Our writers provide their opinions on the latest Dallas Cowboys news during our weekly review on the Roundtable.
Every week, we gather the latest news about the Dallas Cowboys and seek our writer’s perspective on each headline. Welcome back to the roundtable. This week we have Brian Martin, Jess Haynie, Tom Ryle, David Howman and RJ Ochoa.
What is the best way to describe special teams during the Washington Commanders game?
The Dallas Cowboys come away with a miraculous victory in a game that had both sides score just three points by half time. Both offenses had their struggles throughout the game and both team’s defenses put up a major fight. That left the game being decided by the final part of the roster, special teams.
Brandon Aubrey had his first field goal blocked, then another hit the post and even Brian Anger had a punt blocked which put Washington in scoring position. But the special teams madness didn’t end there. Aubrey got back on form, KaVontae Turpin then made a house call on a kickoff return for 99 yards, with a spin move that will make highlight reels for weeks.
On the Commanders’ side, Austin Seibert missed a field goal and in a dramatic conclusion of the game, he missed the extra point on the final scoring drive to level the score. But it didn’t stop there!
After all that Juanyeh Thomas then returned an onside kick at the end of the game, which thankfully didn’t affect the outcome. This game was won for Dallas off the efforts of defense and the crazy turn of events that unfolded on special teams. The game proving that you need all three elements of your roster to win games in the NFL.
Howman: A hot mess. Emphasis on “mess” in the first half, and emphasis on “hot” in the second half. A blocked kick, a blocked punt, and a straight up miss from Brandon Aubrey is pretty terrible. But Aubrey bounced back to hit two field goals and all four PATs (which, apparently, was a big deal in this game) and the Turpin touchdown was massive in fending off a surging Commanders squad in that fourth quarter.
RJ: It was a chaotic mess that was only tolerable because the Dallas Cowboys won. I recognize that this makes me not cool, but something like Juanyeh Thomas not going down when recovering the onside kick is inexcusable and the type of thing that coaching should theoretically address. This group needs some serious tightening up in the worst way and this game proved that.
Tom: Was it something in the water? Washington certainly had its own share of special teams mishaps and breakdowns, and they were arguably more important than Dallas’ errors. Or you can look at it as both teams having some massive wins on special teams. Remember that only one of Aubrey’s misses was really on him, while Austin Siebert had a terrible day of his own. I’ll agree they have plenty to work on, but as Brad Sham said on the postgame show at 105.3 The Fan, the shuffling of the offensive line probably jumbled the blocking for kicks as well. I’ll just enjoy the pure craziness of it all and not get too wrapped up in things.
Jess: It was definitely “special.” For so many rare plays to happen in one game is just one of the record books. But two things you can take away from it are Brandon Aubrey’s resilience and KaVontae Turpin’s brilliance. It’s sad that Turpin’s big plays are all coming in meaningless games, but he’s earning league-wide recognition as one of the luminaries of his craft. And for Aubrey, as we also saw last Monday after his one miss, he just keeps proving how icy his veins are.
Brian: Special teams for both the Cowboys and the Commanders certainly made the game more interesting and actually helped to determine the outcome of the game. It was really odd to see Dallas have both a kick and punt blocked. You can probably contribute it to Dallas’ backup offensive lineman playing a role they’re not accustomed to, but it was still strange nonetheless. It still amazes me to watch KaVontae Turpin dominate in the return game like he does.
What positives from the Commanders game can fans take away as Dallas prepares for the New York Giants?
As previously mentioned, Turpin made a 99-yard return and he’s now flashed that top end speed two weeks in a row and needs some serious consideration for extra snaps on offense. Luke Schoonmaker made a solid catch for the team’s go-ahead touchdown. The touchdown proving that he does have something under the hood for this offense to tap into.
Jalen Tolbert, although somewhat inconsistent, proved he could be relied upon to make pressure catches in the endzone. And, of course, there’s Cooper Rush who played with extra confidence after the first touchdown which is a good sign.
Beyond all that on offense it was exciting to see what the Cowboys defense orchestrated. The team was insanely efficient with Josh Butler stepping up, Donovan Wilson making a big play and Micah Parsons proving he’s still hungry. All optimistic notes going into the next game.
Howman: Cooper Rush actually looked good. Not “carry us to the playoffs” good, but he hit on 75% of his passes, including several deep shots, and threw two touchdowns without a turnover. Compare that to Tommy DeVito, who came nowhere close to capturing last year’s magic in his start against the Buccaneers. Plus, Mike Zimmer’s defense has been playing genuinely good football as of late, and certainly good enough to have a chance against Mr. Cutlets.
RJ: Mostly I think that the biggest takeaway is that the team has some spine and is willing to stand tall and put up a fight. We may think that the Commanders are frauds now, but for a while they were being regarded as being quite legitimate. That the Cowboys went in there with Washington coming off of the mini-bye and escaped with the win, even when things carried an ominous air in the end, says a lot about their mental resolve.
Tom: We can, I think, put to rest any talk of the team quitting. I also don’t think this team will be anywhere except at home for the playoffs, but they are no longer an easy game for their remaining opponents. And we saw some of the depth players improving in this game, which could be very important for building next year’s roster.
Jess: If you’re invested in Dallas winning more games, you should feel good about Cooper Rush being the best quarterback on the field this Thursday. That’s more a statement of how bad things are on New York’s QB depth chart these days, but Rush is showing rhythm and confidence in these last two games after knocking the rust off.
Brian: The biggest positive has to be QB Cooper Rush and how he has the Cowboys offense moving the ball. Where Dak Prescott was struggling reading defenses/coverages, Rush is excelling and spreading the ball around to his playmakers. Because of that, Dallas’ offense is looking more efficient through the air and on the ground.
What’s been your most memorable Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving moment?
This Thursday the Dallas Cowboys take on the New York Giants in AT&T Stadium. Kickoff will commence at 4:30 p.m. ET and will have Cowboys fans hoping for the first home win of the season. The last time these two teams played was in Week 4, coincidentally also on a Thursday. Dallas came away with a win, 20-15 and the Cowboys kept the Giants to just 26 rushing yards. Since then starting quarterback, Daniel Jones, has been released and Tommy DeVito takes his place.
The Giants are on a six-game losing streak and have lost seven games in a row against Dallas. Between the two teams Cowboys leads the series 76-47-2.
Thanksgiving has had some very exciting moments for Dallas. Whether it was DaRon Bland breaking the pick-six single season record last year, or Ezekiel Elliott hopping in the Red Kettle in a touchdown celebration, this game is always a season highlight for Cowboys fans, and hopefully one that should see Dallas get that elusive home victory.
Howman: Unfortunately, the two that come to mind first are painful ones. There was the loss to Washington in 2012, when Robert Griffin III threw for 300+ yards and four touchdowns to really cement himself as a stud. Then there was the game against the Raiders in 2021 with 28 combined penalties and an overtime loss to Derek Carr. Hopefully my colleagues can conjure up happier times.
RJ: I’m with Howman in that the 2012 loss certainly sticks out in the worst way, but I’d like to offer my most positive one in the name of holiday magic and lore. In that respect I think that I have to go with 2006 which obviously many hold near and dear to their hearts. It was another building block in the idea that Tony Romo was the guy which was such a breath of fresh air and life at the time. It also was the true beginning of utilizing the Salvation Army kettle as a prop after touchdowns thanks to Terrell Owens, something people forget.
Brian: I don’t really have a specific memory involving the Dallas Cowboys and Thanksgiving. For me, the two have always kind of gone hand in hand. Good or bad, Thanksgiving wouldn’t be the same without the Cowboys playing on “Turkey Day”.
Tom: I’ll stick with the Kettle theme, and go back to the rookie year for Dak and Zeke. It filled us with hope for how far they could take the team. Sadly, we found out all too soon that it wasn’t far enough. Still, that one will always be a fond memory.
Jess: I’m going to show my age and take you back to a snowy day in 1993. The Cowboys blocked a potential game-winning field goal by the Miami Dolphins, but then Leon Lett tried to dive on the ball and made it live. Miami recovered and got to attempt a second kick, and this one gave them the victory. Of course, Dallas would go on to win a Super Bowl and Dan Marino never did. But for 11-year-old Jess, this was a traumatic moment.
