeat and the team and fans alike awaiting answers after quarterback Jayden Daniels sustained an injury, the Commanders — with a break ahead — are working to come back stronger in week nine against the Kansas City Chiefs in a Monday Night Football showdown on Oct. 27 at 8:15 p.m.
“We’re the ones that got ourselves into the hole. We’re the same ones that have got to dig ourselves out,” Quinn continued on Oct. 19. “But make no mistake, we’re not playing to the standard we’ve set.”
Injuries Continue to Be a Huge Concern
Sunday’s defeat was yet another grueling and physical stretch for Washington. Already without their top three wide receivers, Washington was forced to rely heavily on a makeshift receiving corps led by rookie Jaylin Lane, veterans Chris Moore and Robbie Chosen (elevated from the practice squad, and second-year wide receiver Luke McCaffrey.
Tight end Zach Ertz, though originally questionable for Sunday’s matchup due to shoulder and calf injuries, joined the makeshift receiving corps in hopes of offensive production. Then came the gut punch.
Early in the third quarter, quarterback Daniels, went down after being strip-sacked by Cowboys’ linebacker Jadeveon Clowney. He immediately grabbed the back of his right leg and limped off the field.
Coming off the field Daniels went into the blue medical tent and then the locker room for further evaluation. Moments later he was then ruled out for the rest of the game with a hamstring injury.
With Daniels having missed two games already this season due to a knee injury, the mere thought of losing him for additional time this season would be a major setback for what has already been a challenging season for Washington.
Defensive end Dorance Armstrong was also ruled out of Sunday’s matchup against the Cowboys.
Entering the game, Armstrong was listed as questionable due to a hamstring injury. He hadn’t practiced all week, which doesn’t typically show any signs of playing time. Nevertheless, the veteran edge-rusher pushed through and suited up, briefly.
However, Armstrong hobbled off the field after re-aggravating his hamstring injury at the beginning of the first quarter. He was ruled out early on with no return in the remainder of the game.
With Wide Receivers Injured, Dallas Shifts Focus to Washington’s Run Game
The Commanders were expected to have a dominant run game against the Cowboys on Sunday. But then again, the same expectations were set for week six against the Chicago Bears. The Commanders entered their games against the Dallas Cowboys and the Chicago Bears seemingly overmatched in rushing offense, yet both teams outgained Washington on the ground in week six and week seven.
Rookie running back Jacory “Bill” Croskey-Merritt played a minimal role in both contests but the blame does not completely fall on him. With the top three wide receivers sidelined due to injuries, Dallas crowded the line of scrimmage and dared Washington’s receivers to win in isolation. This caused the Cowboys to clamp down more on the Commanders run game.
While the stats credits Washington with 136 rushing yards, those numbers are a reflection of quarterback scrambles, not running back production.
Until McLaurin, Brown, and Samuel return, opposing defenses will keep stacking the line of scrimmage shifting their focus on Washington’s rushing offense.
“So this is the NFL man. There will be more games,” said defensive tackle Daron Payne.
“We gotta get this nasty taste out of our mouths, go to practice, and get ready.”
D.C. Mayor Bowser’s Road Trip to Texas
The Commanders were not the only ones going from the D.C. area to Arlington, Texas this weekend.
With the Commanders’ set to make their return back to RFK Stadium in 2030, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser went to Arlington not just to enjoy the game of football, but to tour A&T Stadium, exploring various design elements and to gather new inspiration for the new District site that is now in its construction process.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (right) speaks with NBC Washington before the Washington Commanders-Dallas Cowboys game in Arlington, Texas, on Oct. 19. (Abdullah Konte/The Washington Informer)
“I’m starting to look at the other stadiums in the league to see what we think is working and what could work at RFK,” said Bowser.
Her trip consisted of meetings with the stadium’s architectural design team and the Commanders owner Josh Harris to learn about the positive contributions that can be made to make the new RFK Stadium and even got tour A&T with Washington Hall of Famer Darrell Green.
“We were looking at the open air, we looking at the standing room that makes the games more accessible to more people,” said Bowser. “The openness that’s here… but we know that we need a stadium that’s gonna take advantage of our great views, be a stadium that we can use year round, and have a great fan experience.”
Source: Washington Informer
