Cowboys vs. Commanders score, takeaways: DaRon Bland makes history, Dak Prescott ties Tony Romo in blowout win

Plenty of families spend a good portion of their Thanksgiving cooking, and that’s what quarterback Dak Prescott and his pass-catchers did Thursday in the Dallas Cowboys’ matchup with the Washington Commanders: sautéing the Washington secondary. The host Cowboys won 45-10 to become the first team in NFL history to win each of their first five home games by 20 or more points.

Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland put a bow on the Thanksgiving celebration for the Cowboys with a 63-yard interception return touchdown, his fifth pick-six of the season to set the NFL’s all-time, single-season record. His 12 career interceptions since being selected in the 5th round of the 2022 draft are the most in the league. Seven of those have come in 2023, which also lead the NFL. 

It was evident early on that the Cowboys were going to get almost everything they wanted when dropping back to pass Thursday. On the opening drive, Pro Bowl wide receiver CeeDee Lamb blew past Washington corner Benjamin St-Juste for what should have been a walk-in touchdown, but Prescott overthrew him. He would atone for that in the second quarter by dropping a 31-yard touchdown pass into a wide-open Brandin Cooks’ bread basket for a touchdown over the middle. Cooks left his defender in the slot and the middle-of-the-field safety in the dust with ease for the 31-yard touchdown, his fourth of the season – all of which have come since Week 6.

The touchdown was Prescott’s second of the half, and it put Dallas ahead 14-3. His first came on a 15-yard catch-and-run screen pass to backup running back Rico Dowdle, marking his third career scrimmage touchdown. All three of them have come in 2023. Pro Bowler Tony Pollard concluded the Cowboys scoring in the first half with a seven-yard rushing touchdown on a scoring drive that took no time at all — 1:25 to go 75 yards for the score. Prescott surgically drove them down the field completing three of his four passes. He finished the game with 331 yards and four touchdowns on 22-of-32 passing. Thursday marked his 10th career game with four or more passing touchdowns, tying Tony Romo’s team record. 

Defensively, the Cowboys have generated the amount of pressure one would expect from the NFL’s No. 1 quarterback pressure rate team: a lot. They only got four sacks, as Sam Howell hung in there as well as he could despite the duress, throwing for 300 yards through the air on 28-of-44 passing and a one-yard rushing touchdown. 

Why the Cowboys won

Their defense shut out Washington in the second half while their offense found the end zone multiple times — on a 15-yard touchdown pass to CeeDee Lamb and a 34-yard touchdown pass to KaVontae Turpin — as well as on defense with Bland’s 63-yard house call that cranked the AT&T Stadium crowd volume to a thunderous roar. Dallas outclassed the Commanders in nearly every facet of the football except for time of possession (36:54 to 23:06 in favor of Washington), but that was because the Cowboys were scoring so quickly they didn’t need extended marches.

Why the Commanders lost

They couldn’t pressure Dak Prescott at all. He was only under pressure on 12.1% of his dropbacks Thursday, his lowest rate of the entire season. Offensively, they were unable to make big plays when they needed to, going 0-for-3 on fourth down. Thanksgiving Thursday simply wasn’t their day. 

Turning point

The Cowboys had this game in the bag seemingly for most of the duration it was played, but once they scored their first touchdown of the second half, a 15-yard pass from Prescott to Lamb, this game was over. 

Play of the game

Breaking an NFL record will always get you play of the game. It was unclear if Bland would score as he needed to break a couple tackles to get into the end zone, but his immediate acceleration after the catch as well as the agility to evade the would-be tacklers en route to a spot in NFL history sealed the deal. That’s the mark of a phenomenal play.

What’s Next

The 8-3 Cowboys stay home to square off against the Seattle Seahawks on “Thursday Night Football” in Week 13. The 4-8 Commanders return home to face the Miami Dolphins in Week 13.