Washington Commanders Lose vs. Dallas Cowboys: 3 Takeaways

Three takeaways from the Washington Commanders blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving.

The Washington Commanders (4-8) got blown out by a score of 45-10 against its NFC East divisional rival, the Dallas Cowboys (8-3).  

Here are three takeaways from the Commanders' loss.

Could the Thanksgiving blowout loss be the final straw that gets head coach Ron Rivera fired by the Washington Commanders? / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Ron Rivera Should Be Fired 

Washington has been outscored by 104 points this season, the third-worst point differential in the NFL, and in the spirit of Thanksgiving, it seemed as though Commanders head coach Ron Rivera was happy to let the Cowboys' offense prepare stuffing...of the stat sheet, that is.

Rivera has been with Washington's head coach for the past four seasons, but it appears as though it may be time for him to go. 

A defensive-minded head coach who allowed his divisional rival to convert on 60 percent of its third downs, complete 10.3 yards per pass, 5.6 yards per rush, forced zero turnovers, and didn't stop his opposition from scoring a single time in the red zone should feel the heat. 

When the Commanders signed Rivera, the hope was that the head coach who helped lead the Carolina Panthers to a Super Bowl back in 2015 would be able to find similar success in Washington, but that simply hasn't been the case. After going 26-62 during Rivera's tenure, it's time to move on.

Man Coverage is a Liability

As stated above, the Commanders' defense performed awfully against Dallas, but it could've been much worse. Prescott overshot his receivers deep downfield in that first half on multiple occasions.

What stopped the Cowboys from scoring 50 points was themselves. Cornerbacks continued getting burned by the skill position talent of Dallas without a safety up top to help, yet Washington continued to put its players in a position to fail. 

After trading away edge rushers Montez Sweat and Chase Young, the Commanders lack a strong secondary to compensate for the lack of pass rush the team is currently deploying (zero sacks against Dallas).

Sam Howell Isn't Special

Last season, Taylor Heinicke benched himself in favor of letting rookie quarterback Sam Howell start at the end of the season because he saw something special. 

Against the Cowboys, Howell did a good job of managing the game up until his pick-six, but it seems as though that may be the cap of how far his talents can take him, just being an okay starter. 

This team is far away from contending, especially with the current dominance of both the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas atop the division. However, when it does look to climb up from NFL mediocrity, there's no guarantee that Howell will still be at the helm despite early speculation that he might be more than just a guy at quarterback.

Commanders QB Howell Stacks Bad Games in Loss vs. Cowboys