Dallas walked away from their home opener against the Commanders with a 37-20 win on September 20, 2026, but team owner Jerry Jones admitted he was seriously “worried” about the state of things before the final whistle. And honestly? Looking at how their defense played, you can totally see why he felt that way, even with the W. Jones said he was “worried about what it was going to be like if we did end up 0-2” and wasn’t a “pillar of strength in my mentality” coming into the game. He respects Washington’s coaching staff, but that doesn’t change the fact this was a very important win.
A Win That Felt Too Close For Comfort
Let’s talk about how this game almost went sideways. With just three seconds left before halftime, the Cowboys defense was staring down the barrel, just one yard away from giving up Washington’s second touchdown of the first half. Instead of going for a field goal, Commanders coach Dan Quinn put the ball in quarterback Jayden Daniels’ hands. Then, disaster for Washington: a bad snap exchange, Daniels fell backward, and he landed awkwardly on his elbow. It was dislocated, and he was out for the rest of the game after combining for 165 yards and a touchdown. That play saved Dallas from giving up points, and that key goal-line stop helped seal the 37-20 victory. But let’s be real, a dislocated elbow on the opposing quarterback and a botched snap isn’t exactly a testament to dominant defense, is it? It felt more like a huge bullet dodged. They also got some help when multiple Commanders passes that looked like potential touchdowns were either dropped or poorly thrown. A couple inches either way, and this game could have been flipped.
The Numbers Are Getting Hard To Ignore
Despite the scoreboard, the Cowboys defense had some serious head-scratching moments. They gave up a staggering 389 total yards and 24 first downs. Washington converted on 8 of 14 third-down attempts, which is just way too high. Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker, in just his first game calling plays, saw communication issues plague his unit. Quarterback Dak Prescott was blunt, saying the defense gave up “big plays” and “scores,” and that these were “all things that were controllable.” He emphasized that “there’s two ends of communication, the guy giving and the guy receiving the information and making sure both parts are clear.” If that isn’t a red flag, I don’t know what is. The defense was “not good,” according to the article, though it did show some improvement from Week 1.
Flashes Of Fight Emerge, But Work Remains
It wasn’t all bad news, thankfully. Multiple defensive players, including Kenny Clark and Quinnen Williams, did see improvement in Week 2, especially with Jaishawn Barham taking the lead on the green-dot. Williams acknowledged they “need to communicate” and “need to execute,” admitting they still had “some communication things we need to (work on)” even in the win. But he was right, you “got to learn from it” every single game. The Cowboys defense did make some plays, finishing with three tackles for loss, six quarterback hits, four pass deflections, and a forced fumble. Barham himself, in his first NFL start, went to the locker room with a stinger, then came back out, ran down a Commanders player, and punched the ball out. Linebacker Dee Winters recovered that fumble. So, there’s some grit there, some individual plays that show potential.
This early in the season, after just two weeks, every team is still figuring things out. For Dallas, it’s clear their defense needs to get their communication ironed out ASAP. They got the win this time, but they can’t bank on opponents injuring their own QBs or dropping easy scores every week. They’ve got to learn from this game, tighten things up, and make those flashes of fight a consistent reality for their next matchup.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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