Cowboys rookie sent to the bench: 4 biggest takeaways from wild win over Washington Commanders in Week 12
It was a weird game in the NFC East as the Dallas Cowboys took down the Washington Commanders on a 34-26 showdown that was straight up wild. There were a lot of mistakes on both sides, particularly on special teams, and some explosive plays in crunch time. Be it Terry McLaurin's 89-touchdown catch or KaVontae Turpin's […]
It was a weird game in the NFC East as the Dallas Cowboys took down the Washington Commanders on a 34-26 showdown that was straight up wild. There were a lot of mistakes on both sides, particularly on special teams, and some explosive plays in crunch time.
Be it Terry McLaurin's 89-touchdown catch or KaVontae Turpin's insane 99-yard kickoff return, a lot happened for a game that was 3-3 at the half.
Below are the biggest takeaways from the Cowboys win, the first since October 6th for America's Team.
Tyler Guyton's penalties scrap what could've been a decent game
As far as his blocking goes, Guyton was pretty decent on Sunday, particularly in the first half. On Cooper Rush's touchdown pass to Jalen Tolbert in the third quarter, Guyton put together an exemplary rep in pass protection working on an island against a Commanders DE that had no shot.
Later in the game, he was called for an offensive holding that was most likely a mistake from the ref as Guyton didn't appear to be holding when watching the replay.
However, it's the mental mistakes that led to the first-round rookie heading to the bench. Guyton was called for two illegal formation fouls, one of which probably killed a very promising drive, and a false start. It just can't happen. The rookie has to be better or these concerns will carry on to 2025 and beyond.
Based on the staff's decision to sit Guyton at times on this game, there should be questions about his role moving forward even if playing time seems to be the obvious call for his long-term development.
Cooper Rush probably secured the starting role today
I'm not pretending Cooper Rush had a fantastic game today, but he did what he was asked to do: He completed 75% of his pass attempts and didn't' turn the ball over. He was given clean pockets to work with and he delivered passing for 247 yards and two touchdowns.
This felt like a big game for Rush with a Thanksgiving game ahead with low, low, ticket prices. But he might've bought himself some time and it's not looking like he'll be benched by Trey Lance any time soon. Speaking of which…
The Trey Lance packages are a problem
Before the Cowboys' go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter, Trey Lance went in on first-and-goal in an effort to use his legs in a goal-to-go situation, something the coaching staff had teased since earlier in the week.
The problem with these plays is that once Lance goes in, everyone on the defense can see it coming: The Cowboys are trying to get the quarterback to run the ball. That's not necessarily a deal breaker but you better have execution cleaned up if you're going to run this type of plays.
In this case, TE Luke Schoonmaker missed a key block and there was nothing left to do. If the Cowboys are going to continue to play Lance in such spots, they gotta be ready to execute.
Later in the game, Lance entered in the fourth quarter at the Commanders' 35-yard line for one snap, in which he handed the ball off to CeeDee Lamb for a one-yard gain. He was immediately taken off the field after the one snap. Perhaps it'd be in their best interest to give him a true package of plays where he can be more unpredictable.
There are way too many issues on special teams
Although KaVontae Turpin's touchdown was straight up epic, we've got to talk about John Fassel's special teams unit. One field goal block and another miss could've proved very costly on this game. Add to that a blocked punt and the Cowboys simply gotta tighten it up.
They're already dealing with enough trouble on offense and defense and special teams can't be another obstacle on the way of winning ballgames.
