Did Commanders Play Things Too Safe vs. Cowboys?

The Washington Commanders had a chance to win, but blew the opportunity to tie against the Dallas Cowboys.

Nov 24, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders place kicker Austin Seibert (3) kicks a field goal against the Dallas Cowboys during the fourth quarter at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Washington Commanders will have to go back to the drawing board after losing 34-26 to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 12 at Northwest Stadium.

It's the third consecutive loss for the Commanders, all of which have come by one score. But the eight-point deficit isn't indicative of how close the game was.

With 21 seconds to go, Jayden Daniels found Terry McLaurin for an 86-yard touchdown that put the Commanders within a point. All that was needed was an extra point from Austin Seibert to tie the game. However, Seibert shanked the attempt after a low snap, keeping the Commanders one point behind the Cowboys.

While the Commanders could have gone for the tie, should they have gone for the win instead?

"I thought if after we score, we'd go for one," Commanders coach Dan Quinn said. "And the reason behind that, I thought, 'Let's get back into it, but we don't have to decide it on this play'. And so that was where I thought, 'Let's go' and then, hey get one stop, we'll get it, and then at the coin toss, let's go through the whole process again and reset it.’ So, I thought in that way that was the right call on that as obviously, you're not factoring in the other part of things. But that was my thought going into it."

There was a ton of momentum going in the Commanders' direction, and the fans at home were on their side. Stunning the Cowboys by getting the long touchdown off and a two-point conversion would have likely given the Commanders the win. On top of that, the Commanders converted a two-point attempt earlier in the fourth quarter to cut it to a three-point game.

Quinn should not be ridiculed for not going for the win instead of the tie, but perhaps it was an error on his part and a decision he wishes he had back.

While the loss doesn't completely change the trajectory of the season, this was a winnable game that the Commanders should have had, but the right buttons weren't pressed.

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