Cowboys vs. Commanders: Three Bold Predictions for NFC East Rivalry on Christmas Day

Karl Rasmussen | 1 Hour Ago

Dak Prescott had three touchdown passes in the Cowboys’ first meeting with the Commanders in Week 7. / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The Cowboys and Commanders will face off on Christmas, in a matchup that unfortunately doesn’t have too much significance in the grand scheme of things, with both sides already eliminated from playoff contention.

The Christmas Day game will be held at Northwest Stadium and streamed exclusively on Netflix. With the national spotlight on, both teams will look to get the edge over their rivals.

This will be the second meeting between the NFC East foes. Their previous matchup was heavily lopsided in favor of Dallas, who won 44–22. In that game, Jayden Daniels exited with a hamstring injury and was replaced by Marcus Mariota. This time around, both quarterbacks are expected to be sidelined with injury, meaning it’ll likely be the veteran Josh Johnson expected to start on Thursday night, barring any late changes.

Let’s make some predictions for the Christmas Day rivalry game.

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Dak Prescott will throw for 300-plus yards and three touchdowns

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has 28 touchdown passes this season. / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

In the Cowboys’ last meeting with the Commanders, Prescott had three touchdown passes and 261 yards. He completed 21 of 30 pass attempts, nine of which were to CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, who figure to feature heavily once again in Week 17.

Washington has one of the league’s worst pass defenses, surrendering an average of 241.7 passing yards per game. Prescott has been airing the ball out of late, and has surpassed 300 yards in three of his last five games. He’s only achieved a 300-plus yard, three touchdown performance once this season, but against a Commanders team with little to play for, he could be in line for a big game.

Jacory Croskey-Merritt will have third straight game with a rushing touchdown

Jacory Croskey-Merritt has six rushing touchdowns in his rookie season. / Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Jacory Croskey-Merritt’s usage has been somewhat inconsistent this year. After seeing plenty of opportunity out of the backfield, “Bill” hasn’t featured quite as heavily in the middle of the season. He had 18 carries in Week 15 against the Giants but just eight touches in Week 16 against the Eagles. Still, he scored touchdowns in both games, bringing his season tally to six.

As the season winds down, I’m expecting the rookie to get a bigger workload than he’s had of late. His 18-carry game vs. New York was the first time he’d had double-digit rushes in a game since November 9. The Cowboys have surrendered 21 rushing touchdowns this season, second-most in the NFL, and I project that Croskey-Merritt will add to that tally with his seventh rushing score of the season.

Cowboys will score five-plus touchdowns and blow out Commanders again

Dak Prescott and George Pickens could be a problem for the Commanders in Week 16. / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

After beating them by 22 in their last meeting, I’m expecting another lopsided victory in favor of the Cowboys in Week 17. Dallas racked up a season-high 44 points in their last meeting, and while the offense hasn’t been quite as prolific since, Washington’s defense hasn’t been great, either.

The Commanders have surrendered no less than 27 points in each of their last four games. Since their previous meeting against the Cowboys, they’ve allowed more than 40 points in two games, and have surrendered 30-plus points four times.

I’m expecting the Cowboys offense will have another dominant game against the Commanders and will score five touchdowns in a big win.

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