Cowboys vs. Commanders already feels like a humongous loss for Dallas and it's not even Sunday yet
The Dallas Cowboys are set to take on the Washington Commanders on the road on Sunday for a showdown in which they're currently ten-point underdogs. Back in August, one could've assumed Dallas would've been the favorite. In September, it looked like it was shaping up to be a big gamer as the Commanders quickly went from […]
The Dallas Cowboys are set to take on the Washington Commanders on the road on Sunday for a showdown in which they're currently ten-point underdogs.
Back in August, one could've assumed Dallas would've been the favorite. In September, it looked like it was shaping up to be a big gamer as the Commanders quickly went from pretender to contender thanks to Jayden Daniels' quick rise as a legit NFL quarterback. But now? It feels like the Cowboys have no shot at hanging with the team now led by head coach Dan Quinn.
It's a game that already stings for the Cowboys in many ways and we're still two days removed from the kickoff.
When Quinn made the move to Washington, many around Cowboys Nation weren't particularly upset despite him stringing three defensive successful regular seasons.
Heck, some fans were even excited at the prospect of a new defensive coordinator. After all, Quinn's defense had struggled in a few big games and couldn't seem to find an answer versus the outside run and Shanahan-esque offenses.
Some of that is still evident in Quinn's defense these days, but Cowboys fans would swap defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer for Quinn in a millisecond with the way things are going in Dallas. Maybe the same could be said about Mike McCarthy and Quinn.
The Commanders' rise, simultaneous to the Cowboys' downfall, should feel in many ways like a slap in the face to America's Team and that has to be one of the biggest ones.
Not only is Quinn turning out to be a successful head coach in his second go at the job, one could even argue his defense is overachieving based on their talent. Sure, numbers won't show it as they're still one of the worst defenses in the league, but the talent is the biggest issue for Washington. With Dante Fowler Jr. and Dorance Armstrong, formerly Cowboys backup defensive ends, Quinn's unit is ranked 12th in pressure rate, per Pro Football Reference.
But I'd argue the most painful of gut punches is how quickly a franchise like the Commanders has turned it around. Washington fans have more faith in their revamped front office than the Cowboys do in theirs.
The Commanders added an innovative play-caller in Kliff Kingsbury, seemed to have nailed it on Quinn, who the players love, overhauled the team from the Ron Rivera era, made some aggressive moves as sellers last year by moving on from Chase Young and Montez Sweat. They got busy this offseason to rebuild a roster that desperately needed new pieces.
Meanwhile, the Cowboys were buyers at the trade deadline and seemingly overpaid for WR Jonathan Mingo. They remain one of the most passive teams in free agency and are headed to 2025 with a long, long list of needs and will likely be looking for a new coaching staff.
It's the tale of two cities, with one on the rise while the other is digging deeper into a hole that will take more than one year to climb out of.
