TheCowboys defeat of the rival Commanders, 37-20, in Dallas' home opener earned their first win of the season. While the Cowboys offense had a record-breaking moment included in their aerial masterclass, their ground game sputtered en route to a disappointing day.
On defense, miscues and injuries led to frustration, yet there were some encouraging developments from that side of the ball. They showed more disruption than they did against the Giants and the secondary did a better job of covering the flats.
Individually, some Cowboys used the contest to strengthen their standing while others may have created new questions despite the win. From breakout performances to those who struggled to make an impact, there was plenty to unpack.
Winner: QB Dak Prescott
Quarterback Dak
Prescott remains the singular most important player on the team after tossing four touchdown passes making him the Cowboys All-Time passing touchdown leader breaking the tie with former gunslinger Tony Romo.
Prescott now sits alone at the top with 249 touchdown passes and counting. The pair were also tied for 30th place on the All-TIme passing TD list and Prescott is now three TD passes away from surpassing former Cowboys QB and 1993 first-overall pick, Drew Bledsoe for 29th place.
Against Washington, Prescott went 26 of 31 for 279 yards which averages out to an 83.8 completion percentage and looked in complete control of the offense.
Dak Prescott just threw his 249th career touchdown pass, passing Tony Romo for the most in Cowboys history pic.twitter.com/zqhuaMUoD3
— Dallas Texas TV (@DallasTexasTV) September 20, 2026
With another typical season, Prescott can surpass players such as Dan Fouts (254) who flourished in the Air Coryell vertical passing system and Joe Montana (273), whose West Coast offense revolutionized the game.
Prescott is also tied for the league lead with six touchdown passes on the season and ranks fourth in the NFL with a 73.8 completion percentage. He also extends his dominance over the Commanders now posting a 14-2 career record against Washington.
Loser: Defensive Coordinator Christian Parker
Cowboys new defensive coordinator Christian Parker was hyped up to be the savior in Dallas yet through two games, his defense has shown the propensity to allow opponents' ground games to be established and time of possession clocks to be dominated.
On the bright side, the defense only allowed 20 points against the Commanders which would have been the second-fewest last season only bested when the Cowboys defeated the Raiders 33-16 on Monday Night Football against the Raiders in November.
While the overall point allowance feels like a win, those who watched the contest can attribute that success to the lack of execution and injuries sustained by Washington. A bad referee decision could also be included. Before Commanders QB Jayden Daniels went out with another unfortunate injury, the Dallas defense was on their heels and had no answer for a scrambling quarterback.
With 389 total yards, Washington actually out gained the Cowboys offense by 57 yards. The Commanders went 8 of 14 on third down on the day and had a leg up on the time of possession battle (17:02 - 12:58) at halftime before Washington QB Jayden Daniels left the game with an elbow injury.
Additionally, the Dallas defense failed to record a sack prompting questions about the lack of a pass rush which now feels daunting with the Ravens and QB Lamar Jackson on deck next week in Brazil.
Many fans were worried about losing Parker after the season to a head coaching vacancy but as of now, finding his footing as a defensive coordinator is a task he has yet to master.
Winner: WR CeeDee Lamb
Widoeut CeeDee Lamb was virtually uncoverable against Washington catching eight passes on nine targets for 153 yards and two touchdowns. His 24-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter will live in Cowboys highlight reels and history books as the reception that broke a team record.
The fact that a No. 88 caught the record breaking catch adds a poetic symmetry to the moment highlighting an outstanding receiving effort from Lamb.
Tom Brady on this Dak Prescott throw to CeeDee Lamb: “An absolute piss missile up the sideline. … There was no margin for error on that throw.” pic.twitter.com/8ia8whAeAX
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) September 20, 2026
He now has three touchdown receptions on the season which is not only tied for second in the NFL, but it matches his entire 2025 output.
As teams may have shifted their pass defenses to stop WR George Pickens from running roughshod on their secondaries, Lamb has made them pay for possibly overcorrecting in attempting to slow down the Cowboys passing attack.
Loser: Cowboys Run Game
In a double-doink this week, the run game falls on both sides of the loser category. First, the Dallas offense generated 66 rushing yards on 21 attempts for a paltry 3.1 yards an attempt.
The interior of the offensive line struggled to open running lanes despite the Commanders utilizing light boxes in order to defend the Cowboys dangerous passing attack. According to PFF, Right tackle Terence Steele (39.0) and center Cooper Beebe (58.5) had less than memorable outings contributing heavily to the team's sub-par ground output.
Conversely, the Cowboys rush defense was equally, if not worse on the day allowing 182 rushing yards on 32 attempts for a whopping 5.7 yards an attempt. Their opening day struggles carried over into the second week of the season officially making it a concern moving forward.
To fully convey the ground game struggles on both sides of the ball, the Commanders were able to earn 11 rushing first downs compared to the Cowboys three.
Winner: TE Brevyn Spann-Ford
Dallas' backup tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford recently signed a very good contract extension and Cowboys fans should rejoice that this mountain of a man is secured through the 2029 season.
While on special teams, Spann-Ford had a couple of ferocious tackles on the Washington return men but on one occasion, he absolutely walloped the ball carrier drawing a collective ooh from the crowd.
Brevyn Spann-Ford Absolutely DESTROYED Jaylin Lane On This Punt Return!
— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) September 20, 2026
That Was A Massive Hit To End The Return. 💥 pic.twitter.com/P4onR3FINa
Spann-Ford is not only a valued member of the Cowboys special teams units, his selfless work on offense goes beyond individual statistics.
With a PFF run blocking grade of 68.2 last season, he has admitting struggled, along with the rest of the unit so far this season, but his pass blocking success has allowed Dallas to cover up a glaring problem along their offensive line.
He has now posted back-to-back pass blocking grades above 70 all while leading the team with three special teams tackles against Washington.
The Cowboys still have many areas to clean up after a sloppy performance but those deficiencies look less glaring coming off a double-digit win.
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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Winners and Losers: Record-setting Cowboys QB, new DC headline Week 2
