Cowboys Cooper Rush Reveals 'The Reason We're Winning'; Defense Dominates Commanders in 25-10 Win: Live Game Log
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The Dallas Cowboys hosted a reeling Washington Commanders team on Sunday at AT&T Stadium in a second straight NFC East matchup in as many weeks for both teams. ... and Dallas delivered with a resounding 25-10 victory.
And why?
"They’re the reason we’re winning, it’s just plain and simple,'' said QB Cooper Rush of the Dallas D. "Those guys, I mean, 10 points in the NFL is pretty impressive."
We break it all down below ...
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott continues to recover from his broken thumb suffered in Week 1, which means an NFC East reunion with Washington signal-caller Carson Wentz will have to wait.
Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones was asked on 105.3 The Fan if Rush's continued winning ways might cause him to keep the job, even when Dallas has a healthy Prescott (which might be the case in the next two weeks).
"No,'' Jones replied. "All it does is tell me that we're in great shape at the QB position."
The Cowboys enter the game 2-1 with wins over Cincinnati and the Giants with the lone loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1.
Washington finds itself at 1-2, with losses to Detroit and Philadelphia and an opening day win over Jacksonville.
via ESPN
Last week, the Commanders were beaten down by division rival Philadelphia, in a game where Wentz was sacked nine times and hurried another 24. Washington was held to 240 total yards and just 3.2 yards per play.
The Cowboys currently lead the league with 13 sacks, led by second-year standout linebacker Micah Parsons with four. Demarcus Lawrence and Dorance Armstrong are tied for second on the team with three each.
FIRST QUARTER: Dallas 3, Washington 0
Dallas begins the game with the ball from its own 25 after the touchback.
On 3rd and 5 from the Dallas 30, Cowboys QB Cooper Rush finds running back Ezekiel Elliott in the left flat for 31 yards to the WAS 39.
The Dallas drive stalls on 3rd and 8 from the WAS 37 when back Tony Pollard catches a pass for only two yards to the WAS 35.
FIELD GOAL COWBOYS: Brett Maher is good from 53 for a Cowboys 3-0 lead early. The scoring drive goes 40 yards in seven plays and took 3:26 off the clock.
Washington takes over from its own 25 after the touchback.
Two consecutive running plays get the Commanders to the WAS 37, then a couple of passes by QB Carson Wentz take Washington to the DAL 47.
But the drive stalls with a nine-yard sack of Wentz by Neville Gallimore and a couple of incompletions. The Cowboys' defense is putting pressure on Wentz early in the game.
The Washington punt goes 52 yards to the DAL 10.
Elliott begins the Cowboys' drive with runs of five and two yards to the DAL 15. The drive can go no further as Rush is sacked for six yards on 3rd and 3.
The Anger punt goes 50 yards to the WAS 39.
Running back Gibson gets four to start the drive but the Commanders can get no farther as the Way punt goes 51 yards to the DAL 16. Turpin loses three more on the return to the 13.
Dallas starts off hot with a couple of completions to start the drive to CeeDee Lamb for 23 and then 16 yards to the DAL 36.
Another Rush-to-Lamb connection for 17 takes the Dallas drive to the WAS 31.
Rush scrambles for six yards on 3rd and 12 to end the quarter.
END OF FIRST QUARTER
SECOND QUARTER: Dallas 12, Washington 7
FIELD GOAL COWBOYS: Dallas' 45 yad kick by Maher is good for a 6-0 lead as the second quarter gets underway. The scoring drive went 60 yards in seven plays and took 2:48 off the clock.
This is the third straight game for the Commanders with less than 30 total yards in the first quarter. They have 23 in the opening frame today.
Washington begins the drive from its own 25.
Gibson rushed for 11 and Williams ran for 18 as the Commanders are having success running against the right side of the Dallas defense.
On 1st and 10 from the DAL 44, Wentz is flushed from the pocket and rolls to his right where he's called for intentional grounding to avoid the sack.
The Washington drive is halted when Wentz throws incomplete on 3rd and 11 from the DAL 45.
Dallas takes over from its own 16 after the Way 29-yard punt, but Dallas goes 3-and-out and the Anger punt goes 49 yards to the WAS 34.
On 2nd and 7, McKissic ran 33 yards to the DAL 17, then Wentz hit McLaurin for six more to the DAL 11.
TOUCHDOWN COMMANDERS: Wents hit Dotson for 10 yards for the touchdown. The Slye extra point is good for a 7-6 Washington lead with 7:05 left in the half. The scoring drive goes 65 yards in seven plays and took 3:35 off the clock.
Dallas has the ball at its own 25 after the touchback.
On 3rd and 7, Rush can't find Brown deep down the middle and it's intercepted by St-Juste. But St-Juste was called for illegal contact to nullify the play and give Dallas a first down.
Cooper Rush started the game completing five of his first six passes, but he's now just 5-for-12.
On 3rd and 8 Rush finds Gallup for 15 yards and a first down. Welcome back, Michael Gallup!
On 3rd and 1 at the WAS 25, Rush sneaks it up the middle for a first down.
TWO-MINUTE WARNING
TOUCHDOWN COWBOYS: On 3rd and 6 from the nine, Rush finds Gallup for the touchdown with 1:04 left in the half. The extra point is blocked. The scoring drive went 74 yards in 15 plays and took 6:01 off the clock.
Washington has the ball at the 25 after the touchback but shows no urgency with a minute on the clock and two timeouts.
INTERCEPTION COWBOYS: Wentz passes deep left for Dotson but is intercepted by Trevon Diggs at the DAL 17 with 17 seconds left in the half.
END OF THE FIRST HALF
THIRD QUARTER: Dallas 15, Washington 10
Washington starts the second half with the ball on its own 25.
On 3rd and 12 from the WAS 23, Wentz hit Samuel for 14 yards to the WAS 37, but the Commanders can go no farther.
The Commanders punt goes 47 yards to the DAL 15, fair caught by Turpin.
Safety Jourdan Lewis has been ruled out for the rest of the game after suffering a groin injury in pregame warmups.
Pollard loses seven yards on first down after being tackled by Jackson. Another Rush interception is nullified by a Washington penalty after St-Juste is called for defensive holding. Pollard loses two yards again on an attempted run up the middle.
Dallas is forced to punt after a 3rd and 12 incomplete pass. Washington had all the pressure on Rush on each of the four offensive plays in this Dallas series.
The Anger punt goes 58 yards to the WAS 31, returned to the WAS 39 by Milne.
The Cowboys' defense forces the Commanders to move backward into a 4th and 27 from the WAS 22, and force a punt.
The Way punt goes 40 yards to the DAL 38 out of bounds.
On the first play of the drive Rush finds Brown for 45 yards to the WAS 17 before Schultz is called for a false start - just the second penalty of the game for the Cowboys - moving the ball back five yards.
Elliott got tackled in the backfield on 1st and 15 but Zack Martin was injured on the play when he stepped on the foot of a teammate and rolled his right ankle. His return is questionable.
FIELD GOAL COWBOYS: Maher is good from 28 for a 15-7 Cowboys lead with 4:56 left in the third quarter. The scoring drive goes 52 yards in five plays and took 2:52 off the clo
Washington's drive starts at the 25 after the touchback with 4:56 left in the third quarter.
On 3rd and 8, Wentz found Dotson for 31 yards to the DAL 42 to move the chains, then Williams ran for 23 yards to the DAL 19.
An intentional grounding penalty and a false start move the ball back to the DAL 36 for a 3rd and 27. McKissic can only get to the 27 setting up a field goal.
FIELD GOAL COMMANDERS: Slye is good from 45 on his FIRST FIELD GOAL ATTEMPT OF THE YEAR with 1:27 left in the quarter for a 15-10 Cowboys lead. The scoring drive goes 48 yards in eight plays and took 3:29 off the clock.
Dallas takes over from its own 25, and guard Zack Martin has returned to the game.
On 2nd and 8, Rush passed deep to Gallup who was interfered with by Jackson at the WAS 35, then Elliott rushes up the middle for five.
END OF THE THIRD QUARTER
FOURTH QUARTER: Dallas 25, Washington 10
TOUCHDOWN COWBOYS: On the first play of the fourth quarter, Rush finds Lamb on a deep post for 30 yards for the touchdown and a 22-10 Dallas lead. The Maher extra point is good. The scoring drive goes 75 yards in three plays and takes 1:33 off the clock.
Washington takes over from its own 18, and Samuel catches passes of 15 and three yards to get to the 36 before the drive stalls.
Way's punt goes 51 yards to the DAL 9, but the Cowboys go 3-and-out and are forced to punt.
The Anger punt goes just 22 yards to the DAL 30 where Washington takes over.
Gibson carries three yards to the DAL 16, Quinton Bohanna was injured on the play.
Anthony Brown was called for defensive holding giving Washington a 1st and 10 at the DAL 11.
On 3rd and 9 from the DAL 10, Dante Fowler sacks Wentz for a loss of six yards. Washington elects to go for it on 4th and 15 from the DAL 16 and Wentz's pass goes incomplete as Diggs knocks it away from McLaurin.
Dallas' first play is a bomb down the right sideline to Gallup but Jackson is called for defensive pass interference at the DAL 43. Noah Brown was injured on the play.
On 3rd and 3, Elliott can get no gain to force a punt situation for the Cowboys from the 50.
Anger's punt goes 39 yards to the WAS 11.
INTERCEPTION COWBOYS: ON 3rd and 8 from the WAS 13, Wentz throws deep middle to Samuel, intercepted by DaRon Bland - who had never played a snap of NFL football until this game. He returns the ball to the WAS 20.
Micah Parsons was injured on the play.
On 3rd and 8, Rush passes to Ferguson for eight yards, but McCarthy wants to kick the field goal rather than go for it.
FIELD GOAL COWBOYS: Maher is good from 29 yards for a 25-10 Cowboys lead with 3:51 left in the game. It's a career-high four field goals in the game for Maher.
Washington takes over from its own 25 after the touchback.
Micah Parsons returns to the game.
TURNOVER ON DOWNS to COWBOYS: Thomas catches a pass for six yards and three yards to the WAS 36. On 4th and 2 the Dallas defense holds with an incomplete pass to McLaurin, broken up by Diggs.
The Cowboys take over from the WAS 44 with 2:39 left in the game.
Dallas is running the ball conservatively to run out the clock now, with Elliott for a loss of three, then a gain of one. On 3rd and 12 at the WAS 46 Elliott catches a pass for just one yard.
TWO-MINUTE WARNING
The Anger kick goes 38 yards to the WAS 7. Wentz passes incomplete to Thomas on 1st down, then Tank Lawrence was called for a neutral zone infraction giving Washington a 2nd a 5 from the 12 with 1:49 remaining.
END OF GAME
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