Washington Offense Sputters In First Half, Cowboys Lead 24-0

Washington hosts Dallas for the first of two critical games in the next three weeks

Two games separate the 8-4 Dallas Cowboys and the 6-6 Washington Football Team as they meet at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland on Sunday for the first of two critical games over the next three weeks.

The two teams were headed in opposite directions as they entered their respective bye weeks, as Dallas was 5-1 entering its Week 7 bye, but has gone just 3-3 since with a sputtering offense. Washington was 2-6 and has rattled off four straight wins with a rejuvenated defense.

The Cowboys have yet to beat Washington in the Mike McCarthy era, losing both games in 2020 by a combined 66-19 score.

But McCarthy made news on Thursday when he boasted to reporters, "We're going to win this game. I'm confident in that."

The Cowboys looked for a quick start against a stingy WFT defense and started the game on offense.

Dallas scored first, with a Greg Zuerlein field goal to end the opening drive of the game, a 12-play, 54-yard drive that took the first 5:23 off the clock.

The next possession would not go as well for Dallas as Prescott was picked off by Landon Collins on an errant pass to CeeDee Lamb.

But just three plays later, Taylor Heinicke gave the ball right back to Dallas on a tremendous play by Cowboys end Randy Gregory as he tipped and intercepted a pass and returned it 13 yards.

Dallas took that interception and turned it into eight points, on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Prescott to receiver Amari Cooper giving the Cowboys an 11-0 lead after a successful two-point conversion.

The Cowboys defense came up big again on Washington's next possession when Heinicke was sacked by linebacker Micah Parsons and fumbled the ball. Dorance Armstrong scooped up the loose ball and run 37 yards for the Cowboys second defensive touchdown in as many games.

That score put Dallas up 18-0 at the end of the first quarter.

The Cowboys added another three points on a Zuerlein 38 yard field goal late in the second quarter after an 11-play, 61-yard drive that took 5:23 off the clock, then Zuerlein put Dallas up 24-0 on a 37-yarder with just 15 seconds left.

The Washington offense has struggled all day against a dominant Cowboys defense as Dallas has held WFT to just 30 total yards in the first half.