5 takeaways from Cowboys’ win over Commanders: Defense doesn’t steal Christmas
In just the sixth Christmas game in franchise history, the Dallas Cowboys made a festive trip to the nation’s capital and took down the Washington Commanders 30-23 on Thursday.
Both teams were eliminated from playoff contention before the day began, but NFC East division pride and the opportunity to play in front of a national Netflix audience saw both teams keep most of their starters in the mix.
For the Cowboys, the running back duo of Javonte Williams and Malik Davis helped power things offensively, while a big day from defensive end Jadeveon Clowney (1.5 sacks) kept the defensive effort at least palatable.
Just one game remains in the 2025 season for the Cowboys (7-8-1), as they will get a shot to finish at .500 next week at the New York Giants. The time and date have yet to be announced, as the NFL waits to see the Week 17 results before setting the Week 18 schedule.
But for now, let’s take a look at the takeaways from the back end of a clean sweep of the Commanders (4-12) for Dallas this season:
Defense can’t steal Christmas this time
There are no other ways to write how bad the Cowboys’ defense has been in 2025. But in a game where it had just about every natural advantage to succeed, it held up.
Was the unit perfect? Absolutely not. Starting in just his 10th career game across 10 seasons, Commanders quarterback Josh Johnson’s life wasn’t made particularly difficult. In addition, running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt ran for 105 yards and two scores.
“We gave up the big run,” head coach Brian Schottenheimer said. “I think you look at some of the statistical stuff, third down, they were 1-for-6. We did a good job in the red zone. There are some things to clean up. We should’ve tackled better today. ... We let their star receivers get loose a couple of times, but those things happen.”
The offense controlled the time of possession battle to help out the other side, and the defense still gave up over 300 yards, but the group led by defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus did what it needed to do.
Call it a Christmas miracle.
Javonte, the hard-nosed reindeer
If running back Javonte Williams hadn’t already cemented his value for the future, his first-half performance Thursday should have sealed the deal.
It was a prove-it year for Williams, and he delivered with his 13th total touchdown Thursday. He carried the ball 13 times for 54 yards, including a fourth-down conversion that saw him get hit twice behind the line before driving forward to move the chains. That came after a carry on the first drive that saw him drive Commanders cornerback Mike Sainristil into the ground on a truck hit that drew some attention from the stadium.
A physical, tough runner may have a shorter career than most running backs — Williams did leave Thursday’s game in the first half with a shoulder injury he’s been battling for three weeks. And, yes, he’s 25 years old. But considering the consistent production he’s given the offense throughout the season, re-signing him in the offseason to a multiyear deal is a no-brainer.
Take the naughty with the nice with Turpin
If you did a full-season evaluation of wide receiver/kick returner KaVontae Turpin, you’d see a mixed bag of good, bad and ugly. On Thursday, that was all bottled up into one sequence.
After letting yet another punt go over his head that was downed inside the 5-yard line, Turpin made up for the bad field position by getting loose out of the slot on third-and-11, hauling in a perfect Dak Prescott deep ball and dashing through the grass for an 86-yard score.
“Turp did a good job of getting over the top,” Prescott said. “Obviously, I saw it. With a guy like that, you just want to put it down the middle and give him a chance, and he went and did the rest. He definitely was not getting caught.”
Is his three-year, $18 million contract worth the bad moments like the many misjudged punts and untimely drops/fumbles? Probably not, but I bet you won’t be complaining when the moments flip to the positive side.
Better underdog: Rudolph or Malik Davis?
Like running back Malik Davis throughout most of his career, no one thought Rudolph had the ability to take over when the moment mattered — but both saved Christmas when called upon.
After Williams went down in the first half with his shoulder injury, Davis came in and picked up the load, carrying the ball 20 times for 103 yards — both career-highs. In a game where protecting Prescott was straight-up ugly (more on that later), handing the ball off to Davis became the best medicine for a struggling offense in the second half.
“He’s played incredibly well,” Schottenheimer said. “He had over 100 yards today. I was trying to get him the ball, I looked over, and his eye was swollen. It looked like he took a right hand from [boxer Mike] Tyson. I’m so proud of him. He ran hard.”
When the Cowboys needed Davis, he followed through. When a starting running back goes down and opportunities are left to a player who didn’t even start the season on the roster, it’s tough to expect much. But behind Davis’ shiny bright running down the hole, Dallas was able to escape with this one. After the game, he had to get immediate treatment on an eye that had swollen shut and an injury he had sustained to his arm.
A true Christmas hero.
Leave milk and cookies out for Joe Milton III
It’s been an incredible season for Prescott. He will finish the season with his fourth-highest single-season passing total and will be top-three in the league in yards. He will have fought through a disappointing season for the overall team by powering a top-three offense in the NFL.
However, it’s time to shut him down.
The Cowboys are already working without starting left tackle Tyler Guyton, and the protection has been shaky over the past four games. Entering Thursday, his previous three games saw him get pressured 52 times and sacked eight times. Against the Commanders, he was brought down six times and took a couple of ugly hits.
“It’s Christmas, I’m going to enjoy Christmas,” Schottenheimer said when asked about the decision postgame. “I’m going to have some eggnog, and I’ll deal with that when I get back looking at the film.”
It’s understandable to want to play on Christmas in front of a national crowd. But entering a game in Week 18 that actually means nothing, it’s time to let Prescott ride the pine and send backup quarterback Joe Milton III onto the field against the Giants.
This story was originally published December 25, 2025 at 3:09 PM.
