Nick Harris: Five things to watch in Cowboys-Commanders
The Dallas Cowboys aren’t used to playing the underdog role against the Washington Commanders. But when they take the field at Northwest Stadium on Sunday afternoon, the Commanders will be double-digit favorites over the Cowboys for the first time in 24 years.
And it’s easy to see why.
Under former Cowboys defensive coordinator and first-year head coach Dan Quinn, the Commanders have revitalized a franchise that was pulseless for the better part of the last decade. Behind rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, veterans such as running back Austin Ekeler and linebacker Bobby Wagner and new ownership in Washington, the Commanders look to be a mainstay in the NFC East after a 7-4 start to the season.
On the other side, the Cowboys will look to dig out of a five-game slide that has them sitting at 3-7 going into the final seven games with backup quarterback Cooper Rush and other injury replacements on both sides of the ball.
In the first matchup of 2024 between these division rivals, let’s take a look at what to watch on Sunday.
Quinn reunion
In his three seasons as defensive coordinator for the Cowboys from 2021 to 2023, Dan Quinn was a name that was routinely thrown into head coach vacancy conversations. However, Quinn waited for the right opportunity before taking a position in the nation’s capital that has him in the running for Coach of the Year with his turnaround of the Commanders.
While it will certainly go both ways, Quinn will not see an opponent that knows him better than the coaches and players in Dallas. During preparation, head coach Mike McCarthy sees similarities with Quinn and Commanders defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. (who also served on the defensive staff for Dallas from 2021 to 2023) compared to how each implemented their system in Dallas.
“You see a lot of similarities schematically to Dan’s time here,” McCarthy said. “I think Joe Whitt has done a really good job of putting his variation onto it and how he’s calling it is a little different…It definitely fits Joe’s personality.”
Teams coached by Mike McCarthy going against Dan Quinn defenses are 1-5 all-time with the lone win coming in 2020 when the Cowboys overcame a 20-point deficit to defeat the Atlanta Falcons in what was McCarthy’s first home game as the Dallas head coach.
Not so bland
After 14 long weeks for cornerback DaRon Bland, the expectation is that the third-year cornerback and the league-leader in interceptions from 2023 will make his season debut for the Cowboys after suffering a foot fracture in training camp that has kept him sidelined to this point.
Bland had his 21-day practice window opened on Oct. 9 ahead of the team’s game against the Detroit Lions, but a setback in his recovery delayed his return. At the conclusion of his 21-day window, the team activated Bland to the active roster but ruled him inactive for three games as he continued to recover.
Now, Bland seems set to finally make it back.
“I feel good with the foot,” Bland said on Thursday. “It’s responding better and I definitely feel more confident on it. It’s always real frustrating with it, because this is my first injury. Just being out this long took a toll on me a little bit, so it got a little frustrating.”
“It’ll be great to get him back out there, but this has been a tough return to play for him,” McCarthy said.
Run it up
Similar to how Dan Quinn’s defense played in Dallas, the Commanders defense has struggled defending the run in 2024.
Entering week 12, Washington sits 30th in the NFL with 149.9 rushing yards allowed per game and 31st in the NFL with 5.0 yards allowed per carry while allowing more than 100 yards on the ground in 10 of their 11 games. The poor numbers add to a whopping 93 first downs given up on the ground through 11 games.
While the Dallas offense has finally moved away from being last in the league in rushing offense (now 31st with 81.7 rushing yards per game), the production will need to find a spark to help out an offense that has averaged just eight points per game since Cooper Rush has taken over as starter.
Cooks in the kitchen
In addition to Bland, veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks is also on track to return from injury. After missing six games with an infection in his knee that stemmed from an injection gone bad after the team’s week four road trip in New York, Cooks is expected to return to the field and contribute to an offense in dire need of a spark.
“My mindset is to go out there as if I didn’t lose a step,” Cooks said. “When we’re losing like how we’ve been, it stings a little harder and makes you want to get back as fast as you can and help as much as you can.”
In four games, Cooks has hauled in just nine receptions for 91 yards and one touchdown. Despite his lack of production on the field before landing on the injured reserve, his impact goes far beyond what he brings between the lines.
“Brandin brings a lot of joy to whatever space he’s in,” McCarthy said. “He just has that type of magnetic personality. He’s a joy to work with. He loves the process. The thing that I’ve always enjoyed about Brandin is the number of different experiences that he’s had…He’s been here, but to have him out on the field today, you definitely feel his presence.”
Fowl play
The head coach and defensive coordinator won’t be the only familiar faces for Dallas on Sunday, as four players from last season’s Cowboys team will be on the opposite sideline. Defensive end Dorance Armstrong Jr., center Tyler Biadasz, cornerback Noah Igbinoghene and defensive end Dante Fowler Jr. all followed Quinn to Washington over the offseason and each have found their own respective success.
However, none have had a bigger impact in their new setting than Fowler.
After playing just 271 snaps for the Cowboys in 2023 as a rotational pass rusher, the Commanders have increased his availability and the production has come with it. Through 11 games, Fowler has 8.5 sacks on 331 snaps and is on pace to contend for his first career Pro Bowl nod.
While the pass rush ability has jumped off the stat sheet, another aspect of his game has caught the attention of Mike McCarthy.
“He’s very impactful,” McCarthy said. “We used him a little bit in a couple of goal line sets when he was here. He was an X-factor there, particularly his ability to crash the C-gap…He’s been very, very productive, particularly in run situations. Dante is playing very well. He is playing a lot more obviously there than the opportunities that he had here, and he’s been extremely productive.”
