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Writer's pictureZach Penrice
Nov 243 min read

Week 12 Game Preview - Commanders vs. Cowboys

Week 12 - Washington Commanders (7-4) vs. Dallas Cowboys (3-6)


Nuts & Bolts 

  • Date: November 24, 2024

  • Time: 1:00 p.m. ET 

  • Venue: Northwest Stadium - Landover, MD

  • How to Watch: FOX

  • Matchup History: Dallas leads all-time series 78-48-2

  • Last Meeting: Dallas def. Washington 38-10 on 1/7/24

  • Betting Lines: Via DraftKings

    • Spread: Washington -10

    • Over/Under: 45.5

  • Prediction: Washington 29, Dallas 20

  • Official Game Notes: HERE

  • Follow Along on Twitter 

 

  • Head Coach: Dan Quinn (1st season, 7-4 record in Washington) 

  • Record: 7-4 (2-1, 2nd in NFC East)

  • Last Time Out: Lost @ Philadelphia 26-18 on 11/14/24

  • Player to Watch: Jayden Daniels 


After winning seven of eight games, the Washington Commanders have now dropped back-to-back games for the first time all season, suffering a grueling defeat on Thursday Night Football in Philadelphia to fall three games back of the Eagles for first place in the NFC East. 


After the loss, Washington is now 1-3 against teams that are currently over .500, with the lone win coming on the road against Arizona in Week 4. 


Interestingly, Rookie Quarterback Jayden Daniels has not recorded a rushing touchdown since that Week 4 game. He suffered a rib injury early in the Week 7 game against Carolina and the offense has simply not been as prolific since. 


Fortunately for Washington, of the last six games they’ll play, just two are against teams with a winning record (Week 16 vs. Philadelphia and Week 17 vs. Atlanta), with two games against the reeling Cowboys, one game in New Orleans and another at home against Tennessee. 


At this point, it sure looks like ten wins would be enough to get the Commanders into the playoffs, which, given the remaining schedule, looks to be more than achievable. 


Up first, it’s a matchup with Cowboys Quarterback Cooper Rush and the struggling Dallas Cowboys in Landover. 

 

  • Head Coach: Mike McCarthy (5th season, 45-31 record in Dallas) 

  • Record: 3-7 (1-1, 3rd in NFC East)

  • Last Time Out: Lost vs. Houston 34-10 on 11/18/24

  • Player to Watch: Micah Parsons


It’s been a season from hell for Mike McCarthy, Jerry Jones, and the Dallas Cowboys. 


The Boys have lost five straight games entering Sunday’s matchup in Landover. The team lost Quarterback Dak Prescott for the season after an injury against Atlanta three weeks ago, and has been outscored 68-16 in the two games since, falling to Philadelphia and Houston at home by 28 and 24, respectively. 


At one point, not long ago, the team was 3-2 following a huge win over the Steelers on Sunday Night Football. Since, not only has Dallas lost every game, but the defense has surrendered an average of 34.4 points per game. 


Even if Prescott was healthy, I’m not sure it would have turned any of the five losses into wins, given the abysmal play by first-year Defensive Coordinator Mike Zimmer’s defense. 


On the year, the Cowboys are the 31st ranked defense in points allowed. Now, in Week 12, Dallas will play its former Defensive Coordinator and current Commanders Head Coach Dan Quinn for the first time. 


Over the past few years, Quinn had the Dallas defense firing on all cylinders, and has so far transformed the Commanders defense in 2024 from one of the worst defenses in the league toward at least the league median. 


For Dallas, significant change feels inevitable at some point soon. However, with an owner as involved as Jerry Jones paired with the highest paid quarterback and the contracts of CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons hamstringing the rest of the roster financially, what head coach will want this job? 


Certainly something to watch as the Cowboys season continues to nosedive.

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