LANDOVER, Md. – The Cowboys played their worst game of the season by far, struggling from the jump with mistakes, penalties and turnovers that led to an embarrassing outcome.
We remember the fumbled punt snap, fumbled punt return, missed extra point and plenty of poor throws by Dak Prescott.
But games also have those plays that can get overlooked, but still change the course of the game. Here are five that made a difference.
Third-down call before the fumble – On the Cowboys' first offensive possession, after getting a first down to move the sticks, they had third-and-5 at their own 15-yard line. Instead of throwing a pass to get the first down, they ran an unusual draw to Tony Pollard, who only picked up 3 yards. It didn't seem like a normal play-call to try and pick up the 5 yards. On the next play, punter Bryan Anger dropped the snap, leading to an early touchdown by the Commanders.
Pass interference extends Washington drive – The Commanders, even with a rookie quarterback in the game for the first time, spotted a new cornerback on the outside for Dallas. On third-and-10 in the second quarter, Sam Howell threw a deep shot to Terry McLaurin, who was covered by Trayvon Mullen. The Cowboys cornerback was flagged for pass interference, a 24-yard penalty. The Commanders went from their own 38-yard line to the Dallas 38. Even though the drive eventually ended with an interception in the end zone, the Cowboys missed a chance to get off the field and gain favorable field position. Instead, they turned the ball over for a touchdown on the next drive.
Fuller drops potential interception – Just when you thought it was a good thing that Kendall Fuller dropped a rather easy-looking interception, it proved to be a blessing for Washington. Fuller dropped the pick at the 27-yard line and likely would've been touched down there if he had caught it. Who knows if Washington would've scored at all, considering they just had thrown an interception in the red zone and missed some short kicks. But on the next play, Fuller basically jumped the same route and picked it off for a 25-yard touchdown return. The Commanders missed the extra point for a 13-0 lead.
Big pass play leads to a TD – With the Cowboys trailing, 13-6, in the third quarter, the defense had a second-and-14 at their own 41-yard line. But a 20-yard pass to Jahan Dotson moved the ball to the 21, obviously putting them in position to score. To make it worse, safety Jayron Kearse had to leave the game after hitting his head on the ground and did not return. But the big play led to Washington's second offensive touchdown in the game to extend the lead.
Tyler Smith holding call – If there was any chance for the Cowboys to come back, it had to happen with an early-fourth quarter drive. But a 20-yard pass to Dalton Schultz to the Washington 29-yard line was wiped out by a holding call on rookie Tyler Smith. The Cowboys were pushed back to second-and-15 on their 41, a difference of 30 yards in field position. The Cowboys were stopped on fourth-and-inches to turn the ball over and end any chance of a comeback.
