Highlights and lowlights from the Commanders’ loss to the Cowboys

Thursday’s game might not have been so lopsided had Parton changed into a Commanders uniform after her show and played cornerback for Washington in the second half. The Cowboys enjoyed a 9 (well, 8.6) to 5 advantage in yards per play, which offset Washington’s 14-minute advantage in time of possession. Dallas averaged 10.5 yards play on its four first-half drives, three of which resulted in touchdowns. Six different Cowboys finished with plays of 20-plus yards.

If the Commanders move on from Ron Rivera, spare Eric Bieniemy as an interim

Hail: In-game turkey legs

For the second consecutive Thanksgiving, the NFL paid tribute to legendary broadcaster John Madden, who died at 85 in December 2021. The coin used for the pregame coin toss before all three Thanksgiving games featured a silhouette of the Super Bowl-winning coach on one side and a six-legged turducken on the reverse side. The Commanders-Cowboys broadcast highlighted a classic clip of Madden, who worked for all four major networks over three decades as an analyst, using his telestrator to discuss “mother” and “father” Gatorade buckets during Super Bowl XXI.

If only he were still around to narrate Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott picking at a turkey leg on sideline with 6 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. In a planned touchdown celebration, Prescott and a few teammates pulled foil-wrapped legs out of the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle beyond the end zone after KaVontae Turpin’s 34-yard scoring grab gave Dallas a 35-10 lead.

The Commanders might make changes. They might not change anything.

Fail: Finding new ways to lose

The Commanders’ offense wasn’t half bad. Washington rushed for 108 yards on 27 carries, quarterback Sam Howell completed 28 of 44 passes for 300 yards and Washington possessed the ball for nearly 37 minutes. After becoming the first team in four years to commit six turnovers in a game last Sunday, Washington had only one turnover against Dallas. According to @OptaSTATS, NFL teams, were a combined 57-0 over the last 25 regular seasons when eclipsing 100 yards rushing, 250 yards passing and 35 minutes of possession while also committing no more than one turnover and being penalized for no more than 25 yards. According to Stathead, the last four teams to hit all those benchmarks won by an average of 26 points. The Commanders managed to lose by 35 in falling to 2-9 all-time against Dallas on Thanksgiving.

After catching three passes for 11 yards over his last two games, Samuel made a season-high nine grabs for 100 yards to lead all receivers. It was Samuel’s first 100-yard receiving day since his final game with the Carolina Panthers in Week 17 of the 2020 season. His 30-yard catch on the final play of the first quarter set up Joey Slye’s field goal that got Washington on the board, and his 13-yard catch on the Commanders’ next possession set up Howell’s one-yard touchdown run. Dallas limited Terry McLaurin to four catches for 50 yards.

Fail: Fourth-down execution

Washington advanced into Cowboys territory on its first two possessions, only to punt the ball away both times. After Coach Ron Rivera’s head-scratching decision to punt on fourth and two from the Dallas 42 on Washington’s second drive, the Cowboys marched 90 yards on 11 plays for a touchdown that set the tone for the remainder of the game. The Commanders went for it on fourth down on three of their first four possessions in the second half and failed each time. On the first attempt, running back Brian Robinson Jr. collided with motioning wide receiver Jahan Dotson in the backfield before being dropped for a loss.

Four takeaways from the Commanders’ 45-10 loss to the Cowboys

Granted, it wasn’t the kind of history Washington wanted to be a part of, but with less than 5 minutes remaining and Dallas leading 38-10, Howell threw a pass toward the sideline that was intercepted by Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland. “There it is, this is history if Bland can take it the distance!” Nantz shouted as the second-year pro from Fresno State raced toward the end zone, dodging would-be tacklers in his path. Bland’s score, expertly described by Nantz, was his fifth interception return for a touchdown this season, breaking a tie with Philadelphia’s Eric Allen (1993), Kansas City’s Jim Kearney (1972) and Houston’s Ken Houston (1971) for the most in a single season. Allen had an interception return for a touchdown against Washington in 1993. Houston was traded from the Oilers to Washington in 1973.

Washington has nine days to prepare for the Miami Dolphins, which doesn’t figure to be enough time for this defense to come up with a plan to stop Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, Raheem Mostert and Co. The Dolphins were the league’s highest-scoring team at 30.5 points per game before the Cowboys eked ahead of them Thursday.