The losing streak is over! Maybe that doesn’t make you feel all that jolly, as it doesn’t aid their chances to make the postseason and hurts their draft stock, but watching the Dallas Cowboys beat the Washington Commanders 30-23 will always bring fans plenty of joy. The Cowboys have some extra rest before wrapping up the 2025 season against the New York Giants, and head coach Brian Schottenheimer is hoping to end the year on a positive note. The Cowboys’ win over a struggling Commanders team wasn’t
a Christmas miracle by any means, and there were both good things and bad things. Here are 10 thoughts on the Cowboys’ win on Christmas Day.
1. Arctic white is so nice
This is fandom bias talking, but the Cowboys have some of the nicest-looking jersey combinations out there. The traditional whites with the seafoam green pants are iconic, and it’s always a treat when they bring out the navy jerseys. In this game, we were graced with a combo never before seen as they donned the Arctic white helmets and white pants, but instead of the white jersey as they’ve done before, they went with the navy. Yes, we’re leading with what they were wearing, and this is indicative of where we’re at as fans, but you have to admit that Arctic white jersey combo was rather sleek!
2. A good start
Despite the Cowboys being one of the top-scoring offenses in the league, they haven’t been known for fast starts. Entering the week, they sat in the bottom half with an average of 4.2 points in the first quarter. It takes them a little while to get warmed up. Against the Commanders, they scored touchdowns on each of their first three possessions, and added a field goal on drive number four, making it a perfect 4/4 with scores with 24 points in the first half. They slowed down considerably in the second half, scoring just two field goals, so the fun eventually stopped, but it was a nice showing early for a change.
3. Malik steps up
After starting running back Javonte Williams left the game with a shoulder injury, the Cowboys leaned heavily on practice squad graduate Malik Davis to handle the rushing responsibilities. And he delivered. He was jump-cutting and spinning his way through creases on the way to a career-high 103 yards on 20 carries. Nine times he ran the ball for at least five yards. Davis didn’t even play last year, and he was added in mid-October after an injury to Miles Sanders and a benching of Jaydon Blue forced the team to give him another chance. He’s only played 25 career games, and he’s never gone over 10 until Thursday, but his play this season may have put him in the mix for 2026.
4. A big play in a different way
It’s very strange how All-Pro KaVontae Turpin has gone from a player who brought excitement to the kicking game to someone who makes us extremely nervous whenever he’s about to field a punt. Many times this season, it’s felt like every decision he makes is the wrong one. In this game, Commanders punter Tres Way did a good job pinning the Cowboys deep into their own territory, and Turpin couldn’t do much about it. What can do is help them get out of a pinch, and that’s exactly what happened midway through the second quarter. After starting the drive on their own three-yard line, Dak Prescott launched a deep pass to Turpin that he took to the house for an 86-yard touchdown, the longest TD reception ever on Christmas Day. He must love playing at Washington as this is the second year in a row he’s made a huge play of a touchdown.
5. Dak was a bit off
Statistically, Prescott did okay as he finished with over 300 yards passing, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. However, there were many instances when Dak was just a bit off with his throws. Whether it was a matter of timing or simply throwing behind his receivers, several attempts could have resulted in big passing plays that fell incomplete because the defender was allowed to catch up to the receiver. And one time, he came close to having a pick-six as an errant pass was fortunately dropped. He only completed 51.4% of his passes in this game, his lowest mark of the season. In fact, you have to go all the way back to that embarrassing season-finale loss to Washington in 2022 to find the last time Prescott finished with a lower completion percentage.
6. A perfect 6/6
Having a kicker like Brandon Aubrey on the team makes it hard to pass up points once they get into your opponent’s territory, but sometimes the offense needs to be more aggressive. And that’s exactly what head coach Brian Schottenheimer did on Thursday as he went for it on fourth down six times. And surprise, they converted all six! It was nice to see him trust his offense, and it was even nicer to see them convert. Fans will question why we haven’t seen this type of aggression sooner, and that’s a fair question.
7. Struggling to protect Dak
When you have nothing to play for, there’s no better time to experiment with things. And that even includes swinging Tyler Smith out to left tackle. This isn’t an indictment on Tyler Guyton, but maybe the team is thinking ahead about who is going to protect the edges if, say, Terence Steele ends up being a cap casualty next offseason. Why not tinker with things while you can? Well, the Cowboys did that, and once again, it serves to show how the move downgrades the offensive line. Not only is Smith become human at left tackle, but the dropoff between he and T.J. Bass at left guard is significant. Prescott was sacked six times against Washington, the most this season, and the play of Smith and Bass was responsible for most of them.
8. Surprise! The defense is horrible
Once again, the Cowboys’ defense was awful. The fact that the Cowboys’ offense dominated the time of possession at a rate of almost 2:1, and the Commanders still managed 23 points, is a smidge embarrassing. Washington only ran 41 plays (compared to the Cowboys 87), but they made many of them count. Rookie running back, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, scored twice, including one time with a huge 72-yard run. Deebo Samuel had a carry that went for 29 yards and a catch that went for 41 yards. Anytime a Commanders ball carrier got into space, they were off to the races. Between poor angles and even poorer tackling attempts, the Cowboys’ defense continues to be terrible far too much.
9. Lackadaisical corners
We don’t want to keep harping on the Cowboys’ cornerbacks, but it just grows more and more frustrating to watch them play. And to be fair, it’s not just that they’re not playing well. It’s also that they just seem to be so lost on what they’re supposed to do. Whether it’s the veteran Trevon Diggs or the rookie Shavon Revel Jr., they just don’t make plays. They give up way too much separation, they’re late to arrive, and the most aggravating part, they just aren’t giving a strong effort. Slow jogs and disinterest have plagued these guys, and it’s tough to watch.
10. Clowney is a keeper
It’s very likely the Cowboys go back to the well to find a brand new edge rusher to add to their defense. While a top draft resource is one thing we can almost count on, it might also serve them to bring back Jadeveon Clowney. The veteran pass rusher was the team’s most disruptive defender on Thursday as he was hustling all over the field. He finished the game with three tackles for a loss, including 1.5 sacks. Having him, the young Donovan Ezeriuaka, and a top college edge rusher is a good starting plan for the Cowboys’ defense next season.
