Commanders vs. Cowboys Notebook: 3 Observations From Washington's 3rd Straight Loss

The Washington Commanders lost 25-10 to the Dallas Cowboys Sunday. Here were some moments that led to the defeat.

Jeremy Brener | Oct 2, 2022

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The Washington Commanders (1-3) are heading back home shaking their heads after a 25-10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys (3-1) Sunday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

During the loss, several patterns began to resurface from previous weeks as we learn more about who the Commanders really are a quarter of the way into the season.

Here are three observations ...

JAHAN DOTSON IS FOR REAL

Washington Commanders rookie wide receiver Jahan Dotson nabbed his fourth touchdown in as many games to start his career.

Per Next Gen Stats, Dotson had a 28 percent chance to catch the touchdown on the grab, the second time this season he's caught a score with less than a 30 percent chance to make the reception.

Dotson has made his presence known, but the rest of the offense struggled to find ways to beat the talented Cowboys defense.

PENALTIES PLAGUING WASHINGTON

The Commanders looked like one of the most undisciplined teams in the league on Sunday, allowing 11 yards on 136 penalties.

A lot of these penalties were part of big chunk plays on defense or offensive possessions that made things far more difficult for them. While the Cowboys defense played well today, the Commanders had opportunities to respond. Unfortunately, they made their job much harder and beat themselves.

OFFENSIVE LINE MUST GET BETTER

The Commanders allowed just two sacks today against the Cowboys, a better effort than they gave last week against the Philadelphia Eagles, but that doesn't tell the full story.

Wentz was hit seven times and did a good job throwing it away. Sometimes, the result would be intentional grounding, which is basically a sack without the box score tally.

The Cowboys' front seven forced Wentz to get rid of the football quickly, which takes away the biggest strength of the Commanders' offense ... the receivers.

While Dotson had the touchdown, Terry McLaurin and Curtis Samuel struggled to produce, combining for six catches for 53 yards.

Dotson needs to keep grinding, while the offense needs to clean things up if it wants to grab a much-needed win next week against the Tennessee Titans at home.

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Published Oct 2, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.