Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Who has impressed you from the Commanders’ rookie class? Previously we broke down both team’s offense and defense for the upcoming game between the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Commanders. Now we dive back into the position battleground, this time looking at how some of each team’s rookie class stack up against each other. (Grades for each player are the overall offensive or defensive grade handed out by PFF.com) Dallas Cowboys Tyler Guyton First RoundTyler Guyton will start at left tackle where he has his work cut out keeping this effective Washington pass rush at bay. Trying to slow Dante Fowler Jr. down and the rest of the Commanders pass rush is key this week to help Cooper Rush find any sort of rhythm.Grade: 55.2 Marshawn Kneeland Second RoundOn injured reserve (has been designated to return to practice this week)Grade: 54.7 Cooper Beebe Third RoundBeebe gets the better deal here this week as the Commanders pressure comes nearly exclusively from around the edge. Where he will need to take a pivotal role is in the run game. If Beebe can get some push and break into the second level then that exposes this Commanders defense which has struggled to defend the run, particularly down the middle. Grade: 62.0 Marist Liufau Third RoundLiufau took a healthy amount of snaps last week, the trouble is he only came away with three tackles for all his efforts. It’s unfair to completely write Liufau off or call him a bust as he has to contend with a defensive line that is offering him very little assistance. But you can see his lack of instincts in the run game which can leave him with a lot of work to do to get back in position.Grade: 42.2 Caelen Carson Fifth RoundCarson was left out the lineup last week on defense. He’s had some monumental struggles the past two weeks, allowing 13 receptions off 15 targets for over 200 receiving yards. With Bland coming back, Carson will remain on special team duties.Grade: 39.7 Ryan Flournoy Sixth RoundFlournoy got to start last week and played on 54 snaps on offense. He was targeted four times and had 19 yards off two catches, one going for a first down. The number of targets for the teams WR3 on a day where Rush threw over 60 times is concerning for Flournoy, but on the flip side of that statement is that everything looks concerning on this Cowboys offense. Grade: 60.4 Brevyn Spann-Ford UDFAWith Jake Ferguson missing for half the game (and this week’s game), Spann-Ford took on the extra workload and played on 42 snaps, which was a career high for him. He had 42 yards off four receptions but what was quite interesting was his pass blocking. He had a number of very good blocks, something no doubt this coaching staff would have noticed.Grade: 56.8 Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images Washington Commanders Jayden Daniels First RoundDaniels has performed the best among all this year’s rookie quarterbacks and his dual-threat abilities have served him well this season. He has slowed down recently, whether that’s hitting the rookie wall, injury, or defenses figuring out his game style. But Daniels has set a solid foundation and has played with good decision-making, accuracy and has the right amount of swagger to be a solid player at the position for years to come. Consistency is now key for him.Grade: 85.8 Jer’Zhan Newton Second Round“Jonny” Newton was a player that some people hoped would have been called up by Dallas, but that moment never come. So far this season Newton has struggled to find that highly aggressive and athletic form he flashed at Illinois. He has only one sack to his name and a dozen pressures, with 26 tackles in ten games this year. Grade: 44.0 Mike Sainristil Second RoundThe Michigan cornerback has been starting for the Commanders secondary all over the place this year. Being moved around so much has probably been a factor in his inconsistent play this year. He’s allowed a 65% completion rate, three touchdowns and has a passer rating allowed of 96.9. The secondary for Washington follows this theme as well by best being called inconsistent.Grade: 68.0 Ben Sinnott Second RoundSinnott serves as Washington’s TE3 and has made three receptions this year, one for a touchdown. He’s mostly utilized as an extra run blocker on plays and the Commanders offensive line needs the extra help in run blocking as they aren’t the best.Grade: 55.1 Brandon Coleman Third Round Coleman has been playing as the team’s starting left tackle since Week 5. He’s done a pretty good so far and allowed one sack and 18 pressures off 211 passing sets. Although as previously mentioned the Commanders run blocking has been substandard this year, Coleman has been one of the better players on the offensive line in that department. Grade: 60.7 Luke McCaffrey Third RoundThe younger brother of Christian McCaffrey has played a fairly significant role on this Washington offense. Terry McLaurin will get the majority of targets, and rightly so, so scooping up any extra targets from him is a tough job. McCaffrey has made 13 receptions for 134 yards and has yet to score.Grade: 54.3 Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images

Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images The latest news surrounding the Dallas Cowboys is here. Cowboys’ $240M star Dak Prescott admits to crying over horrendous season as team faces constant mockery – Jackson Thompson, Fox News Dak Prescott couldn’t hold back his emotions after recent loss for the Cowboys. Dallas Cowboys franchise quarterback Dak Prescott admitted just how bad his team’s failed season has made him feel about himself. Prescott told The Dallas Morning News this week he couldn’t hold back the emotion or the tears when he sat down and realized just how bad his team really is. “The other day, after the game, I guess, it all just hit me,” Prescott said of the experience shortly after his team was blown out by the Houston Texans Monday night. “Boom, right. A couple of tears came down. “This is going to hurt. It’s going to suck at times. You just have to understand this is one of the moments that it does. I don’t want anything right now other than to let it suck. It’s understanding and being able to voice that, ‘Yeah, I’m blessed to be where I’m at.’” Stephen Jones says Dallas Cowboys don’t regret trading for quarterback Trey Lance – SportsDay Staff, Dallas Morning News Despite barely seeing the field, Stephen Jones believes getting Trey Lance was a good thing. According to Stephen Jones, the Dallas Cowboys would trade for Trey Lance again if they had a chance. The Cowboys executive vice president spoke highly of the team’s current backup quarterback during his latest appearance on 105.3 The Fan (KRLD-FM). Lance is currently expected to sit behind starter Cooper Rush, who has been described as giving Dallas the “best chance to win.” “[Lance] is a top-tier pick, a guy we had at the top. As you know, Dak [Prescott] was coming up for a contract and we wanted to take a look at a good, young talent and didn’t feel like we could get anything from a quality standpoint like we could get with Trey,” Jones said. “As it turns out, we ended up signing Dak long-term. So obviously that puts a little less need in terms of having to rush to do something with Trey. Matter of fact, it makes it hard because Trey, I’m sure, is wanting to see what’s out there now that we have committed to Dak long-term. But I don’t regret that at all.” Dallas originally acquired Lance ahead of the 2023 season, sending a 2024 fourth-round pick to San Francisco for the young quarterback’s services. Lance has yet to receive an extended look with the Cowboys, appearing in only one regular-season game since joining the roster. Lance briefly stepped in for Rush during the team’s 34-6 Week 10 loss to Philadelphia, going 4-for-6 through the air for 21 yards and an interception. He also ran for 17 yards on three carries. Cowboys injury report: Ferguson ruled out, Martin listed as doubtful, Bland will play vs. Commanders – LP Cruz, Blogging The Boys Dallas gets an All-Pro back, but two other significant starters will be out against Washington. After the Cleveland Browns won in a snowy outing during Thursday Night Football against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Dallas Cowboys have only four teams ahead them with fewer wins and currently hold the ninth pick in this year’s draft. There’s no reason to believe the Cowboys are intentionally tanking, more like they don’t have the bodies to compete and the results of what they lack is showing in the loss column. Ahead of their game against their former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and his upstart Washington Commanders, Dallas will be without some key players this Sunday. Here’s the final injury report of the week. #Cowboys final injury report vs. Commanders (Week 12): DaRon Bland has no designation and, as such, is expected to make his 2024 debut. Zack Martin doubtful, likely unable to play. Full report: pic.twitter.com/srWPmR9XPf — Patrik [No C] Walker (@VoiceOfTheStar) November 22, 2024 NFL Rumors: Daniel Jones Won’t Be Pursued by Cowboys amid Dak Prescott’s injury – Jack Murray, Bleacher Report The Cowboys don’t have any interest in pursuing the Giants’ failed QB. The Dallas Cowboys do not appear to be in pursuit of quarterback Daniel Jones. The Giants released the 27-year-old on Friday after six seasons with the franchise. He is set to clear waivers on Monday and could be an intriguing option for a quarterback-needy team. With starting quarterback Dak Prescott out for the season with a hamstring injury, the Cowboys could be a team that fits that description. However, NFL insider Josina Anderson reported that the team is “not currently pursuing” Jones. For those oasking, I’m told the #Cowboys are not currently pursuing QB Daniel Jones, per source. — JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) November 22, 2024 The Cowboys depth chart currently consists of Cooper Rush and Trey Lance with Prescott unavailable. Here We Goooo: Run game needs to travel – Tommy Yarrish, DallasCowboys.com The Cowboys could establish the ground game against the Commanders’ 30th ranked run defense. Yes, I know the Cowboys have the second lowest rushing yards per game in the NFL this season. So how could this possibly be a game where they could start to open things up? Keep in mind that Dallas has played six of the top nine rushing defenses in the NFL this season. On Sunday, they’ll face a Commanders defense that has given up the most rushing yards of any team in the NFL (1,655) , and is allowing the third-most rushing yards per game (149.9). Rico Dowdle was held in check last week by the Texans (who have the 9th lowest rushing yards allowed per game in the league), so this is the week to get things going. If we’re looking at what kinds of runs could open things up for Dowdle and the Cowboys, look for it to be on outside carries. Washington has give up 898 yards and nine touchdowns on outside runs this season, allowing 5.8 yards per

Eric Hartline-Imagn Images Taking one last look at the Commanders’ side of things. Dan Quinn, players prepare for reunion with Cowboys – Zach Selby, Commanders.com This matchup feels like Dallas vs. former Dallas coaches and players. Matchups between the Washington Commanders and Dallas Cowboys don’t normally need any extra juice. Aside from the obvious divisional ramifications that come with each game, the two teams have an intertwined history that spans decades. There will be a few more threads connecting the Commanders and Cowboys this year when they square off at Northwest Stadium on Nov. 24. Head coach Dan Quinn, who served as the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator from 2021-23, will face off against his former team for the first time on the other side of the rivalry. Current Commanders defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr., along with five players on Washington’s roster, are also set to put their stamp on the historic feud between the two teams. Quinn and his players are taking a team-first mentality into the week of preparation, but there’s certainly some extra excitement surrounding the game. “To get a chance to have my first Dallas game here and have the crowd behind us and digging in, that’s a really cool thing,” Quinn said. “We can’t wait.” Quinn success in Dallas is part of what landed him the job in Washington. The Cowboys led the league in takeaways (93), interceptions (59) and defensive touchdowns (15) with him as their defensive coordinator. He still has respect in Dallas for what he accomplished, both from his former players and fellow coaches. “Just knowing Dan from across the way, I always had a ton of respect for him,” Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said on Tuesday. “It was awesome to have him here in Dallas. He’s become a very good friend. I’m really happy for the success he’s having.” Quinn was known for his ability to build relationships with players in Dallas — a trait that he brought with him to Washington. General manager Adam Peters and Managing Partner Josh Harris wanted to hire a coach who could help establish a culture and make Washington a place where players want to be. The Commanders are still in the process of establishing that reputation, but based on the 7-4 start and the report at the trade deadline that players wanted to join the Burgundy & Gold, the signs are pointing in the right direction. That likely isn’t a surprise to the Cowboys players who knew Quinn from his days in Dallas. “Q [Quinn], I love him,” said Cowboys safety Malik Hooker. “I’m sure there’s a lot of guys here that loved him. Obviously, I haven’t talked to him since the season started, but [in the] offseason he still reaches out and checks in from time to time. Q is always going to be one of the favorite guys in my book. He’s one of the best coaches I had, and I still love him like a mentor as he was here.” The flagging Commanders offense gives Kliff Kingsbury a familiar problem – Sam Fortier, The Washington Post Recent offensive struggles after a hot start might not be a Kingsbury issue. It’s difficult to isolate one reason the Washington Commanders’ offense has dipped over the past month. The messy, overlapping pile of explanations includes subpar health, continued issues with talent, luck, more difficult competition, a short week and the mental toll of 11 straight weeks without a bye. But one thing seems clear: There’s no reason to think this is related to offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury’s past midseason regressions. While Kingsbury’s offenses have faded down the stretch nearly every year for a decade, the film shows the Commanders’ struggles have mostly been about execution. Kingsbury’s decisions haven’t been perfect — especially in the running game, in which efficiency is down — but his scheme and play calling do not appear to be the problem. For his part, Kingsbury suggested he wasn’t aware of the downward trend and wouldn’t change his approach. “I was thinking about doing triple option,” he joked Thursday. “Is that what you’re thinking? We’re going to do what we do.” Over the next two weeks before the bye, Kingsbury can reassert his offense’s dominance against the Dallas Cowboys, one of the league’s worst defenses, and the Tennessee Titans, who aren’t significantly better. Plus, he seems to have high hopes for Jayden Daniels. When a reporter asked Kingsbury whether he had to change play calls earlier this season because of the quarterback’s rib injury, the coordinator paused. “I’m not going to divulge what we did while he was, I would say, more banged up,” he said. “But” — he paused again — “hopefully we play better this week. I’ll just say that.” If the Commanders capitalize on the plays available, the offense could still soar back to its previous heights. “Overall, collectively as an offense, we can be better, and I think a week of real practice will help that,” Kingsbury said. 5 Commanders on the hot seat entering Week 12 vs. the Cowboys – Dean Jones, RiggosRag.com Some Commanders will still need to step up for this division rivalry renewal. Fans will be expecting a victory given how things have gone for the Cowboys this season. After getting more hype than they deserved before the campaign, things have crumbled dramatically. The Commanders will never get a better chance to flip the script of this storied rivalry. This divisional clash will also have special significance for many. Several coaches and players were on the opposite sideline last season. Handling the pressure and getting Washington in the win column once again is the only thing that matters. With this in mind, here are five Commanders firmly on the hot seat, for differing reasons, in Week 12 versus the Cowboys. Commanders on the hot seat entering Week 12 vs. Cowboys Commanders offensive tackles We’ll group all three offensive tackles projected to play together. They have one objective above all else in Week 12.

Madden believes the Dallas Cowboys will find a way to win this week. It has been a rough two months for the Dallas Cowboys to say the least. Consider that the game they played against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the one that took forever to happen as a result of the weather delay, was the last time that they tasted victory. That wasn’t quite two months ago, but it was basically such which means we have been wandering in the wilderness of frustration for far too long. The next opportunity for Dallas to make their fans happy, assuming you do want to see them win right now, is on Sunday on the road against a division rival in the Washington Commanders. What’s more is that on Sunday the Cowboys will see a ton of former friends and colleagues. Dan Quinn is the Commanders head coach and their roster has players like Tyler Biadasz, Dorance Armstrong, Dante Fowler, Noah Brown, the list goes on and on… so the reunion will be in full effect before families across the United States have their own next week on Thanksgiving Day. Will there be a Cowboys win found in Landover, though? In order to figure out how possible it is we ran a simulation as we always do through Madden 25. You can watch the entire thing below: It may sound shocking, but Madden actually believes the Cowboys are going to win this week. Again, it does sound rather absurd. There has only been a single instance this season where Madden correctly predicted the Cowboys to win and it was the aforementioned Steelers game. Incidentally, the Steelers also beat the Commanders this season, although Pittsburgh is a very different team these days compared to when Dallas was able to topple them. Here are the Madden predictions for every game this season and how they have fared. Week 1 Madden Prediction: Dallas Cowboys lose to Cleveland Browns, 18-17 Week 1 In Actuality: Dallas Cowboys beat Cleveland Browns, 33-17 Week 2 Madden Prediction: Dallas Cowboys lose to New Orleans Saints, 36-29 Week 2 in Actuality: Dallas Cowboys lose to New Orleans Saints, 44-10 Week 3 Madden Prediction: Dallas Cowboys lose to Baltimore Ravens, 21-14 Week 3 in Actuality: Dallas Cowboys lose to Baltimore Ravens, 28-25 Week 4 Madden Prediction: Dallas Cowboys lose to New York Giants, 28-21 Week 4 in Actuality: Dallas Cowboys beat New York Giants, 20-15 Week 5 Madden Prediction: Dallas Cowboys beat Pittsburgh Steelers, 28-14 Week 5 in Actuality: Dallas Cowboys beat Pittsburgh Steelers, 20-17 Week 6 Madden Prediction: Dallas Cowboys lose to Detroit Lions, 38-31” Week 6 in Actuality: Dallas Cowboys lose to Detroit Lions, 47-9 Week 8 Madden Prediction: Dallas Cowboys beat San Francisco 49ers, 22-7 Week 8 in Actuality: Dallas Cowboys lose to San Francisco 49ers, 30-24 Week 9 Madden Prediction: Dallas Cowboys beat Atlanta Falcons, 13-10 Week 9 in Actuality: Dallas Cowboys lose to Atlanta Falcons, 27-21 Week 10 Madden Prediction: Dallas Cowboys lose to Philadelphia Eagles, 21-17 Week 10 in Actuality: Dallas Cowboys lose to Philadelphia Eagles, 34-6 Week 11 Madden Prediction: Dallas Cowboys beat Houston Texans, 24-17 Week 11 in Actuality: Dallas Cowboys lose to Houston Texans, 34-10 Time will tell if Madden can get another Dallas Cowboys win correct. I’d imagine that nobody thinks that it will.

Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images This season has felt broken for a very long time now. The Cowboys have now lost five straight games, with the season falling into utter disarray ever since their gutsy win in Pittsburgh over the Steelers that seemingly signaled a positive shift in the team’s overall trajectory. Of course, it’s hard to talk about this current slide without acknowledging all of the injuries that have plagued this roster. Micah Parsons missed that game in Pittsburgh, as did DeMarcus Lawrence, and then missed the next three games. Lawrence still hasn’t returned, and his replacement – rookie Marshawn Kneeland – almost immediately landed on the injured reserve in that Steelers game. Kneeland has had his practice window activated now and may return soon, as is the case for DaRon Bland, who has yet to play all year. But because this season is seemingly cursed, all these players started getting healthy right when Dak Prescott went down for the year, making their returns largely meaningless. It’s easy to blame this lost season on the injuries, but the Cowboys didn’t exactly look all that crisp before players started dropping like flies either. That shouldn’t be a surprise after a lackluster (to put it nicely) offseason led to what some deemed the worst roster of the Mike McCarthy era. So is this losing streak more about all the injuries or just a symptom of the team being set up to fail by their front office? Our own Tom Ryle and David Howman have some thoughts. Tom: Looking at the roster even before players started getting hurt, I thought that eight wins just might be the ceiling for this team. The offensive line was suspect, the running game had no clear lead back, and the defense also had some big question marks, starting with the interior of the line where run games either get handled or gash you. Once again the aversion to using free agency to really improve things was in play, and it boded ill. All that has come into play, and the rampant injuries have just made it worse. But I still think the team was going to miss the playoffs even with good health. Mike McCarthy was dealt a bad hand to play, and I cannot dismiss my suspicions it was deliberate. Now the only race of any importance for Dallas is how close to the top of the draft order they can get. We know Jerry Jones is a firm believer in building through the draft, and it looks like he will get a chance, although the odd decision to trade a fourth-round pick for Jonathan Mingo, coming off IR, doesn’t help. We are left to wonder just what Jerry said he was all in on, but we don’t have to speculate about how this season will end. The Cowboys will be at home for the playoffs. And I think that was going to happen in any case. David: While I’m fully inclined to believe that Jerry Jones intentionally set Mike McCarthy up to fail, I also don’t believe that things were going to completely come off the rails as they have. We had similar conversations heading into the 2022 season, and the front office put a similarly lackluster product on the field, but McCarthy was able to will that team to 12 wins even with Dak Prescott missing five games. It helped, though, that the Cowboys defense was fully intact and playing well while Prescott was out. Looking at this year, the Cowboys entered the season with questions but also potential answers. Rico Dowdle has rightfully emerged as the top back, though it seems that McCarthy encountered some unexpected hurdles in properly prioritizing him in the offense, and both Tyler Guyton and Cooper Beebe looked genuinely good in the preseason. Honestly, both rookies have been solid, especially when you account for the fact that neither of them played their current position in college. What nobody accounted for on this offensive line was Zack Martin’s significant drop-off in production or even Terence Steele, who’s always been suspect but not terrible in pass protection, leading the league in sacks allowed through 11 weeks. And then there’s the defense. They got their doors blown off by the Saints and Ravens, one of which is par for the course all throughout the league. Then they lost their best player and just about every other edge rusher behind him. The cornerback spot in Bland’s place has been a revolving door, which isn’t surprising given how hard it is to find great corners in today’s age. And all of that came on top of the whole defense still learning and adjusting to a pretty radically different scheme with Mike Zimmer. In recent weeks, we’ve seen the defense flash some genuine promise, though it’s far too little and far too late. If the Cowboys had been just a little bit healthier during this stretch, I think they squeak out wins against the Falcons, Eagles, and Texans and are sitting here today at 6-4. Tom: I still think that is too optimistic for what this squad was, even at their peak. We pretty much all agreed the roster going into this season was a step backwards from the prior year. I’m very unimpressed with the jobs both McCarthy and Zimmer have done. Both seem to need a full strength roster to work with, and Zimmer needed to do a better job getting his unit up to speed. But the thing that has emerged for me so far is that they have made a huge mistake with Dak Prescott’s contract. It is hard to argue that injuries now seem inevitable for him. Worse, the evidence is that he has lost the mobility that was so important. With it, he was clearly a top 10 quarterback and should have been capable of doing more than he has in the playoffs. Now, he just cannot escape pass rushes the way he used to and is

Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images The safety position has been a disappointment for the Cowboys in 2024. Safety Donovan Wilson signed a three-year extension for $21 million before the 2023 season, and he earned it. The year before, Wilson had his best season as a pro with 101 tackles (seven tackles for loss), five sacks, an interception, two pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery. Even last season was productive for Wilson with 88 tackles (two tackles for loss), two interceptions, three pass breakups, a forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries. When it comes to the NFL, though, every player has to constantly update their résumé. For Wilson, he hasn’t put forth the performance the Cowboys need at the safety spot. Wilson has 11 missed tackles on the season, which is just one fewer than he had last season, and there’s still seven games for the Cowboys to play. He has a missed tackle percentage of 18%, the second-worst of his career. In coverage, it’s been even worse. Wilson has allowed 19 receptions (tied for the second-most of his career). The 280 yards, 90.5% reception percentage, and 14.7 yards per catch Wilson has surrendered in 2024 are the worst marks he’s had in his six seasons in the league. Wilson is known for playing downhill and being a head-hunter. He has the instincts of a linebacker and that gets him in trouble when trying to cover guys. His aggressiveness gets him beat and also leads to the missed tackle issue mentioned earlier. Coverage has never been a real strength when it comes to Wilson, but it looks worse that it ever has, and simply can’t be that way, especially with a defense that is as bad as the Cowboys are this season. Even if their defense was good, it would still be an issue because that’s not ideal for the backend of your unit. In 2026, Wilson will be an unrestricted free agent. Next season was already going to be a contract year, but with how his play has slipped, it will be even more paramount for him to bounce back, or he could likely be wearing another uniform.